§ Dr. WrightTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security on what date the OTIS—"Opportunity to Improve Service"—computerised system for complaints operated by the Benefits Agency was inaugurated; how many complaints have been logged from that date; what percentage of those complaints and suggestions have resulted in a change to the agency's policy or procedure; and what plans there are for such a system to be adopted by other agencies.
§ Mr. BurtThe operation of the OTIS computerised system in the Benefits Agency is the responsibility of Mr. Michael Bichard, the chief executive of the Benefits Agency. He will write to the hon. Member.
Letter from Michael Bichard to Dr. Tony Wright, dated 14 June 1994:
The Secretary of State for Social Security has asked me to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the OTIS computerised system for complaints in the Benefits Agency and what plans there are for the system to be adopted by other agencies.(OTIS) Opportunity to Improve Service was introduced in Newcastle Benefits Directorate on 1 July 1991, initially on a pilot basis. It proved successful and is now in operation in Newcastle Pensions Directorate, Overseas Benefits Directorate and Child Benefit Centre but is not used throughout the Agency.Some Districts are using IT systems to record and analyse customer feedback. However, many offices do not receive enough complaints to justify the need to adopt an IT system for analysing customer feedback. The Benefits Agency is in the process of producing a "good practice guide" to be issued to all business units to ensure that their local systems are operating to full potential.The Information available on complaints logged on OTIS is 1,404 for Overseas Benefits Directorate for the period 1 July 1991 to 31 March 1994, 1,906 for Newcastle Pensions Directorate for the same period, and 5,499 for Child Benefit Centre for the period 2 January 1992 to 25 May 1994.As OTIS is used to identify trends rather than monitor individual complaints or suggestions, statistics comparing the number of comments with any change in procedure are not kept.I understand from the other DSS Agencies that they have no plans to introduce OTIS but some are introducing IT systems to meet their own business needs.I hope you find this reply helpful.