HC Deb 25 April 1996 vol 276 cc254-5W
Ms Lynne

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what are his Department's plans for the future funding of(a) social fund money advice and (b) the Benefits Agency out-of-hours service, with particular reference to that provided by the London emergency office. [25630]

Mr. Roger Evans

This is a matter for Peter Mathison, the chief executive of the Benefits Agency. He will write to the hon. Member.

Letter from Peter Mathison to Ms Liz Lynne, dated 24 April 1996: The Secretary of State for Social Security has asked me to reply to your recent Parliamentary question asking what are his Department's plans for the future funding of (a) Social Fund money advice and (b) the Benefits Agency (BA) Out of Hours Service, with particular reference to that provided by the London Emergency Office. I recently outlined the BA's plans for the future delivery of social security benefits based on the BA vision of "right benefit money to the right person at the right time every time". The Agency will carry out a wide-ranging review of its activities as part of the Departmental Change Programme. Such a programme of change will cover all fundamental areas of the organisation's business and we are committed to achieve a 25% improvement in our productivity by 1998/99. In the first year it has been necessary to identify efficiencies and economies in excess of £200 million. All efficiencies and economies have been considered alongside the expenditure priorities the Agency has been set. It is against this background that the Agency decided to review the need for the Out Of Hours Service and the London Emergency Office which both provide a service to customers at night and weekends, and also the provision of Social Fund Money Advice. It was decided to end the funding for Social Fund Money Advice from 1 April 1996 because it was found that the service that could be provided by Social Fund Officers was very limited, there was a very low customer take up, and other outside bodies such as the Citizens Advice Bureaux were able to provide a comprehensive service. The need for and the level of service provided by the Out of Hours Service and the London Emergency Office is currently being examined and a decision on it viability is expected later this year. I hope you find this reply helpful.