The Contributions Agency's role: The Agency is responsible for administering the collection of National Insurance and for maintaining National Insurance records. Most of their staff are based in the Newcastle area. Work includes the update and maintenance of the accounts of over 62 million individual customers, and the management of contracting out arrangements for occupational and personal pensions. They ensure conformance with legislation, records maintenance and information provision. Their stated business aims are to:
■ manage their business more professionally providing value for money for the taxpayer;
■ improve standards of service for customers by consulting with them; and
■ provide staff with the equipment and training to improve services.
The Agency transferred from Social Security to the Inland Revenue in April 1999.
Accommodation requirements: The Contributions Agency will be based at a redeveloped Longbenton site. User representatives told us that existing accommodation at Longbenton was untenable in the long run. One described it as a "nightmare", leading directly to lost productivity. For example repeated boiler failures had caused staff to be sent home. The Agency required a solution to these problems. They also needed flexible accommodation that could cope with reconfiguration into cellular and open-plan space and use of "hot-desking" (desk sharing). They required high specification IT cabling, secure access and support for flexible shift-working.
The Contributions Agency's views of the Private Finance project: They felt that the deal would deliver these requirements and expressed no major concerns with it. They felt that at the outset the Department's strategy on staff numbers had not been sufficiently thought through, but said that the Private Finance deal would allow more flexibility to relinquish unwanted space than under a traditional deal. Some agreed with other Agencies that communication with the project team could have been better.