§ 99. Mr. KirkwoodTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will make a statement on the progress being made on the Governments programme of computerisation of the social security system.
§ Mr. Harry GreenwayTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Services what progress has been made in the computerisation of pensions and benefits; and if he will make a statement.
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§ Mr. PortilloThe operational strategy, the Department's plan for the computerisation of the social security system, continues to meet its targets. Nearly all social security offices have been equipped with microcom-puters to assess new claims to benefit and assist with other administrative tasks. The programme to adapt them to deal with income support assessment and book-keeping for the social fund from April 1988 is on schedule.
Unemployment benefit offices have been provided with on-line terminals linking them to the unemployment benefit mainframe computers at Reading and Livingston, enabling staff to call up information held centrally. This has improved the service to the public.
The family credit project—which will make this new benefit the first to have a fully computerised assessment and payment system when it comes into operation in April 1988—remains on target.
The Department is also on schedule to begin, from October 1989, a rolling programme of implementation of three major projects: the local office project — which computerises income support; the retirement pensions project — which will provide on-line assessments and awards of pensions; and the departmental central index —which provides a central record-keeping facility. The implementation programme is scheduled for completion by April 1992.
Further in the future, a project exists to provide on-line assessment and award of unemployment benefit. It is also planned to extend the local office project to cover incapacity benefits.