§ Mr. Ashtonasked the Secretary of State for Employment (1) if he will make an extra emergency float of money available for paying out the 380 non-recipients of Girocheques on Saturdays in Worksop who do not receive their benefit on time;
(2) what telephone number distressed non-recipients of Girocheques in Worksop on a Saturday should ring to contact the emergency services of his Department; whether he will make more than one line available; and if he will ensure full manning of these telephones.
§ Mr. GummerI refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on Friday, 11 February—[Vol. 36, c491.]
§ Mr. Ashtonasked the Secretary of State for Employment whether he will ensure that recipients of unemployment benefit in Worksop due to receive their Girocheques on Saturday 19 February will receive them on time.
§ Mr. GummerAs the hon. Member knows, he re is no guarantee of delivery on Saturdays: unemployed people are advised not to expect their cheques before the third day following attendance at the benefit office. For those attending on a Thursday, this is Monday. Many people do receive their cheques on Saturday. There are, however, factors outside the control of either this Department or the Department of Health and Social Security, or the Post Office, such as the industrial action by British Rail staff last Friday, which delayed the delivery of cheques to Worksop. Such events cannot be anticipated.
§ Mr. Ashtonasked the Secretary of State for Employment what representations he has made to tile Post Office about the late delivery of Girocheques in Worksop following parliamentary questions from the hon. Member for Bassetlaw on Tuesday 8 February.
§ Mr. GummerRepresentations were made to the Post Office both in Worksop and in Reading before and after the hon. Member's questions on Tuesday 8 February. The approach to Post Office officials in Reading was made by staff of the Department of Health and Social Security computer centre responsible for the special liaison arrangements there.
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§ Mr. Ashtonasked the Secretary of State for Employment whether, in view of the non-arrival of Girocheques in Worksop on Saturday 12 February, he will now arrange for cheques to be dispatched from Reading on Thursday and transfer all those registering for benefit on Thursday to the previous Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday.
§ Mr. GummerThe hon. Member already knows that officials are considering the feasibility of changes and that I shall write to him when decisions have been reached.
§ Mr. Ashtonasked the Secretary of State for Employment how many local offices of his Department receive regular complaints about non-arrival of Giro-cheques on Saturdays.
§ Mr. GummerPrecise figures are not available. Many local offices receive complaints from individuals, but few receive complaints about bulk delays. When such delays occur regularly, the solution is generally a matter for the Post Office. Rerouteing the mail, in liaison with the DHSS computer centres, resolves the problem.
§ Mr. Ashtonasked the Secretary of State for Employment what was the total number of Girocheques distributed from the Reading computer centre on an average Friday in 1979 compared to Fridays in 1982; and how many extra staff have been provided to cope with this increase.
§ Mr. GummerExamples of the information requested are (1) 71,978 cheques sent out from the Reading computer centre on 20 July 1979 as against 109,711 on 23 July 1982, and (2) 18,197 staff in the unemployment benefit service at 1 August 1979 and 26,981 at 1 July 1982. Changes in staffing levels at the Reading computer centre are a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Social Services. The figures given are not directly comparable because a system of fortnightly attendance and payment for unemployed people was started from September 1979.