§ Ms. Janet AndersonTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what plans he has to re-establish a Benefits Agency service in Darwen, Lancashire.
§ Mr. BurtThe provision of service outlets 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 Michael Bichard to Ms. Janet Anderson, dated 17 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 plans to re-establish a Benefits Agency service in Darwen, Lancashire.Surveys show that, increasingly, many of our customers prefer not to visit offices for advice or information but to telephone or write instead. However, a significant number of customers still feel happier conducting their business in 254W person. In Districts covering large geographical areas travelling to the relevant main office may be difficult. For this reason some Districts offer limited caller facilities at outstations, giving customers in more remote parts easier access to face to face advice and information.Darwen falls in the area covered by the Benefits Agency's. Blackburn and Accrington District. I should explain that a DHSS (as it then was) caller outstation existed in Darwen up to 1985, when lack of demand for the facility led to its closure.Recent planning exercises by the Blackburn and Accrington District, which involved consulting customers and other interested parties, showed that customer service could be improved by the re-establishment of an outstation in Darwen. Proposals for this have now been incorporated in the District's strategic plan for the next three years. There are., as you will appreciate, competing calls on a limited capital expenditure budget, and regrettably there can be no guarantee that the proposal will come to fruition in the next year or two. An alternative may be to use space in the Employment Services' office in Darwen, and this option is being looked at.What I can say is that management and staff within the District are fully committed to the Agency's core value of Customer Service, and are determined to provide the service their customers want wherever possible. I hope you find this reply helpful. A copy of this reply will appear in the Official Report. Copies are also being placed in the Library.