§ Mr. Woodallasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will provide information on the current uses of computers within his Department and plans for their further introduction and extension.
§ Mr. NewtonComputers are used in DHSS for the following major tasks:
- Maintainance of National Insurance Contribution records.
- Payment of Pensions and Child Benefit.
- Payroll for the Department.
- Information processing for statistical and economic purposes.
- Payment of Unemployment Benefit and associated Supplementary Benefit.
- NHS Supperannuation record maintenance and payments.
- War Pensions records and payments.
- Family Income Supplement, Attendance Allowance, Mobility Allowance indexes and benefit payments.
- Local Authority Housing Benefit funds.
Other Work carried out on computers includes:
- Computer aids to health building
- Operational research
- Library applications
- Communication of contribution information to local offices from central records in Newcastle.
- Evalution trials of new Technology for Ministers' Officers support, management support and certain local offices procedures.
- Finance and Personnel functions using microcomputers.
The proposals for computerising social security operations over the next 10 to 15 years were published last autumn in a consultative document "Social Security Operational Strategy; A Framework for the Future", a copy of which is available in the Library. We are considering the way ahead in the light of comments received.