To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many calls were made to the 08456 088564 Jobcentre Plus number of the Department for Work and Pensions in each of the last six months; what average time was taken to answer calls in each month; and how many missed calls there were in each month.

The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus, Lesley Strathie. I have asked her to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.

Letter from Lesley Strathie, dated 3 April 2007:

The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question asking how many calls were made to the 08456 088564 Jobcentre Plus number of the Department for Work and Pensions in each of the last six months; what was the average time it took to answer calls; and how many missed calls there were in each month. This is something which falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.

The telephone number 08456 088564 relates to Exeter, which we are currently converting into a Benefits Delivery Centre. When this process is complete the new telephony system will be able to provide the requested information.

As part of this transition, the 0845 number was introduced from 05 December 2006 and available data shows an increase in calls answered each month from 6,426 calls in December 2006 to 7,385 in January 2007 and 7,770 in February 2007.

We are working hard to ensure the number of calls answered continues to increase. The average length of each call is approximately 4 minutes.

I hope this is helpful.