Agency Targets and Business Plans
Work and Pensions
Written answers and statements, 12 May 2009
James Purnell (Secretary of State, Department for Work and Pensions; Stalybridge & Hyde, Labour)
I am today able to announce the annual performance targets for 2009-10 for the two executive agencies of the Department for Work and Pensions. The targets I have agreed are set out.
Further information on the plans of Jobcentre Plus and the Pension, Disability and Carers Service in 2009-10 is contained in their individual "Business Plans" which have been published today. Copies have been placed in the Library.
| Jobcentre Plus (2009-10 Targets) | |
| Job Outcome Target (million points) | To achieve a total points score of 9 million based on our priority customer groups. |
| Interventions Delivery Target | To make sure that specified Jobcentre Plus labour market interventions take place within set timescales in 85% of cases checked. |
| Employer Engagement Target | At least 92% of employers placing their vacancies with Jobcentre Plus will have a positive outcome. |
| Customer Service Target | To achieve an 86% customer service level in the delivery of the standards set out in the Customer and Employers Charters. |
| Fraud and Error | To play a key role to prevent and detect overpayments and underpayments of benefit consistent with the Department's aspiration to reduce total overpaid expenditure across all benefits to 1.8% and underpaid expenditure to 0.7% by March 2011. |
| The target is supported by a suite of non-published measures of activities to pay our customers the right benefit at the right time. | |
| Average Actual Clearance Times Tartet(1) | To process claims within specified Average Actual Clearance Times: |
| Jobseeker's Allowance | 11.5 days |
| Income Support | 10 days |
| (1)A shadow target for Employment and Support Allowance is under development and will be monitored closely during 2009-10 to inform target-setting for 2010-11. | |
| Pension , Disability and Carers Service (2009-10 Targets) | |
| Benefit take-up | To deliver at least 255,000 successful new Pension Credit applications. |
| Accuracy | Pension Credit financial accuracy of new claims and changes of circumstance: 93% first half year; 94% second half year. |
| State Pension financial accuracy of new claims and changes of circumstance: 98%. | |
| Financial accuracy of Carers Allowance: 98%. | |
| Accuracy of decisions for Disability Living Allowance (DLA): 94%. | |
| Accuracy of decisions for Attendance Allowance (AA): 94%. | |
| New Claims Clearance Times | Clear new applications for Pension Credit (measured from date all evidence is received) within an average of 15 days. |
| Clear 95% of new claims for State Pension within 60 days. | |
| Clear new claims for Disability Living Allowance within an average of 38 days. | |
| Clear new claims for Attendance Allowance within an average of 16 days. | |
| Clear new claims for Carer's Allowance within an average of 13.5 days. | |
| Fraud and Error | Reduce the proportion of benefit overpaid due to fraud and error in Pension Credit to 4.5% by March 2011. |
| Telephony | At least 93% of calls to be answered by an adviser. |
| Less than 1% of calls receiving an engaged /busy tone. | |