§ Mr. DonohoeTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what have been(a) the costs of establishing, operating and publicising the information helplines established by his Department and (b) the number of calls made to each of these lines since their establishment. [4448]
§ Mr. BurtI refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond, Yorks (Mr. Hague) on 3 April 1995,Official Report, column 960–61.
247WSuch further information as is available is as follows
DSS HEADQUARTERS
Number of callsJanuary 1995–December 1995: 64,151The telephone costs for the public enquiry office cannot be distinguished from overall telephone costs for the building from which they operate.
The annual staffing costs are £60,000.
BENEFITS AGENCYFreeline (free phone)Number of calls handled in the last 12 months up to 14 November 1995: 2.7 millionAnnual cost of call charges: £1.1 millionAnnual running costs (staff): £4.9 millionBenefit Enquiry Line (free phone)Number of calls handled in the last 12 months up to 24 November 1995: 0.9 millionAnnual cost of call charges: £0.75 millionAnnual running costs (staff): £2.72 millionFamily Credit Advice Line (full rate)Number of calls handled in the last 12 months up to 24 November 1995: 2.2 millionAnnual cost of call charges: nilAnnual running costs (staff): £1.6 millionDisability Living Allowance Line (subsidised)Number of calls handled in the last 12 months up to 24 November 1995: 2 millionAnnual cost of call charges: £0.072 millionAnnual running costs (staff); £1.62 millionNote:The Pension Advice line (now Pensions Direct) which had been included in the last answer is not considered as solely an information enquiry line. The line is a dedicated service offering a facility for customers to notify change of circumstances.CONTRIBUTIONS AGENCYBreakdown of figures for the Social Security Advice Line (SSALE) which were not available in March are as follows:Number of callsApril 1994 to March 1995: 225,124April 1995 to November 1995: 216,391The operating costs for 1994–95 were £240,558. During this financial year the accommodation occupied by SSALE in Glasgow underwent a major refurbishment including the installation of new telecommunications systems. The cost of this work amounted to £145,000.
WAR PENSIONS AGENCYNumber of callsJanuary 1995–December 1995: 452,780Costs of establishing the technical system in 1992 were £114,941 and the annual maintenance cost is £9,700.
The Helpline number appears on all agency publicity including leaflets and posters. It is therefore difficult to quantify costs specific to Helpline.
CHILD SUPPORT AGENCYNumber of calls1 June 1994–1 December 1995: 901,517248WThe individual cost of publicising the national enquiry line—NEL—is not available. Publicity information concerning NEL is contained within other CSA publicity material. The cost of operating NEL in 1994–95 was £1,123,895.
§ Mr. DonohoeTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what were the results of the call back survey carried out by his Department into customer satisfaction with the operation of his Department's inquiry line; what action his Department took in response to the findings of this survey; what organisation carried out this survey; and how much was paid to that organisation. [4457]
§ Mr. Andrew MitchellDuring the last 12 months no external call back surveys have been undertaken in respect of departmental helplines.
Internal surveys are commonplace and customer reaction is analysed and fed into the strategic planning process with a view to further enhancing customer service.