Using Leaflets to Communicate with the Public about Services and Entitlements

Using Leaflets to Communicate with the Public about Services and Entitlements PDF Author: Great Britain: National Audit Office
Publisher: The Stationery Office
ISBN: 0102936722
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 64

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Book Description
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) provides services to some 28 million people. Despite the development of new technology, printed materials, in particular leaflets, play an important role in ensuring that customers are informed of services and entitlements. This NAO report examines how effectively the DWP manages the provision of accurate information in its leaflets issued to customers, as well as communicating clearly and effectively about benefits and services. It focuses on how the DWP manages the risks associated with producing and issuing inaccurate leaflets; whether it can ensure that the information in leaflets is accurate and accessible; and whether leaflets are easily available for customers. Findings include that although the DWP has made progress in improving the design of some leaflets, it could go further to make them easier for the public to understand and get hold of, as well as improving checks on the accuracy of leaflets and its supply and printing arrangements so that the most recent versions are widely available.

Using Leaflets to Communicate with the Public about Services and Entitlements

Using Leaflets to Communicate with the Public about Services and Entitlements PDF Author: Great Britain: National Audit Office
Publisher: The Stationery Office
ISBN: 0102936722
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 64

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Book Description
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) provides services to some 28 million people. Despite the development of new technology, printed materials, in particular leaflets, play an important role in ensuring that customers are informed of services and entitlements. This NAO report examines how effectively the DWP manages the provision of accurate information in its leaflets issued to customers, as well as communicating clearly and effectively about benefits and services. It focuses on how the DWP manages the risks associated with producing and issuing inaccurate leaflets; whether it can ensure that the information in leaflets is accurate and accessible; and whether leaflets are easily available for customers. Findings include that although the DWP has made progress in improving the design of some leaflets, it could go further to make them easier for the public to understand and get hold of, as well as improving checks on the accuracy of leaflets and its supply and printing arrangements so that the most recent versions are widely available.

Understanding Social Security (Second Edition)

Understanding Social Security (Second Edition) PDF Author: Jane Millar
Publisher: Policy Press
ISBN: 9781847421869
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 348

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Book Description
The second edition of this important text reviews policy developments since 1997. The chapters have been extensively updated and there are new chapters on social security reform, inequalities and social security, and the new 'welfare market'.

Department for Work and Pensions

Department for Work and Pensions PDF Author: Great Britain. National Audit Office
Publisher: The Stationery Office
ISBN: 9780102954784
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 44

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Book Description
The Department for Work and Pensions has made progress in reducing the number of leaflets that it produces for its customers and in making application forms simpler and shorter. The Department has significantly changed the way in which it provides information in recent years with a growth in telephone enquiries and in online provision. The Department has reduced the quantity of leaflets that it produces for customers, from 208 different leaflets in 2005 at a cost of �10.3 million to 53 leaflets in 2008 costing �1.7 million. It has also reduced the length of most of its forms, though some are unnecessarily long and guidance notes are complicated and the Department's computer generated letters are overly long and confusing for customers. The Department has put telephone calls at the centre of its application process. It is also increasingly using the internet to communicate with customers. In response to the rise in applications for the Jobseeker's Allowance, up by 81 per cent in the six months to January 2009, the Department plans to implement systems giving customers the option of full online applications for contributory Jobseeker's Allowance from summer 2009, rather than February 2010 as originally planned. Cost efficiencies from online provision have still to be realised fully. Though forms can be downloaded from the internet it is not yet possible to apply for most benefits online, meaning that staff and customer time is taken up handling claims over the telephone or face to face.

Department for Work and Pensions

Department for Work and Pensions PDF Author: Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Committee of Public Accounts
Publisher: The Stationery Office
ISBN: 0215032004
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 40

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Book Description
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) provides services to some 28 million people and, despite the development of new technology, printed materials such as leaflets play an important role in ensuring that customers are informed of services and entitlements. Following on from a NAO report (HC 797, session 2005-06; ISBN 9780102936728) published in January 2006, the Committee's report focuses on three issues: managing the process for producing accurate leaflets; accessibility of information for a diverse range of customers; and making information available to the public. Findings include: i) the DWP has reduced its total number of published leaflets from 245 to 178 and is committed to making an overall reduction of 100; ii) the DWP is unable to determine the exact cost of producing leaflets, which has been estimated at £31 million in 2004-05; iii) around 40 per cent of the 27 different leaflets tested by the NAO across the country were out of date, and all 13 of the Department's key leaflets tested required a reading age higher than the national average; and iv) leaflets are not easily accessible to groups such as those with disabilities or non-English speakers, and copies of four core departmental leaflets examined were available at only 11 per cent of key non-departmental locations such as libraries and Citizens' Advice offices visited by the NAO.

Pension Reform

Pension Reform PDF Author: Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Work and Pensions Committee
Publisher: The Stationery Office
ISBN: 0215030060
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 140

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Book Description
The Government proposed a significant reform of the pensions system in the White Paper 'Security in retirement: towards a new pensions system' (ISBN 0101684126). This report sets out the Committee's response to the proposals. It looks at: personal accounts; existing occupational and private pensions; state pension reform; the state second pension; whether the state pension should remain two-tier; means-testing; how much it will cost; increasing the state pension age; working longer; and public engagement with pensions. Their conclusion is that on the whole the Government's measures are the right way forward.

The right of access to open countryside

The right of access to open countryside PDF Author: Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Committee of Public Accounts
Publisher: The Stationery Office
ISBN: 0215034570
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 52

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Book Description
The Countryside Rights of Way Act 2000 introduced a public right to walk across designated mountain, moor, heath, downs and registered common land in England. DEFRA tasked the Countryside Agency with opening-up the new access by the end of 2005, and the target was met with two months to spare. However the implementation of the right to roam cost the Countryside Agency £24.6 million more than anticipated, with knock-on impacts on other programmes. This report looks at the implementation of open access and the effect of the policy under the headings: encouraging the public to use the right to roam across the countryside; protecting the environment of access land and the rights of landowners; improving planning and project management. However the success of legislation is as yet unknown because there is no information on the extent to which the public are making use of their new right. In October 2006 the responsibility for open access passed from the Countryside Agency to Natural England.

Dr Foster Intelligence

Dr Foster Intelligence PDF Author: Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Committee of Public Accounts
Publisher: The Stationery Office
ISBN: 0215035062
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 52

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Book Description
The Department of Health established the Information Centre in April 2005, in order to centralise the collection and dissemination of information across the NHS to support their health reform agenda. In February 2006, 'Dr Foster Intelligence' was launched, a joint venture between the Information Centre and Dr Foster Ltd (a private company already successful in health data dissemination) with the aim of developing information products and services which would encourage senior, strategic NHS staff to make effective use of information. The Committee sets out a number of recommendations, including: without a competitive tender, the joint venture seemed to offer an advantage to one company; also without competition, the Information Centre cannot demonstate that it paid the best price for its 50% share; the joint venture deal did not follow established good practice in public sector procurement; the cost of professional advice rose from an initial estimate of £248,000 to between £1.75 and £2.5 million; that the Department and the Information Centre could have made use of wider government experience on forming public private partnerships; it is unclear what benefits the Information Centre will receive from the joint venture; the first year saw a loss of £2.8 million.

Public Sector Auditing

Public Sector Auditing PDF Author: Sir John Bourn
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 9780470725344
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 426

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Book Description
Drawing on 20 years of experience as Comptroller and Auditor General, and head of the United Kingdom National Audit Office, Public Sector Auditing: Is it Value for Money? is Sir John Bourn’s own account of the role and influence value for money auditing has in holding governments to account and in helping public bodies improve the ways in which they deliver services. Key features include: In-depth case studies from UK, US, Canada, China, India and Australia; Detailed analysis of complex areas of public expenditure such as health, education, privatisation, regulation, defence and IT; Examples of how auditing can promote positive outcomes rather than negative post mortems. This book is relevant for people working in both the public and private sectors, and should be essential reading for the staff of public sector audit institutions around the world, as well as commercial accountancy firms and students of accountancy, politics, economics and public management.

EJEG Volume 9 Issue 2

EJEG Volume 9 Issue 2 PDF Author:
Publisher: Academic Conferences Limited
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 131

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Book Description


Managing the defence estate

Managing the defence estate PDF Author: Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Committee of Public Accounts
Publisher: The Stationery Office
ISBN: 9780215037473
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 40

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Book Description
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has an extensive and complex estate of some 24,000 hectares, and after the Forestry Commission, is the second largest landowner in the UK. The estate is valued at over £18 billion and costs some £3.3 billion to operate. The estate is seen as essential to the delivery of military capability and the welfare and morale of Service personnel. This report, from the Committee of Public Accounts, has taken evidence from the MoD on the standard of living accommodation, the Department's ability to prioritise estate projects effectively, and its response to staff shortages. It follows on from an NAO report (HCP 154, session 2006-7), Managing the Defence Estate: Quality and Sustainability (ISBN 9780102944679). It sets out 9 recommendations, including: more than half of single living accommodation and over 40% of family accommodation does not meet the Department's definition of high-quality accommodation and is therefore substandard; that poor accommodation has a negative impact on retention rates; there is no information on when poor accommodation is to be upgraded, with some military personnel and their families having to continue to live in substandard housing for the next 20 years; there are gaps in the Department's understanding of estate costs; the Department employs only 56% of safety works staff and 57% of quantity surveyors that it needs; that implementing energy saving measures at its' defence sites would bring environmental benefits and savings of more than £2 million annually.