HC Deb 31 January 2002 vol 379 cc537-9W
Dr. Kumar

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make a statement on proposals to remove protective screens from Benefits Agencies in the Teesside area; what consultation was carried out with Benefits Agency staff in Teesside about proposals to remove protective screens from Benefits Agencies; if he will make a statement on(a) recent and (b) possible future strike action taken by Benefits Agency staff in Teesside in protest at the removal of screens from benefits agencies; and what precautions will be taken to protect the safety of Benefits Agency staff concerned about

Malvolm Wicks

The requested information is not available in respect of housing benefit fraud.

The available information is in the table.

dealing with violent or disturbed customers in the event that protective screens are removed from Benefits Agencies. [25443]

Mr. Nicholas Brown

The Benefits Agency and Employment Service will cease operations from 1 April 2002. They will be replaced by two new organisations—Jobcentre Plus (for people of working age) and the Pension Service. There are no plans to remove protective screens from Benefits Agency offices in Teesside, during the remaining life of the Benefits Agency.

There are 56 Pathfinder offices for Jobcentre Plus already in operation, operating within 16 clusters. None are in the Teesside area. These new-style Pathfinder Jobcentre Plus offices are predominantly unscreened though each cluster of Pathfinder offices retains at least one screened area or office to handle transactions or customers known to present a significant risk. The reaction of staff and customers to the new offices has been overwhelmingly positive and the level of recorded incidents of unacceptable behaviour extremely low. New-style Jobcentre Plus offices will be rolled out nationwide over the next four years though no decisions have yet been taken as to when offices in Teesside will be redesigned. As part of the implementation of the new style Jobcentre Plus offices, trade unions and staff will be consulted on delivery plans and safety arrangements and full risk assessments will be undertaken in each office as has been the case in the Pathfinder offices which are already open.

The Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union has regrettably taken strike action against plans to deliver Jobcentre Plus services from a predominantly unscreened environment. PCS asked their members in the Benefits Agency field organisation and the Employment Service to take strike action on 12 and 13 December 2001. In Teesside all Benefits Agency and Employment Service offices remained open to the public on these days.

Mr. Webb

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate the number of man-hours his Department has lost as a result of the industrial action by the PCS Union. [25228]

Mr. Nicholas Brown

Of our 100,000 staff, some 28,000 took strike action for two days in December. In the Pathfinder offices some 28 per cent. are on strike (on 85 per cent. strike pay).

As a result, approximately 1.1 million staff hours have been lost up to and including 17 December 2001. The staff hours lost represents some 2.2 per cent. of the total hours expected to be worked.