§ Mr. Peter BradleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what assessment she has made of the availability of(a) stationery and (b) printed forms at Benefits Agency offices; and if she will make a statement. [51563]
§ Mr. Keith BradleyThis is a matter for Peter Mathison, the Chief Executive of the Benefits Agency. He will write to my hon. Friend.
Letter from Peter Mathison to Mr. Keith Bradley, dated 21 July 1998:
The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking what assessment has been made of the availability of (a) stationery and (b) printed forms at Benefits Agency (BA) offices.On 6 April 1998, a new system was introduced for ordering forms, leaflets and envelopes called the Customer Direct Initiative (CDI). The intention behind CDI is to reduce the cost of print and storage by introducing a direct service to the customer and placing ownership of stock with suppliers.There have been some initial problems with the new system which has led to BA offices experiencing difficulties in obtaining forms and printed material. We have been working closely with suppliers to address these early problems and improvements are now being seen, such as the increased availability of stock to between 88% and 97% of the total requested and the continued reduction in supply chain problems. We expect these improvements to continue but will manage the situation carefully so that we can be satisfied that the system is working properly.In addition, we have identified forms and stationery that are essential for our core business and suppliers have given assurances that these products will always be available and this position is being monitored daily.I hope this reply is helpful.