Benefits Agency (Hansard, 13 November 1992)

§ Mr. Burt

The question of morale in the Benefits Agency is a matter for Mr. Michael Bichard the chief executive of the Benefits Agency. He will write to the hon. Member and a copy will be placed in the Library.

Letter from Mr. Michael Bichard to Mr. Gordon Prentice, dated 12 November 1992: As Chief Executive of the Benefits Agency, it is my responsibility to answer questions about relevant operational matters. I am therefore replying to the points raised in your recent Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security concerning morale in the Benefits Agency. I am sure you will know that one of the Benefits Agency's core values is "caring for staff' and, earlier this year, in order to give new meaning to this, we published our Staff Charter. This sets out in detail what staff have a right to expect of the Agency, and we are committed to producing an Action Update twice a year so that staff can see what progress is being made. In producing the first Summer 1992 Action Update recently to all our staff we noted that there are perhaps three major areas in which we have been able to make progress in the first half of this year—the involvement of our staff, equal opportunities, and a new staff appraisal system. The Benefits Agency Management Team has particularly welcomed the increased involvement of staff through the use of a half hour set aside in very many Districts for staff discussions, and through other imaginative ways in which staff participation is encouraged. We have provided an additional lm to support the introduction of our new equal opportunities package—that package (and the money) are evidence of our determination to make progress on this front. We have also introduced a new and, we believe, a much better personal appraisal system throughout the Agency. In some areas progress has not been as rapid as we would have wished. We are well aware of the fact that staff are expecting much more of us by way of development and training opportunities, and we will be paying particularly close attention to this in the second half of the year. But whether it be in the major areas mentioned above, or in the relatively minor developments such as the start of long service awards and the continued health screening programme, we remain fully committed to supporting, valuing and involving our staff, whatever their grade. During the spring of 1992 a Staff Attitudes Survey was conducted throughout the Department of Social Security and its executive agencies. 4,694 questionnaires were completed and returned by Benefits Agency staff spread across a representative sample of grade levels and areas of work. The final results of the survey have only very recently been passed to agencies by the Institute of Manpower Studies (IMS), and we are in the process of analysing them to decide what action needs to be taken. At this early stage of our analysis it is nevertheless worth noting from the overall summary provided to us by the IMS that staff were reasonably satisfied with some 998W aspects of work. Job security was a source of satisfaction, along with a friendly working atmosphere, flexible hours and an approachable line manager. We will be considering further those areas where less satisfaction was expressed—such as promotion opportunities and opportunities for training and development. I would be the first to admit that we have a lot to do to help improve the morale of our staff, but the evidence received so far suggests that our staff do appreciate what we are trying to do for them. All our units, including Districts, Benefits Directorates and Central Services, will be carrying out their own staff perception surveys as part of their own commitment to caring for their staff. I can assure you that this has equal importance within the Agency with our other core values of customer service, value for money, and bias for action. I hope you will find this report helpful. A copy of this reply will appear in the Official Report. Copies are also being placed in the Library.