HC Deb 12 December 1994 vol 251 cc537-8W
Mr. Madden

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what additional resources or training has been given to local Benefits Agency staff to implement decisions under the habitual residency test; and what safeguards exist to ensure the test is not applied in a racially discriminatory way.

Mr. Roger Evans

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.

Letter from Michael Bichard to Mr. Max Madden, dated 9 December 1994: The Secretary of State for Social Security has asked me to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the introduction of the habitual residence test. An allocation of £800,000 has been distributed among Benefits Agency (BA) District offices and the need for any additional resources is being kept under review as management information is collected about the impact of the new procedures. Prior to the introduction of the test, self instruction training material was produced by the BA in conjunction with staff from the office of the Chief Adjudication Officer. This material set out the requirements imposed by the test and was issued to Managers of all local BA offices. Managers are responsible for deciding who amongst their staff should receive the training. The BA is committed to equal opportunities and has published an equal opportunities policy statement which makes it clear that no form of discrimination, whether against customers or staff by customers or staff, will be tolerated. This policy statement has been implemented through local action plans that are regularly monitored. Any complaints or suggestions of discrimination will always be treated seriously and immediately investigated by management. In addition, the Chief Adjudication Officer's staff are currently conducting a monitoring exercise to confirm uniformity in the application of the test and decision making throughout the country and as a part of this exercise will this month hold seminars with local Adjudication Officers. I hope you find this reply helpful.