Joining up to improve service

The Pension Service and the Disability and Carers Service are to be brought together into a single Agency - the Pension, Disability and Carers Service - Peter Hain, the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, announced today.

The two existing Agencies increasingly share many of the same customers - over half of the customers of the Disability and Carers Service are also customers of The Pension Service and the proportion is growing as people live longer. Over time the new Agency will enable a better and more seamless service to be delivered to them.

Announcing the change, Peter Hain said: "This is a big step forward for our Department and its customers.

The new Agency will help us to give many more of them the services and support they need through one organisation in a joined up way."

The new Agency will come into existence on 01 April 2008.