§ Mr. MaddenTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) if the review of out of office hours emergency services provided by the Benefits Agency is now complete; what consultations with outside bodies he has conducted during the review; and what instructions he has issued concerning the future operation of such services; [1974]
(2) how many people requested help from the out of office hours service operated by the Benefits Agency this year, to date, and in each of the last five years; what was the total cost of operating the service during that period; and what was the total number of staff designated to the service in each year; [1976]
(3) what discussions he (i) has had and (ii) plans to have with (a) the Association of County Councils,(b) the Association of Metropolitan Authorities and(c) the Association of Directors of Social Services concerning the future operation of the out of office hours service by the Benefits Agency;[1977]
(4) what estimates he has made of the impact on local authorities of ending the out of office hours service operated by the Benefits Agency; and what financial assistance he will offer to local authorities to provide additional services for the public seeking emergency help. [1975]
§ Mr. Roger EvansThe administration of income support 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. Max Madden, dated 4 November 1996:
The Secretary of State for Social Security has asked me to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking:if the review of out of office hours emergency services provided by the Benefits Agency is now complete; what consultations with outside bodies he has conducted during the review; and what instructions he has issued concerning the future operation of such services".what discussions he has (i) had, and (ii) plans to have, with (a) the Association of County Councils, (b) the Association of Metropolitan Authorities and (c) the Association of Directors of Social Services concerning the future operation of the out of office hours service by the Benefits Agency.what estimates he has made of the impact on local authorities of ending the out of office hours service operated by the Benefits Agency; and what financial assistance he will offer to local authorities to provide additional services for the public seeking emergency help.how many people requested help from the out of office hours service operated by the Benefits Agency this year, to date, and in each of the last five years; what was the total cost of operating the service during that period; and what was the total number of staff designated to the service in each year.The review of the Out-of-Hours Service (OOHS) is not complete. A consultation exercise to assess the impact of a reduction or withdrawal of the OOHS was conducted during August and early 456W September. This involved consultations with representatives from Department of Health, Local Authorities, the Scottish Office and welfare agencies. The results of the exercise are now being evaluated.In the course of the review meetings were held with the Department of Health, on 21 August and with representatives from the Association of County Councils and the Association of Directors of Social Services, on 22 August. Although invited, there is no record that the Association of Metropolitan Authorities were represented at the later meeting.Until the review is complete the impact on the local authorities cannot be assessed. Further meetings to assess the financial implications have been arranged with Department of Health, Department of the Environment and the Scottish Office.I have provided the available information on the number of OOHS referrals and the administration costs for the last five years. It should be noted that a referral means a contact by the customer or a third party. Approximately 50% of the referrals require a visit. Figures about the success or otherwise of these visits are not maintained.The information on the number of staff designated to the service can only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
Period Number of referrals 1 October 1991 to 30 September 1992 21,709 1 October 1992 to 30 September 1993 42,722 1 August 1993 to 31 July 1994 47,958 1 August 1994 to 31 July 1995 48,744 1 April 1995 to 31 March 1996 54,868
Financial year Administration costs £ million 1992–93 0.561 1993–94 0.987 1994–95 1.720 1995–96 1.754 1996–97 1.834 These figures are provisional and subject to amendment.
I hope you find this reply helpful.