HC Deb 28 March 1994 vol 240 cc586-8W
Mr. Nigel Evans

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what performance targets he is setting for his Department's executive operations for 1994–95; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Lilley

The targets for 1994–95 which I have set for DSS executive operations are set out below. The targets support the continued success of the Government's "next steps" agencies and citizens charter initiative.

The targets represent a challenging level of performance and a year-on-year improvement in the service that the customers receive. In particular, I have set a comprehensive list of targets for the new War Pensions Agency to be launched in April.

As well as the performance targets, agencies have been set resource management targets requiring them to deliver their plans within their agreed financial allocation and, where appropriate, to make efficiency savings.

Targets for the Child Support Agency will be announced as soon as they have been finalised.

The business plans of the Benefits Agency, Contributions Agency and the Resettlement Agency have been published today, the War Pensions business plan will be published on 13 April. The Information Technology Service Agency's business plan will be published shortly. The Child Support Agency's business plan will be published after the targets have been finalised. I will arrange for copies of business plans to be placed in the Library.

The targets are:

Benefits Agency

  1. 1. Benefit Clearance Times1
    • Social Fund Crisis Loans—the day the need arises.
    • Income Support New Claims—71 per cent. of claims cleared in 5 days and 90 per cent. in 13 days.
    • Sickness and Invalidity Benefit Claims—65 per cent. of claims cleared in 10 days and 95 per cent. in 30 days.
    • Child Benefit—67 per cent. of claims cleared in 10 days and 95 per cent. in 30 days.
    • Family Credi—60 per cent. of claims cleared in 13 days and 95 per cent. in 42 days.
    • Disability Living Allowance—68 per cent. of claims in 30 days and 85 per cent. in 53 days.
  2. 2. Benefit Accuracy
    • Income Support—to pay the correct amount in 92 per cent. of cases.
    • Incapacity Benefits2—to pay the correct amount in 96–5 per cent. of cases.
    • Family Credit—to pay the correct amount in 93 per cent. of cases.
    • Disability Living Allowance—to pay the correct amount in 96 per cent. of cases.
  3. 3. Customer Satisfaction
    • 85 per cent. of customers to regard the Agency's service as satisfactory or better.
  4. 4. Resource Management
    • To keep the net cash limited provision for the discretionary
    • Social Fund budget approved by Parliament.
    587
  5. 5. Financial Recovery
    • Recovery of Social Fund loans—£221 million.
    • Benefit savings from the detection and prevention of fraud £654 million.

Recovery of Benefit overpayments—£75 million.

  1. (1) clearance times cover the date of receipt of a written claim in the Agency to the date of decision/payment. All days refer to working days.
  2. (2) Incapacity benefits is an overall term used to cover Sickness Benefit, Invalidity Benefit, Severe Disablement Allowance and Maternity Allowance.

Contributions Agency

  1. 1. Performance: compliance.
    • Collection of contribution arrears (excluding Central Payments Section) of £206 million.
    • Identification of £131 million Class 1 arrears as a result of compliance work.
    • Increase the number of surveys to 134,000 including 27,000 employer educational visits.
    • Actively identify 80,000 persons with Class 2 liability of whom 28,000 will have an immediate requirement to pay contributions.
  2. 2. Performance: records maintenance
    • Process 98 per cent. of available employers end of year returns by 31 December 1994.
    • Correct 91 per cent. of rejects from employers end of year returns by 31 March 1995.
  3. 3. Performance: information provision/customer service
    • Clear 99 per cent. of benefit enquiries handled clerically in 2 working days to 98 per cent. accuracy.
    • Despatch either a full reply, or an informative response, to 95 per cent. of all customer enquiries within 10 working days of receipt.
    • Complete action to register acceptable Personal Pension cases and process straight-forward Termination Notices for 94 per cent. of all cases within 24 working days of receipt.
    • Provide a level of public service considered to be satisfactory by at least 80 per cent. of customers surveyed.

War Pensions Agency

  1. 1. Performance targets
    • Disablement 1st claims (UK)—60 per cent. of claims cleared in 150 days
    • War Widows claims (UK)—80 per cent. of claims cleared in 70 days
    • Disablement second and subsequent claims—60 per cent. of claims cleared in 135 days
    • Claims accuracy (all claims)—95 per cent.
    • Entitlement appeals—70 per cent. of appeals processed in 275 days
    • Assessment appeals—70 per cent. of appeals processed in 190 days
  2. 2. Customer satisfaction target
    • 85 per cent. of clients to regard the Agency's service as satisfactory or better, as measured by an independent survey.

Resettlement Agency

  1. 1. Disengagement Strategy
    • Cease direct operation of four resettlement units by granting funds to suitable organisations who will provide similar resettlement services in the same premises by 31 March 1995.
    • Progress replacement proposals for Leeds and Bishopbriggs Resettlement Units to enable completion of the disengagement programme by 31 March 1996.
  2. 2. Grant management
    • Agree with DSS HQ by 31 March 1995 the aims and objectives of the business which will remain after resettlement unit closes in 1996.
    • By 30 June 1994, review and evaluate the initial programme of monitoring visits to grant-aided organisations. Produce a plan to address the problems found by 30 June 1994. Determine a framework for the following year's monitoring programme by 1 September 1994. Revise the standard conditions of award by 31 December 1994.
  3. 3. Customer Care
    • Survey of residents to confirm that not less than 85 per cent. express satisfaction with standards.
  4. 4. Resettlement
    • By 31 March 1995 place 625 resettlement unit residents into suitable alternative accommodation in the community.

Information Technology Services Agency

  1. 1. Manage ITSA's resources within the net running cost regime.
  2. 2. Deliver an overall business efficiency improvement of 5 per cent.
  3. 3. Deliver 80 per cent. of services to customers to service levels for budget, time and quality as agreed within contracts.
  4. 4. Prepare ITSA for outsourcing the bulk of its TT Processing functions to Departmental timescales.
  5. 5. Departmental Information Technology Authority (DITA) —provide agreed reulatory services within allocated resources.

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