| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
26 Apr 2004 : Column 849W—continued
Child Support Agency
David Winnick: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will inquire from the Chief Executive of the Child Support Agency why the letters of 26 January, and of 24 March, from the hon. Member for Walsall, North regarding a constituent had not been located; what steps were taken arising from telephone calls to the Chief Executive's office to try and track down the two letters; why the further letter of 8 April from the hon. Member for Walsall North was received in the Chief Executive's office on 19 April; and when a substantive reply will be sent regarding the constituent's position, latest ref: PCU131435. [168380]
Mr. Pond: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive, Mr. Doug Smith. He will write to my hon. Friend with the information requested.
Letter from Doug Smith to Mr. David Winnick, dated 26 April 2004:
In reply to your recent Parliamentary questions about the Child Support Agency the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will enquire from the Chief Executive of the Child Support Agency why the letter of 26th January, and again of 24th March, from the honourable Member for Walsall North regarding a constituent had not been located; what steps were taken arising from telephone calls to the Chief Executive's office to try and track
- down the two letters; why the further letter of 8th April from the honourable Member for Walsall North was received in the Chief Executive's office on the 19th; and when a substantive reply will be sent, regarding the constituent's position, latest ref: PCU131435.
I apologise for the delays in responding to these letters. A substantive response has now been provided to them.
David Winnick: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will inquire from the Chief Executive of the Child Support Agency when the hon. Member for Walsall, North will receive a substantive reply to his letter of 25 February regarding a constituent, ref PCU129400; and if he will inquire for what reason there has been a delay in the reply being sent. [168381]
Mr. Pond: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive, Mr. Doug Smith. He will write to my hon. Friend with the information requested.
Letter from Doug Smith to Mr. David Winnick, dated 26 April 2004:
In reply to your recent Parliamentary questions about the Child Support Agency the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will enquire from the Chief Executive of the Child Support Agency when the honourable Member for Walsall North will receive a substantive reply to his letter of 25th February regarding a constituent, ref: PCU129400; and if he will enquire for what reason there has been a delay in the reply being sent.
I apologise for the delay in responding to this letter. A substantive response has now been provided to it, which includes an explanation for the delay.
Mr. Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions since the introduction of the new payment system in the Child Support Agency, how many cases on that system have been successfully concluded in (a) the UK, (b) Scotland and (c) the Angus constituency. [168652]
Mr. Pond: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive, Mr. Doug Smith. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
Letter from Doug Smith to Mr. Michael Weir, dated 26 April 2004:
In reply to your recent Parliamentary questions about the Child Support Agency the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
You asked; since the introduction of the new payment system in the Child Support Agency, how many cases on that system have been successfully concluded in (a) the UK, (b) Scotland and (c) the Angus constituency.
Regular reports on the progress of child support reform are made to the House. The most recent of these covered the period to 31 March and was made on 21 April 2004. In the period from the introduction of the new arrangements to 31 March 152,560 cases had progressed to the point of calculation or closure. I am unable to indicate how many of these relate to Scotland or the Angus constituency.
Mr. Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many Child Support Agency cases in the Angus constituency are being dealt with under (a) the previous and (b) the new assessment system. [168653]
26 Apr 2004 : Column 851W
Mr. Pond: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive, Mr. Doug Smith. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
Letter from Doug Smith to Mr. Michael Weir, dated 26 April 2004:
In reply to your recent Parliamentary questions about the Child Support Agency the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
You asked, how many Child Support Agency cases in the Angus constituency are being dealt with under (a) the previous and (b) the new assessment system.
Around 1,100 cases relating to the Angus constituency are currently being dealt with by the Child Support Agency under the
- old arrangements. I do not have similar information in relation to cases being dealt with under the new arrangements.
Departmental Communications
Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many staff are employed in the Department to work in the communications field, broken down by (a) Government Information and Communication Service staff and (b) other staff, broken down by (i) press officers, (ii) special advisers and (iii) others. [158163]
Maria Eagle: The available information is in the table.
| GICS | Other staff | (i) of which are Press Officers | (ii) of which are Special Advisers | (iii) Others | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DWP business unit | (a) | (b) | (c) | (d) | (e) |
| DWP | — | 2 | — | 2 | — |
| Human resources | — | 14 | — | — | 14 |
| Communications Directorate | (54)91 | 124 | 13 | — | 111 |
| The Pension Service | 7 | 7 | — | — | 7 |
| Jobcentre Plus | 20 | 126 | — | — | 126 |
| Child Support Agency | 1 | 66 | — | — | 66 |
| Appeals Service | — | 4 | — | — | 4 |
(54) Includes 27 press officers.
Notes:
1. Non GICS press officers are regional press officers.
2. The combined total of national communications staff and regional/district marketing executives, who have a dedicated remit for the provision of customer service information, is 122, of whom 18 are GICS.
3. Figures include all staff working in the communications teams of DWP, Jobcentre Plus, The Pension Service, Child Support Agency, The Appeals Service and Human Resources. Their work includes: marketing (national and regional); media relations; internal communications; communication standards; customer service information; information services, i.e. the Library, Public Enquiry Office and Knowledge Management Team; Intranet; Internet; planning and finance and other support staff.
4. Also, included in the Jobcentre Plus figures there are 24 staff of whom 2 are GICS engaged solely on internal communications activity nationally across Jobcentre Plus.
5. Jobcentre Plus Regions and District Offices contain small Business Development Units (of which marketing executives are members). These have a wide-ranging remit, covering such areas as customer service standards, planning, partnership working, correspondence handling etc. as well as communications. Staff work flexibly within these units to maximise efficiency and—apart from dedicated marketing executives—it is not possible to identify the precise amount of additional staff time spent on communication issues.
6. The information in the table does not take account of staff throughout the
Department who may carry out communications work as a minor or integral part
of their job. This information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Departmental Working Groups
Mr. Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the aims are of the (a) Modern Service Working Group and (b) Activities for Managing Life Working Group; what funding his Department has granted to each in each year since 2001; how many people each has employed in each year since 2001; and if he will make a statement. [167416]
Maria Eagle: The Modern Service Working Group meets on a quarterly basis and is the external reference group for the Disability and Carers Service Change Programme. It provides advice and guidance to officials of the Department on the impact of modernisation initiatives on disabled customers. Membership is drawn from a range of disability organisations that represent customers with physical, mental and sensory impairment.
The Activities for Managing Life Working Group was established to enable DWP to discuss directly with organisations representing the interests of disabled people, issues surrounding an alternative means of assessing entitlement to disability living allowance. It has now ceased to meet.
All external members of both MSWG and the AML Working Group were volunteers who gave up their time freely, and no budget was set aside for this purpose. The groups were supported by the Disability and Carers Service Change Programme and neither employed staff directly. Costs were limited to incidental expenses of minimal value.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |