Oral Answers to Questions

Lord Bellingham Excerpts
Monday 27th March 2017

(7 years, 7 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Lord Bellingham Portrait Sir Henry Bellingham (North West Norfolk) (Con)
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T6. I put it to my hon. Friend the Minister that, although no MP wants a DWP office closure, there may nevertheless be significant advantages if the King’s Lynn DWP office were to co-locate with the borough council, as there would be synergies, for example, on housing benefit. We could then create a public service centre of excellence for the borough council, the clinical commissioning group and the DWP.

Damian Hinds Portrait Damian Hinds
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I take that point on board, and we are embarking on a number of co-locations as part of the current programme. Co-location can be good both for claimants and for the taxpayer: for claimants because more of the services they need to access are in one place, and, of course, for the taxpayer by making better use of the public estate.