§ Mr. BrazierTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement regarding the DHSS arrangements for considering financial redress where maladministration has occurred. [17107]
§ Mr. MossThe Department of Health and Social Services is committed to making its services more responsive to the needs of its customers, operating financial redress where appropriate. Since 1977, the Department has operated arrangements whereby financial redress can be made to a customer who has suffered a financial loss through maladministration. These arrangements mirror those operated by the Department of Social Security. While the arrangements have been updated periodically since then, a major review, covering 605W the whole of the United Kingdom, has recently been completed. The review, which took account of the principles contained in the Office of Public Service and Treasury guidance and concerns raised by the GB Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration and the parliamentary ombudsman for Northern Ireland, has resulted in the production of a revised set of arrangements.
The revised arrangements provide the basis for a consistent approach to complaints across agencies and offer a more sympathetic attitude to cases where official error has occurred, but no financial loss has been experienced. They also ensure more equitable treatment in the consideration of compensation payments when moneys due are unnecessarily delayed. In line with the remainder of the United Kingdom, the revised arrangements are effective from 1 January 1997. A copy of "Financial Redress for Maladministration",— DHSS(NI), which provides detailed guidance will be placed in the Library.