12 October 2004

Michael Howard Helps Constituent To Get Legal Documentation Back

Michael Howard, Member of Parliament for Folkestone and Hythe, has intervened in the case of Mrs Gillian Hughes of Folkestone who had her late husband’s birth and death certificates as well as her own birth certificate lost by the Department for Work and Pensions.

Mrs Hughes submitted her husband’s birth and death certificates as well as their marriage certificate and her own birth certificate to the Pension Service in November 2003. In July 2004 Mrs Hughes wrote to Mr Howard to express concern that she had only received her marriage certificate back and had been unable to claim her private pension without the other documents.

Mr Howard wrote to the Secretary of State at the DWP demanding that action be taken to find and return the missing certificates to Mrs Hughes. Despite executive searches at both Liverpool Pension Centre and the National Pension Centre, the two offices involved in Mrs Hughes’ Retirement Pension application, the missing certificates were not found. Following Mr Howard’s representations, the DWP have arranged for replacement certificates to be sent and have awarded compensation to Mrs Hughes.

Mr Howard said:

“The whereabouts of Mrs Hughes’ certificates should have been carefully monitored whilst in the possession of the Pension Service and returned to Mrs Hughes at the earliest opportunity. I have asked the DWP to examine their procedures for handling important documents belonging to customers and have requested that certificates be returned to customers by recorded delivery. Pensioners deserve a better quality of service than they are currently receiving from the Pension Service.”