§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (Mr. Chris Pond)My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State's Report on the Standards of Decision Making in the Benefits Agency, Child Support Agency and Employment Service for 2001–02 has been laid before Parliament today (HC 880).
This is the second report under the new decision making and appeals system introduced by the Social Security Act 1998. It covers the period 1 April 2001 to 31 March 2002, the second full year of operation of the new regime. Overall the report shows improvements compared with the previous year. However, some aspects continue to be disappointing, notably overpayment recoverability decisions, but significant remedial steps have been taken in the year since the period of this report to raise standards. Quality decision making is a core element of DWP business and we can assure our customers that raising standards is a priority matter.