§ Mr. HeppellTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if she has appointed a new Social Fund Commissioner to succeed Mr. John Scampion when his appointment ends on 31 May. [43578]
§ Ms HarmanI am pleased to announce that Mr. John Scampion has agreed to serve as Social Fund Commissioner for Great Britain and Northern Ireland for a further period of three years from 1 June 1998.
Since taking up the post of Social Fund Commissioner in June 1995, Mr. Scampion has successfully developed the Independent Review Service (IRS) into a customer focused organisation which aims to get the decision right first time. An important step for the IRS in this new approach has been the development of staff to realise their full potential, leading to the award of the Investors in People accreditation in July 1997.
Mr. Scampion has also agreed to take part in the general monitoring of the effectiveness of the new Budgeting Loan scheme.
I am confident that I can rely on Mr. Scampion to maintain and even improve upon his excellent record to date.