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WRITTEN QUESTION TO THE MINISTER FOR SOCIAL SECURITY BY DEPUTY S.Y. MÉZEC OF ST. HELIER
ANSWER TO BE TABLED ON TUESDAY 12TH SEPTEMBER 2017
Question
Is it the Minister's assessment that the information sent to benefits claimants, when their claim has been amended, is adequate and / or sufficiently compassionate in the way it is currently communicated?
Has she, or anyone in her Department, considered altering the format of the letters in which this information is communicated, so that they clearly indicate exactly how much a claimant will receive in future (including how their States pension or disability benefits are taken into account) and not merely explain Income Support entitlement, to ensure that claimants are not left with an incomplete picture that could cause them concern?
Answer
The Department takes pride in maintaining high customer service standards and aims to ensure that face to face, telephone and written communications are always clear and appropriate to the claimant's personal situation.
In very rare cases we fall below these high standards. When this happens we contact the customer immediately and make sure that they are given the correct information and fully understand their benefit situation.
In line with our 2017 business plan commitment for 2017 to "Continue the implementation of our customer
service excellence and improved communications programme;" we are currently reviewing and updating all of our standard letters and are confident that this is already helping to improve understanding of the services and benefits offered by Social Security.