§ Mr. BurdenTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what was the monthly budget for staffing of the Benefits Agency for each month since April 1992; and how much of this budget was spent in each month.
§ Mr. BurtThe management of the Benefits Agency budget 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 Mr. Richard Burden, dated 18 May 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 asking what was the monthly budget for staffing of the Benefits Agency for each month since April 1992; and how much of this budget was spent in each month.
The Agency has to manage within a total allocation and it allows its managers the flexibility to move resources between 185W staff and other running costs in order to achieve their objectives in the most cost effective way. The attached table compares provisional expenditure on staff with managers' own plans. When accounts close, we expect to have spent about £6 million less than managers' plans over the year (0.6 per cent.). Individual monthly figures are significantly affected by factors such as the dates of pay awards and the processing of pay adjustments.
I hope you find this reply helpful. A copy will appear in the Official Report and a copy will also be placed in the Library.
£ million Salaries Managers' monthly plans Monthly spend Monthly variance April 72.136 72.136 0.000 May 69.210 70.350 1.140 June 78.003 77.894 -0.109 July 73.049 75.624 2.575 August 81.657 77.719 -3.938 September 79.770 78.286 -1.484 October 81.135 79.469 -1.666 November 95.264 88.570 -6.694 December 83.108 83.455 0.347 January 85.307 82.645 -2.662 February 90.521 88.060 -2.461 March 94.039 102.725 8.686 Total 983.199 976.933 -6.266
1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 Number issued (million) 32.056 30.884 34.484 34.470 36.190 Value of issues (£ million) 2,184 2,366 2,752 3,083 3,432 Number reported missing/stolen 104,854 84,901 89,176 83,849 86,004 Percentage 0.327 0.275 0.259 0.243 0.238 Value of missing/stolen girocheques based on an average of (a) Issues each year (£ million) 7.144 6.504 7.117 7.499 8.156 (b) 1987–88 issue value (£ million) 7.144 5.783 6.075 5.712 5.859 The figures of missing or stolen girocheques are collated nationally; it is not possible to supply the information in a form relating to individual Benefit Offices or Benefit Groups. Additionally, the Employment Agency acts as our agent in the provision of girocheques to those who are unemployed and claiming Income Support. Data relevant to those issues cannot be separately identified and are, therefore, not included in the tables above.
I hope that you find this reply helpful. A copy will appear in the Official Report. A copy will also be placed in the Library.