16 Jun 2006 : Column 1478W—continued
| Table 2: Sickness absence information for DWP |
| Business | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 |
|
Appeals Service
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
|
Child Support Agency
|
11.0
|
11.6
|
13.8
|
11.6
|
|
Disability and Carers Service
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
|
Employment Service
|
12.8
|
13.5
|
—
|
—
|
|
Jobcentre Plus (Benefits Agency pre-2002)
|
10.6
|
10.8
|
12.0
|
9.8
|
|
The Pension Service
|
—
|
—
|
10.5
|
9.5
|
|
DWP overall
|
11.1
|
10.8
|
11.6
|
9.6
|
Since the end of 2004, the Department’s internal figures indicate a further reduction of over 12 per cent. This improvement has been achieved by, among other things, increasing staff awareness of the issue and management's commitment to reducing absence levels; greater compliance with revised procedures, which were commended by the National Audit Office; improved management information about the level and type of absences through the introduction of a new computer system.
Days lost to unauthorised absence
The available information is in the following table. Information about unauthorised absences in DWP prior to 2003 is not fully available. The vast majority of these days lost are through industrial action. Days lost for reasons other than industrial action are negligible. If they occur, they are dealt with under the Department’s disciplinary procedures.
| Table 3: Average working days lost due to all unauthorised absences |
| DWP business | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 (end October) |
|
Appeals Service
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
|
Child Support Agency
|
0.01
|
2.21
|
0.03
|
|
Disability and Carers Service
|
0.01
|
1.94
|
0.03
|
|
Jobcentre Plus
|
0.02
|
2.08
|
0.03
|
|
The Pension Service
|
0.01
|
2.14
|
0.03
|
|
DWP overall
|
0.01
|
2.08
|
0.03
|
16 Jun 2006 : Column 1479W
| Table 4: Average working days lost due to unauthorised absence, excluding industrial action |
| DWP business | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 (end October) |
|
Appeals Service
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
|
Child Support Agency
|
0.01
|
0.04
|
0.03
|
|
Disability and Carers Service
|
0.01
|
0.02
|
0.03
|
|
Jobcentre Plus
|
0.01
|
0.04
|
0.03
|
|
The Pension Service
|
0.01
|
0.07
|
0.03
|
|
DWP overall
|
0.01
|
0.04
|
0.03
|
Special Advisers
David Simpson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much has been paid in (a) salary, (b) travelling expenses, (c) subsistence
16 Jun 2006 : Column 1480W
allowance and (d) removal expenses to special advisers in his private office in each of the last five years. [68992]
Mrs. McGuire:
Because the specification requires data to be broken down into salary, travelling, subsistence and relocation, from three separate sources we are unable to supply information as this would involve disproportionate cost.
Telephone Helplines
Mr. Ruffley:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many telephone helplines his Department sponsors; and how many calls each helpline received in each of the last six years. [42540]
Mrs. McGuire:
The information requested is in the following table:
| | | Calls received( 1) |
| Helplines | Number of current sites | 2000-01 | 2001-02 | 2002-03 | 2003-04 | 2004-05 | 2005-06 |
|
CSA( 2)
| | | | | | | |
|
CSA National Helpline
|
7
|
n/a
|
n/a
|
3,636,000
|
5,409,000
|
5,402,000
|
3,822,000
|
| | | | | | | | |
|
DCS
| | | | | | | |
|
Benefit Enquiry Line
|
1
|
1,307,042
|
1,270,624
|
1,431,594
|
1,589,145
|
1,452,359
|
919,387
|
|
Disability Living Allowance/Attendance Allowance
|
1
|
4,886,331
|
4,676,687
|
4,642,762
|
4,858,412
|
5,404,965
|
3,892,032
|
| | | | | | | | |
|
The Pension Service( 3)
| | | | | | | |
|
Pension Centres
|
18
|
n/a
|
n/a
|
n/a
|
7,666,005
|
13,738,107
|
5,340,039
|
|
Pension Credit Application Line (Outsourced to Venture)
|
1
|
n/a
|
n/a
|
n/a
|
3,196,153
|
2,111,864
|
824,391
|
|
Retirement Pension Teleclaims
|
1
|
n/a
|
n/a
|
n/a
|
548,353
|
623,342
|
320,977
|
|
Retirement Pension Forecasting Team
|
1
|
n/a
|
n/a
|
n/a
|
n/a
|
1,541,421
|
812,039
|
|
Winter Fuel Helpline
|
1
|
n/a
|
n/a
|
n/a
|
470,152
|
535,973
|
334,603
|
|
Pension Guide Orderline
|
1
|
n/a
|
n/a
|
n/a
|
34,404
|
37,197
|
25,241
|
|
Pension Information orderline
|
1
|
n/a
|
n/a
|
n/a
|
51,828
|
96,366
|
77,589
|
|
Pensions Direct
|
1
|
n/a
|
n/a
|
n/a
|
1,022,090
|
1,221,628
|
673,978
|
|
International Pension Centre
|
1
|
n/a
|
n/a
|
n/a
|
113,452
|
245,088
|
265,902
|
|
Deficiency Notices
|
1
|
n/a
|
n/a
|
n/a
|
(4)—
|
163,660
|
182,609
|
|
Inherited SERPS
|
0
|
n/a
|
n/a
|
n/a
|
26,428
|
24,035
|
(4)—
|
| | | | | | | | |
|
Jobcentre Plus( 5)
| | | | | | | |
|
Employer Direct(6)
|
9
|
n/a
|
n/a
|
1,825,674
|
1,897,435
|
1,811,692
|
1,189,690
|
|
Jobcentre Plus Direct—Jobseeker Direct(7)
|
23
|
n/a
|
n/a
|
7,136,858
|
8,197,452
|
9,245,148
|
7,290,219
|
|
Jobcentre Plus Direct—First Contact(8)
|
25
|
n/a
|
n/a
|
n/a
|
n/a
|
3,728,115
|
4,526,843
|
16 Jun 2006 : Column 1481W
16 Jun 2006 : Column 1482W
|
National Benefit Fraud Hotline(9)
|
1
|
n/a
|
n/a
|
n/a
|
n/a
|
278,513
|
200,336
|
| | | | | | | | |
|
Debt Management(10)
| | | | | | | |
|
Debt Centres service
|
10
|
n/a
|
n/a
|
n/a
|
50,678
|
257,771
|
433,638
|
n/a = not available (1) Calls received is defined as calls offered to helpline sites during business hours. It includes calls that are answered and where the customer abandons the call. (2) CSA does not hold sufficiently robust information for calls in 2000-02. Figures for 2005-06 are up to the end of December 2005 only. (3 )The Pension Service was launched in April 2002, when the majority of the contact centres/help-lines became fully operational. Appropriate data collection processes were put in place by August 2003; robust data are not available prior to August 2003. The Pension Credit Application Line came into operation in April 2003, data from that date are given in the response. (4 )Not in operation. (5) There are 37 Jobcentre Plus Contact Centres of which: 27 provide First Contact and Jobseeker Direct services (22 CMS sites), nine are Employer Direct and one is the National Benefit Fraud Hotline. (6) Employer Direct was in its development and set up phase during 2001-02 (7) Jobseeker Direct—We do not hold any data for 2000-01 and 2001-02 as during that period the Jobseeker Direct function was being carried out in Districts. 23 sites deliver the Jobseeker Direct function (of these five are Employer Direct sites and two are Residual Jobseeker Direct sites). (8) First Contact—The First Contact function did not commence until June 2004 therefore there is no data for previous periods. 25 sites deliver the First Contact function. (9) Prior to 2004-05, National Benefit Fraud Hotline only measured calls answered. (10) Debt recovery service is not specifically a helpline. Data for 2003-04 is from October 2003 onwards.
|
