I am today able to announce the annual performance targets in 2007-08 for four of the executive agencies of the Department for Work and Pensions. The targets I have agreed are set out below.
Further information on the plans of Jobcentre Plus, the Child Support Agency, Disability and Carers Service and The Rent Service in 2007-08 is contained in their individual business plans which have been published today. Copies have been placed in the Library and the Vote Office. The Pension Service targets and business plan will be published in due course.
Jobcentre Plus
Job Outcome Target (JOT)* To achieve a total points score of 11,200,000 based on the job outcomes Jobcentre Plus achieves *The JOT target this year is not directly comparable with that set for 2006/07 due to technical and definitional adjustments. The 2006/07 target was based on limited baseline information and was set too high.
Interventions Delivery Target* To make sure that specified key Jobcentre Plus labour market interventions take place within set timescales in 85% of cases checked. * New Target not comparable to former Business Delivery Target. Components Planning Assumption Labour Market interventions 90% Lone Parent Review/ Trigger Work Focused Interviews 85% Jobseeker’s Allowance interventions (JSA 13- and 26-week interventions) 85% Incapacity Benefit (IB) interventions (initial IB Work Focused Interviews) 80%
Average Actual Clearance Times To process claims within specified Average Actual Clearance Times (AACTs) for Incapacity Benefit (IB), Income Support (IS) and Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) – 18 days, 11 days and 12 days respectively.
Monetary Value of Fraud & Error Target By March 2008, to continue to ensure that losses from fraud and error in working-age Income Support and Jobseeker’s Allowance amount to less than current levels of loss as expressed in the new 2005-6 baseline.
Customer Service Target To achieve an 84% customer service level in the delivery of the standards set out in the Customers and Employers Charters.
Employer Outcome Target At least 84% of employers placing their vacancies with Jobcentre Plus will have a positive outcome.
Child Support Agency
The Secretary of State’s targets have been designed to ensure that the Agency is firmly on track to achieve its Operational Improvement Plan commitments in this crucial second year of the Programme. They are:
Number of children Maintenance will be collected or have been arranged by the agency on behalf of 720,000 children, as measured by the monthly average over the quarter ending March 2008. Total Maintenance Collection (Arrears) Collect or have arranged £970 million in child maintenance between 1 April 2007 and 31 March 2008; of which at least £120 million will be arrears. Maintenance Outcomes By 31 March 2008, in 66% of cases across both the new and old schemes in which a liability to pay maintenance exists, the non-resident parent has either made a payment via the collection service or a Maintenance Direct arrangement is in place. Uncleared applications to the New Scheme By 31 March 2008, the volume of uncleared new scheme applications will be no more than 140,000.
Disability and Carers Service
Performance Standards for 2007-08 Ensure that at least 92 per cent of calls to the DLA/AA Helpline, our national telephone service, are answered first time. Ensure that less than one per cent of all calls attempted to the DLA/AA Helpline receive an engaged tone. Increase the percentage of customers satisfied with the service provided by DCS to 86 per cent. Clear new claims for DLA within an average of 38 or less working days; new claims for AA within an average of 18 days and CA within an average of 13.5 days. Achieve an accuracy rate of 90.5 per cent on decisions on claims for DLA. Achieve an accuracy rate of 92 per cent on decisions on claims for AA. Achieve a financial accuracy rate of 98 per cent on CA. Reduce sick absence to eight average working days lost. Meet the efficiency challenge by delivering a staffing level of 5,603. Reduce the cost of processing benefits to: DLA/AA claim £154.98* DLA/AA load £7.80* CA claim £80.72* CA load £11.05* * figures to be confirmed. Number of DLA/AA cases referred to the Tribunal Service to be no more than 4.5 per cent of all cases. Of the referred cases heard by the Tribunal Service no more than 45 per cent. to be overturned.
The Rent Service
Service Delivery Customer SatisfactionLocal Authority Housing Benefit Department Customers Ensure that at least 95% of our local authority customers rate our service as satisfactory or better during the year. Fair Rent Customers & Housing Benefit InspectionsEnsure that at least 95% of our fair rent customers, and those housing benefit claimants whose properties we inspect, rate our service as satisfactory or better during the year. Quality 95% of all Housing Benefit determinations that are checked as part of our quality assurance processes are verified as being accurate. 95% of all Fair Rent valuations that are checked as part of our quality assurance processes are verified as being accurate.
Type of Determination Timescale for the Year 2007-08 Target Outturn Housing Benefit: With an inspection within 15 working days 94% Without an inspection within 3 working days 94% Pre-Tenancy within 4 working days 94% Redetermination within 15 working days 94% Fair Rents within 40 working days 94%
Value for Money
Productivity To increase productivity by 5% by the end of the year.
Cost per case To reduce cost per case by 1.5% in real terms by the end of the year.
Sickness Absence To reduce average sick absence to no more than 8 working days per employee per year.