Written question asked by Lord Rowlands (Labour), in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 16 October 1996. It was answered by Roger Evans (Conservative) on Wednesday, 16 October 1996 on behalf of the Department of Social Security.

Dept of Social Security;Social Security Benefits Agency

Question: How many calls were received by the Benefits Freeline Advisory Service in Wales in the last year; and how many came from the Rhymney Merthyr benefit districts. Text of letter from Peter Mathison of Benefits Agency. Includes figures.

Answer: Mr. Rowlands: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many calls were received by the benefits freeline advisory service in Wales in the last year; and how many came from the Rhymney Merthyr benefit districts. [40325] Mr. Roger Evans: This is an operational matter for Peter Mathison, the chief executive of the Benefits Agency. He will write to the hon. Member. Letter from Peter Mathison to Mr. Ted Rowlands, dated 16 October 1996: The Secretary of State for Social Security has asked me to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking how many calls were received by the Benefits Freeline Advisory Service in Wales in the last year; and how many came from the Rhymney Merthyr benefit districts. The information is not available in the format requested. The number of calls received has been taken to mean the number of calls answered by an advisor. The Benefits Freeline Advisory Service in Wales received 12,000 calls in the year April 1995 to March 1996. This figure has been rounded to the nearest 1,000. However no records have been kept indicating where calls originated from. I hope you find this reply helpful.

Secondary information

Type: Written question
Reference: 40325; 282 c1016-7W;282 c1014W
Session: 1995-96
Subjects: Advisory services Social security benefits Wales Telephone services Take-up Social Security Benefits Agency
Contains statistics: Yes