Local Office, Northfield (Hansard, 8 March 1993)

§ Mr. Burt

The administration of income support is a matter for Mr. Michael Bichard, the chief executive of the Benefits Agency. He will write to the hon. Member with such information as is available and a copy will be placed in the Library.

Letter from Michael Bichard to Dr Lynne Jones, dated 5 March 1993: As Chief Executive of the Benefits Agency it is my responsibility to answer questions about relevant operational matters. I am therefore replying to your recent Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security, pursuant to his Answer 10 February, Official Report, column 694, asking what is the policy of the Northfield Benefits Agency office on paying benefit temporarily by girocheque on a weekly basis pending the replacement of a lost benefit book; and if he will make a statement. 460W As stated in my letter of 9 February, when a customer reports that an order book has been lost, he is asked about the circumstances surrounding the loss. The interview to obtain this information is carried out by trained officers, experienced in dealing with this type of situation. The officer must be satisfied that reasonable efforts have been taken to recover the order book. The decision to replace or refuse replacement is made by an officer acting on behalf of the Secretary of State. If that officer has reason to doubt the validity of the reported loss, a replacement may not be made pending further investigation. In the case of Northfield Benefits Agency office, there have been 474 reported lost Income Support order books in the period 2 March 1992 to 24 February 1993, of which 393 have been replaced. Of these 393, a proportion will have received payment by weekly girocheque pending the outcome of investigations. I hope you find this reply helpful. Copies of this letter will be placed in the library.