Written question asked by Steve Webb (Liberal Democrat) on Tuesday, 23 October 2001, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Friday, 23 November 2001. It was answered by Nicholas Brown (Labour) on Friday, 23 November 2001 on behalf of the Department for Work and Pensions.

Dept for Work and Pensions

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to his Answer of 19th July, 372 c418W, on the Benefits Agency Medical Services, what contract targets have been laid down; and what his assessment is of the performance of SchlumbergerSema measured against these targets.

Answer: Mr. Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to his answer of 19 July 2001, Official Report, column 418W, on the Benefits Agency Medical Services, what contract targets have been laid down; and what his assessment is of the performance of SchlumbergerSema measured against these targets. [10468] Mr. Nicholas Brown: The contract with SchlumbergerSema contains numerous targets relating to the volume, timeliness, and quality of medical reports; to customer service standards; and to training of doctors. The Government set four targets, relating to quality, training, and customer service, in their response [Cm 4780] to the Social Security Select Committee's report on medical services. SchlumbergerSema has restructured the management of medical services and performance against key targets is improving. Performance against all targets is kept under continual review.

Secondary information