Jobcentre Plus hit by MPs' criticisms

Government is urged to review IT and process problems

Parliamentary pressure is mounting for the government to acknowledge the extent of problems affecting Jobcentre Plus (JC+) and its Customer Management System (CMS).

‘The strategic delivery of the CMS has been deeply flawed,’ said Tony Wright MP at a debate in Westminster Hall last week.

‘The problem is profound and it falls on the government to address it quickly,’ he said.

Wright’s Great Yarmouth constituency is one of the areas worst affected by the JC+ issues.

His statements to the House included many of the points highlighted by Computing’s coverage of JC+, problems such as delays in getting through to the call centres, claimants waiting as long as two months for payments to start, and the suspension of CMS and reversion to clerical procedures.

Wright criticised the government for insufficient consultation and testing, and called for a review of the policy of centralised benefits service delivery that CMS is designed to enable.

‘There is both a policy problem and an IT problem,’ he told Computing. ‘The whole thing needs to be put on hold across the country pending a review of where we are now.’

James Plaskitt, parliamentary under-secretary of state for work and pensions, acknowledged that there are problems in getting through to the JC+ call centres, but said that contingency plans are starting to have an effect.

‘We are working hard to deal with the difficulties and making real progress in improving the service to customers,’ Plaskitt told the Commons.

‘Our handling of calls is improving and every site now has a managed plan to return to full CMS operation,’ he said.

But Gwyn Prosser, MP for the Dover constituency, another badly-affected area, said the problems are not being solved.

‘Even with all this pressure brought to bear, those managing the systems are still spinning the story that everything is coming back to normal, but that is not what I have seen on the ground,’ Prosser told Computing.

‘The extent of the problems is not being acknowledged – that is the view I am getting from both my constituents and from people working in the system,’ he said.

The Work and Pensions select committee has also expressed scepticism over claims that CMS is back on track (Computing, 24 November).