§ Ms. MowlamTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will make a statement on the results of the Gallup survey for the National Audit Office of supplementary benefit claimants' satisfaction with the service provided by his Department's local offices; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. PortilloWe have found the results of the Gallup Survey to be a valuable supplement to the Department's own customer research. Some of the findings are encouraging; for instance the local office service provided for supplementary benefit (now income support) pensioners is generally well received. But there are criticisms too, for example, of a lack of privacy for local office callers, which officials will be seeking to put right. It is our intention to commission independent customer research of this type on a regular basis from 1989–90 onwards.