§ Mr. DonohoeTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how much his Department and its executive agencies have spent drafting, publishing and circulating each of their customer charters and customer standard documents; and how many copies of each document have been issued. [19388]
§ Mr. BurtThe information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is as follows:
- Benefits Agency
- The Benefits Agency customer charter was last revised and published in December 1993. The cost of publication was £48,106; 250,000 copies were published and distributed to the agency's local offices. In addition, in 1996–97, 86 Benefit Agency units have published local charters at a total cost of £60,200. Each business unit received 2,000 copies of its own
887 charter statement. There are no figures available on the number of national and local charters issued to the public, because their distribution is controlled by Benefits Agency local offices and the information could be obtained only at disproportionate costs. - Contributions Agency
- The employers charter was last revised and published in January 1994; 1,200,000 copies were printed and distributed to employers at a cost of £67,000. A further 250,000 copies were printed, stored and sent to local offices for distribution to customers, at a cost of £10,557; 74,621 remain in stock.
- The contributors charter was last revised and published in April 1995; 1,000,000 copies were printed for distribution with national insurance cards to 16-year-olds at a cost of £64,655; 250,000 copies were printed, stored and sent to local offices for distribution to customers, at a cost of £14,586; 13,355 remain in stock.
- Child Support Agency
- The Child Support Agency customer charter was last revised and published in November 1996. A total of 7,600 copies were printed and distributed at a cost of £9,539. There are none currently in stock.
- War Pensions Agency
- A total of 218,500 copies of the War Pensions Agency charter standard statement were printed at a cost of £14,949; 174,515 remain in stock.