§ Mr. WebbTo ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to his answer of 13 December 2001,Official Report, column 993W, on the ONE pilot, what 1594W feedback he has had from the introduction of the form by the north Nottinghamshire private and voluntary sector pilot; and if he will make a statement. [66484]
§ Mr. Nicholas BrownThe use of a uniform Housing Benefit/Council Tax Benefit claim form by the North Nottinghamshire Private and Voluntary Sector pilot has not been formally evaluated. However, informal feedback suggests that the introduction of the form has achieved savings on printing costs for the local authorities concerned, and that staff can also complete and check the form more quickly, providing a more efficient service to customers.
Building on the experience of the ONE pilots, the Customer Management System, which we plan to introduce early next year, will result in a uniform, single claims process for customers. Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit information will be gathered when a claim is made to either Income Support, Jobseeker's Allowance or Incapacity Benefit, so that customers will need to provide information only once.