§ Mr. WillettsTo ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will list the targets for each of his Department's telephone helplines, with performance figures for each helpline for the last year for which figures are available. [56416]
§ Mr. Nicholas BrownThe table shows the performance of the Department's telephone helplines against their internal performance targets for the last year for which figures are available (to March 2002 except where otherwise indicated).
Most lines are expected to answer a set percentage of calls within a specified number of seconds and this is the measure given in the table; but some operate different targets and, where applicable, this is shown in the notes.
91W
Telephone helplines Target Percentage calls Seconds Performance Percentage Pensions Direct 90 30 58 Customer Liaison Team (formerly Overseas Customer Service helpline) 95 30 91 MIG (Minimum Income Guarantee) Claimline 90 30 98 Retirement Pension Forecasting and Advice (RPFA) 90 30 66 Public Enquiry Office 65 4— 60 Employer Direct Answered 80 20 5— Abandoned 5 6— 5— Child Benefit Enquiry Line 100 5 rings 7100 90 8— 90.3 Benefit Enquiry Line (BEL) Answered 85 60 88.4 Ineffective 20 max. 9— 12.8 New Deal Information Line 85 1.10— 89.1 New Deal for Disabled People 85 1.10— 79 New Deal for Lone Parents 85 1.10— 87.9 The Publicity Register 85 1.10— 96.1 Inherited SERPS Enquiry Line (BroadSystems)11 85 1.10— 93.0 Pensioner Guide Orderline 85 1.10— 95.2 Winter fuel Helpline 85 1.10— 90.1 Pensions Information Line 85 1.10— 5— Welfare Reform Orderline 85 1.10— 98.2 185 per cent. of calls to be answered first time ie where the customer gets through on the first attempt without having to ring back again. 2No more than 20 per cent. of calls to be abandoned (abandoned calls are those where the customer hangs up before getting a reply). 399 per cent. of calls offered (that is those reaching the switchboard) are to be answered within three seconds. A facility administered by an outside organisation is available to take overflow calls. 465 per cent. of all calls are to be answered. 5These are new services for which a full year's data are not yet available. 6No more than 5 per cent. of calls are to be abandoned after 20 seconds. 7Calls automatically answered after three rings. 8To be answered. 9No more than 80 per cent. of calls should be ineffective (ineffective calls are those that receive the engaged tone, receive a network message from BT or are abandoned). 10These centres are administered by outside organisations. In addition to the numbers of calls answered first time, they have to be answered within an average of 10 seconds. 11Line outsourced to another provider from 7 March 2002.