§ Mr. TrickettTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) what running costs savings will be required of the management team in the Yorkshire area by the charge programme in the next three years; and what will be the change in the budget for the Hemsworth area for each of the next three years; [33023]
(2) what plans he has for staff reductions within the Benefits Agency in the Hemsworth area; and what estimate he has made of the numbers of staff who will be employed in the Wakefield district in each of the next three years. [33024]
§ Mr. BurtThis 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 Mr. Jon Trickett, dated 19 June 1996:
The Secretary of State for Social Security has asked me to reply to your recent Parliamentary Questions asking what running costs savings will be required of the management team in the Yorkshire area by the Change Programme in the next three years; what will be the change in the budget for the Hemsworth area for each of the next three years; what plans he has for staff reductions within the Benefits Agency (BA) in the Hemsworth area and what estimate he has made of the numbers of staff who will be employed at the Wakefield District in each of the next three years.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 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 nationally.The BA in the Yorkshire area is examining all aspects of BA processes and business services. Until that examination is complete the impact on running costs for the Yorkshire Area Management Team and Hemsworth cannot be assessed.597WIt is also too early to assess the precise impact this will have on staffing at a local level. However, there are at present no plans for any reductions of staff for the Wakefield District in this financial year.I hope you find this reply helpful.
§ Mr. TrickettTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what decisions were taken at the recent meeting of the Benefits Agency management team responsible for the Yorkshire area relating to the departmental change programme. [33022]
§ Mr. BurtThis 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 Mr. Jon Trickett, dated 19 June 1996:
The Secretary of State for Social Security has asked me to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking what decisions were taken at the recent meeting of the Benefits Agency (BA) management team responsible for the Yorkshire area relating to the departmental change programme.The BA management team responsible for the Yorkshire area meet regularly to discuss all aspects of performance and service delivery in the Area they serve.At one of their recent meetings the management team discussed the potential impact of the Departmental Change Programme and a range of other issues that could have an impact on the delivery of benefit services in Yorkshire. This is part of a normal planning process within the BA and is intended to assist managers in setting priorities and in planning the effective use of resources.No firm decisions were taken at the meeting mentioned in relation to the Departmental Change Programme. However District Managers were asked to review their customer service provision in the light of the 1996/97 budget allocation to ensure they provide a high quality service at the lowest possible cost.I hope you find this reply helpful.