§ Mr. Nigel EvansTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security when he will publish the 12th annual report of the chief adjudication officer; and if he will make a statement. [36686]
§ Mr. Roger EvansThe report is being published today. The chief adjudication officer's findings record a year of mixed achievement for the Benefits Agency and the Employment Service. We are pleased that, overall, the percentage of decisions correct in every respect shows an improvement on the previous year, but we are disappointed that the momentum of that year had not been carried forward to produce an even better performance.
Both the Benefits Agency and the Employment Service are committed to improving standards of adjudication. The chief adjudication officer will continue to work with the Benefits Agency and the Employment Service in this task, which will become all the more demanding and important in the short term whilst the jobseekers allowance is being introduced. His findings will, as he suggest, also provide an important contribution to the current review of the legal framework for decision and appeals.