Mr. John David Taylorasked the Secretary of State for Social Services for how long the present industrial action involving the records computer has caused an inability by the central office at Newcastle upon Tyne, to advise possible refunds of national insurance contributions to claimants; and if he will make a statement.
§ Dr. BoysonBy 10 July 1984 nearly 30,000 refunds had been made to contributors who overpaid national insurance contributions during 1983–84, compared with some 42,000 at the same stage in 1983. Most refunds were to those who had been in more than one employment and whose total payments had exceeded the contributions' ceiling. The calculations were based on information which came in part from the computer before the start of the industrial, action on 14 May 1984 and in part from contributors who applied on their own initiative and supplied acceptable evidence of overpayments, for example, forms P60. The strike is delaying the supply of information needed from the computer to identify other contributors who have overpaid but it will probably be two or three months before the full impact on the Department's ability to make appropriate refunds is felt.
§ Mr. Spellerasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many staff are on strike at the Newcastle computer centre; and if he will make a statement.
§ Dr. Boyson408 staff are currently on strike. The dispute is over management plans to reorganise shift working arrangements and I would welcome an early resumption of the negotiations which the trade unions concerned broke off at the start of their strike action.
§ Mr. Dubsasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is his estimate of the annual cost of meeting the conditions of service which are the subject of the current dispute at his Department's Newcastle central 148W office; and how much of this is still a matter of disagreement between his Department and the trade unions.
§ Dr. BoysonThe estimated savings resulting from the implementation of the present proposals will be about £700,000 per annum. To date agreement has not been reached on any part of these proposals. I hope the unions will soon resume negotiations.
§ Mr. Dubsasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what have been the additional costs incurred by his Department as a direct consequence of the industrial dispute at his Department's Newcastle central office.
§ Dr. BoysonThe main additional costs arise from the Post Office emergency procedures for paying beneficiaries whose order books have expired, from overtime worked in local offices, and from press publicity for the emergency procedures. We do not yet have precise figures for the first two items.
§ Mr. Dubsasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is his assessment of the effect of the current dispute in his Department's Newcastle central office on the forthcoming pensions uprating.
§ Dr. BoysonI refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Brighton, Kemptown (Mr. Bowden) on 16 July.