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Medical Services Contract
Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to his answer to the right hon. Member for Coatbridge and Chryston (Mr. Clarke) of 22 May 2002, Official Report, column 374W, on the Medical Services Contract, if he will list (a) each of the key performance targets and the levels of performance against each of those targets, (b) each of the other performance measures and the levels of performance against those measures, (c) each of the further set of quality improvement measures, (d) each of the contractual milestones that have been agreed for each of the key improvement projects, (e) each of the other contractual improvements that have been secured and (f) for each of the last 12 months, the number of occasions on which a financial remedy has been applied to SchlumbergerSema, and the amount on each of those occasions. [60477]
Mr. Nicholas Brown [holding answer 10 June 2002]: A copy of the information requested has been placed in the Library.
Service credits for failure to meet contractual service level targets have been applied in each of the last 12 months. Precise details are commercial in confidence and not disclosed under part 2, paragraph 13 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.
Performance Targets
Tony Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will list the performance targets that his Department, its agencies and non-departmental public bodies are required to meet, apart from those set out in the public service agreements for 1999 to 2002 and 2001 to 2004; and if he will specify for each target (a) who sets it and (b) who monitors achievement against it. [60465]
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Mr. Nicholas Brown: The Department's public service agreement is supported by a number of lower level performance targets. These are set out in our service delivery agreement (SDA), the business plans of our agencies and, where appropriate, in the business plans and annual performance agreements of the non-departmental public bodies that are sponsored by the Department.
The SDA and agency targets are set by the Secretary of State and are rigorously monitored using a process that includes external challenge. The arrangements for monitoring performance against targets are set out in the planning and performance section of the departmental framework.
The Department sponsors 10 non-departmental public bodies, which perform a number of executive, advisory and tribunal functions at arms-length from the Department. Each of the four executive bodies and one tribunal body has a senior accountable official within the Department who agrees targets and monitors performance against them. The work of the Department's advisory bodies is reported in ad hoc papers or their annual reports.
A copy of the SDA has been placed in the Library. Copies of the departmental framework, which includes details of the agencies and the non-departmental public bodies, and the other documents are available in the Library.
State Second Pension
Mr. Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) what estimate he has made of the number of persons likely to contract out of the state second pension scheme within three years of its inception in April; and how many people are contracted out of SERPS; [32877]
- (2) on what basis estimates of future contracting-out from the second state retirement scheme are prepared; and what the confidence limits are for such estimates. [32879]
Mr. McCartney [holding answer 6 February 2002]: As a basis for future financial projections, the Government Actuary has assumed that in 2001–02 there were 13.3 million people contracted out of the additional state pension, rising to 13.7 million people in 2004–05. However, many factors can effect the actual level of contracting out and this assumption will be reviewed and updated as necessary as further data become available.
Projections of national insurance contribution income and benefit expenditure require assumptions of the future level of contracting out from the state second pension. The assumed level of contracting out is estimated by considering data on the level of contracting out through different routes in past years and potential influences on the numbers contracting out in future years, such as the introduction of stakeholder pensions. As with any projections, the assumptions used should not be regarded as precise forecasts of future experience. The potential for change in the projections resulting from variability in the future level of contracting out is considered through sensitivity analysis where appropriate, rather than the use of confidence intervals.
- Source:
- The Government Actuary's Department and "Second Tier Pension Provision 1995–96"—Department for Work and Pensions' Analytical Services Division.
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Press Releases
Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many press releases were issued by his Department or its predecessor (a) between 1 May and 31 December 1997 and (b) in each year from 1998 to 2001 inclusive. [40040]
Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many press releases were issued by his Department (a) in each month between May and December 1997 and (b) in each year from 1998 to 2001 inclusive. [59469]
Mr. Nicholas Brown: The Department for Work and Pensions was formed in June 2001. This involved the amalgamation of parts of the Department for Education and Employment (including the Employment Service) with the Department for Social Security.
It is not possible to disaggregate those press releases issued by DfEE relating solely to employment issues in the period requested. However, the press releases issued by the former DSS and the DWP are as follows:
| Number of press releases | |
|---|---|
| 1997(24) | 197 |
| 1998 | 311 |
| 1999 | 270 |
| 2000 | 411 |
| 2001 | 260 |
(24) Between 1 May and 31 December
Pension Service
Dr. Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what preparations have been made for the switch-over from the Benefits Agency to the Pension Service on 1 April. [48580]
Mr. McCartney: The Pension Service was formally launched on 1 April 2002 and will comprise pension centres working with a national local service. The pension centres will roll out in a staged approach over the next few years and some have already opened for business with customers' cases moving out of local offices into the pension centres.
The pension centres will replace the service that we previously offered through local social security offices and our customers will be able to contact the centres by telephone, post or e-mail.
Our pension centre in Stockton pension centre Burnley will begin to take minimum income guarantee work from local offices in the Middlesbrough area during June 2002.
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will provide the address of each Pension Service call centre; and, where possible, the date on which each call centre is expected to open for business. [56411]
Mr. McCartney: The Pension Service will operate from a streamlined network of telephony based contact centres. Design and planning work is progressing to deliver the pension centres to rigorous timescales.
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At 10 June eight pension centres have begun to take on pensions work from local offices. These centres are starting to establish operations on contact centre lines as planned. The complete service delivery model will not be achieved until the movement of customer cases is complete. Movement of work is scheduled to the end of
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September. Plans beyond September are still being developed.
The addresses of the pension centres and the dates from which the first cases transfer from the local offices into these centres are as listed in the table.
| Pension centre site | The day the first case moves into the new site(25) |
|---|---|
| Burnley pension centre, Blackburn Road, Simonstone, Burnley BB12 7TG | 4 February 2002 |
| Dundee pension centre, Claverhouse Industrial Park Estate, East Dundee DD4 9FF | 22 April 2002 |
| Bath pension centre, Kingsmead House, James West Street, Bath BA1 2DG | 29 April 2002 |
| Wolverhampton pension centre, Temple Street, Wolverhampton WV2 4AU | 29 April 2002 |
| Plymouth pension centre, Crownhill Court, Tailyour Road, Crownhill, Plymouth PL6 5UE | 6 May 2002 |
| Nottingham pension centre, 57–59 Upper Parliament Street, Nottingham NG2 3BZ | 6 May 2002 |
| Birmingham pension centre, 2104 Coventry Road, Sheldon, Birmingham B26 3LQ | 10 June 2002 |
| Norwich pension centre, Baltic House, Mountergate, Norwich NR1 1QB | 10 June 2002 |
| Stockton pension centre, Tees Building, 10–16 Bridge Road, Stockton TS18 3BU | 17 June 2002 |
| Glasgow pension centre, Northgate, 96 Milton Street, Glasgow G4 0DX | 17 June 2002 |
| Warrington pension centre, Hilden House, 103 Sankey Street, Warrington WA1 1LA | 15 July 2002 |
| Blackpool pension centre, Mexford House, Mexford Avenue, Blackpool FY2 0XN | 22 July 2002 |
| Swansea pension centre, Waterside Business Park, Swansea SA6 8AH | 22 July 2002 |
| Cwmbran pension centre, Glyndwr House, The Mall, Gwent NP44 1XR | 5 August 2002 |
| Wrexham pension centre, 15–17 Grosvenor Road, Wrexham, Clwyd LL1 1BL | 19 August 2002 |
| Motherwell pension centre, Trigon Building, Airbles Road, Motherwell ML1 3FA | 3 August 2002 |
| Dearne Valley pension centre, Unit 2 Callflex Business Park, Dearne Valley, South Yorkshire | 12 August 2002 |
| Derby pension centre, Holburn House, Wyvern Business Park, Stanier Way, Chaddesden, Derby DE21 6BF | 12 August 2002 |
| Stockport pension centre, Millennium House, Wellington Road South, Stockport | 16 September 2002 |
| Leicester pension centre, Yeoman Street, Leicester LE1 1UU | 23 September 2002 |
| Seaham pension centre, Lighthouse View, Dawdon Business Park, Seaham, County Durham | 30 September 2002 |
| Walsall pension centre, Government Buildings, Lower Hall Lane, Walsall WS1 1RP | —(26) |
| York pension centre, Triune Court Office Development, Plot 4, Monks Cross Office Park, York YO32 9GZ | —(26) |
| Liverpool pension centre, 58 Breckfield Road South, Liverpool L6 5JF | —(26) |
| Tyneview Park pension centre, Whitley Road, Benton, Newcastle-upon-Tyne NE98 1BA | —(26) |
(25) Refers to the date the first case actually transfers into the pension centre—this is then followed by a phased transfer of cases into the pension centre.
(26) To be confirmed.
In addition to these there will be another pension centre in the Norwich area.
As customers cases move a letter is sent to them to let them know that a pension centre is now handling their case and is open for business. Customers should continue to deal with their local social security office until they receive a letter.
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