Over the past three years a third of the
total number of calls to government helplines by job seekers and benefit
claimants were unanswered. An average of 126, 270 calls per day were
abandoned or lost in the system. According to figures reported by the
Liberal Democrats, the Department of Works and Pensions was the worst
offender, missing 62 million calls.
The individual helplines with the worst records (missed calls as a
percentage of total calls) are: Attendance Allowance/Disability Living
Allowance - 79.0% of calls abandoned, met with an engaged tone or lost in
the system; Work Permits UK - 53.9%; Benefit Enquiry Line - 53.9%; Tax
Credits - 52.7%; Rural Payments Agency - 34.3%; and CSA - 33.7%.
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