dwpeople march 2008 complete magazine

Altogether nowDirectgov joinsDWP

Net resultDWP intranetshows majorimprovement

RelativelyspeakingWe reveal yourfamous connections

I was the fourth monkand only hadone line

Your DWP staff magazine

MARCH 2008

dwpeople

James Purnell talks about life, politics and James Bond

“ “

DWPeople_March_2008_edition:DWPeople_January_2008_edition.qxd 01/05/2008 14:45

Room with a View

Liz Knowler and Julie Budd are this month’s Room with a View snappers

Last month DWPeoplefeatured staff’s top fourphotographers from the Room with a View competitionon Headline News.

More than 9,000 staff votedand as all the photos were sopopular we are featuring thefour runners-up this month.

Check out the final twopictures at the end of themagazine.

The scores are in and here’show you voted:

1. Shelia Gower – 26%2. Norman Milton – 20%3. Gareth Hughes – 15%4. Andy Dixon – 9%5. Liz Knowler – 9%6. Julie Budd – 8%7. Hilary Reeves – 8%8. Mike Choruschyi – 5%

Liz Knowler’s picture of her viewfrom Ontario House, Salford

Julie Budd’s view of Butlins from her Bognor Regis Jobcentre Plus office


Net resultDWP intranet showsmajor improvement

Contents

News in BriefNews from across theDepartment

“It’s great to be back”DWPeople interviewsJames Purnell

Learning by degreesA new e-learning mastersdegree especially for DWP

Altogether nowDirectgov moves in

Relatively speakingWe reveal your famous families

Making tracksDWP staff put theirrunning shoes on

At your fingertipsSignposting Directoryconnects customers with the services they need

Busted!“Family business” facesthe law

04

06

10

14

16

Quiz timeWin a £15 voucher with our crossword26

DWPeople – Whilst every effort is made to ensure the reliability of advertisers, DWP cannot accept any liability. The acceptance of advertisements does notimply recommendation by DWP. The advertising for DWPeople is managed by Landmark Publishing Services, 2 Windmill Street, London W1T 2HX. Tel: 0207692 9292. All locations in DWP should receive enough copies of DWPeople to share around.

LettersYour views on everythingfrom famous colleaguesto Kylie

Reporting benefit fraudNew series on how DWPtackles benefit fraud

Holding courtCarolyn Gunter aims high

Team of the monthThe Business Design andChange Pipeline team arethe model of success

20

09

08

12 24

23

22

18


Tackling unemploymentA NEW approach to increasing thenumber of people entering andstaying in work has been announcedin DWP’s Commissioning Strategy.

Private and voluntary sectororganisations will now be paid to getcustomers who have been out ofwork long-term into long-term jobs.

The strategy outlines how DWP willsign larger and longer-term five-year

contracts with providers. These top-tierproviders will manage a chain ofsuppliers down to local level to get themost disadvantaged customers intowork and achieve the best individualoutcome for each customer.

To fine out more information read theCommissioning Strategy paper at:www.dwp.gov.uk/publications/dwp/2008/com-strategy/cs-rep-08.pdf

4 | dwpeople | March 2008

News in Brief

THE FINAL numbers from the DWPstaff survey are in and it is the highestresponse rate ever this year with84,254 staff taking part. This is arecord-breaking 72 per cent of staff.

Three Year Business Planlaunched

DWP has published its Three Year Planfor 2008-09 to 2010-11. The Plan setsout DWP’s targets for the next threeyears and explains how they will bedelivered. It makes clear that ourpriority will be to expand and improveour services to customers. To read thePlan go to:

http://51.71.34.88/1/corp/sites/deliverplan/pdf%20version/index.asp#TopOfPage

View the summary of the Plan at:http://51.71.34.88/1/corp/sites/deliveryplan/index.asp

Jobcentre Plus wins NAOpraise

The National Audit Office (NAO) hascommended the roll-out of theJobcentre Plus office network. The Headof the NAO Tim Burr said: “My reportrecognises the considerableachievement that has been madedelivering over 800 centres to a highquality standard, under budget.”

Read the commemorative edition ofplus magazine which explains how thiswas achieved: http://intralink/jcplus/mags/plus/pluscom/index.htm

Plans for pensions

Further improvements to the CivilService Pension Scheme will beintroduced during March 2008.

For a complete explanation of theimprovements go to: http://intralink/home/news/headlines/2008q1/20080303_plans_for_explanation.asp

The survey results will be shared withstaff by early April. Business heads willwrite to staff about the results in theirarea and how improvements will beidentified and taken forward.

Recordresponse forstaff survey

DWP is supporting disabled people in doing the things that non-disabledpeople take for granted, as part of the cross-government IndependentLiving Strategy.

The Strategy was developed inpartnership with disabled people and aims to give them more choiceand control over the support they need and greater access toemployment, transport, health and housing opportunities.

Secretary of State for Work andPensions James Purnell said: “Disabledpeople should have the same choiceand control over how they live theirlives as everyone else.

“I welcome the Strategy as it involvesdisabled people right from the start. Itis also a powerful illustration of cross-government working.”

Read the strategy:www.officefordisability.gov.uk/independent/strategy.asp

Independent Living

RESPONSES

84,254


A

News in Brief

Do you have any news for inclusionin DWPeople? Email your [email protected]

Private Office record

Conferences go carbon neutral

DWP has its very own Steven Spielbergin waiting.

The Nasal Umbilical, a quirky short film made by Rob Dewick of HullBenefit Delivery Centre, was recentlyshortlisted for the Orange BritishAcademy Film Awards (BAFTA) 60seconds of fame competition.

Although Rob didn’t win, theexperience has inspired him to begin work on his next project, which involves a blend of live-actionand animation with a full originalmusical score.

“It should keepme busy for a fewmonths,” he jokes.

“The highlight was having my film broadcast on the localBBC news and screened on Hull’s Big Screen cinema,” says Rob.

“Even though I didn’t win the awardat least I can say I’m a BAFTAnominated film-maker.”

You can see Rob’s film online at: www.60secondsoffame.co.uk/bafta/sixtysec

March 2008 | dwpeople | 5

IN A bid to reduce DWP’S carbonfootprint, two recent DWP conferencesreduced their emissions to zero.

DWP arranged with the event organiserto make the Jobcentre Plus RecognisingSuccess Awards and Spring Conferenceon 5 and 6 March carbon neutral. TheSCS conference which took place thefollowing day also had its emissionsoffset to zero.

Information on the way participantstravelled to the conferences wasrecorded, together with energyconsumption at the events. The amountof greenhouse gas emissions was thencalculated by the conference supplier.

The events’ carbon footprints wereoffset at the supplier’s expense through the Climate Care organisationwho fund renewable energy, energyefficiency and reforestation projects.Their projects balance out the CO2

emissions produced by ensuring that an equivalent amount of CO2

emissions are taken out of theatmosphere elsewhere to make theactivity ‘climate neutral’.

DWP is committed to identifying those elements of our business which have the potential to affect the environment and takinggreater steps to making our activities sustainable.

NEW JOB aids offering simplified andimproved Resource Management (RM)guidance will be available from 31 March 2008.

The step-by-step guides – coveringtopics such as expenses, sicknessabsence, and change of line manager– use plain English and screenshots formore clarity.

The improved guides are part of awider review of RM and are based onexisting guides – an email address willbe available to report any errors.

For further information go to DWPhomepage, A-Z, and access ResourceManagement, then Job Aids.

RM improvements

The Department has achieved its bestever results on its handling of MinisterialCorrespondence – 92 per cent of theletters received were replied to within20 days or less.

Derek Marshall, Head of MinisterialCorrespondence Unit, commented: “The way we deal with correspondenceprovides a very transparent illustrationof our professionalism as a Department.

These outcomes are the result of a veryeffectively joined-up effort across theDepartment, but we are committed tocontinuous improvement and arelooking at a number of initiatives suchas the extended use of e-comms and ITto take this forward.”

We have the technologyEvery day more of our staff areturning to video conferencing (VC).

If you prefer face-to-face interactionbut don’t want to travel many miles to a meeting this is the answer.

Many DWP sites now have rooms

devoted to video conferencing. Theplasma screens and high quality audiofacilities ensure that everyone can beseen and heard, wherever they are.

By using VC, staff can reducetheir mileage, save time and help the environment.

A nose for success

Rob Dewick



HomeJames!

Even at 38, James Purnell is part ofWestminster’s political landscape, having been Minister for Pensions and, morerecently, Secretary of State for Media, Cultureand Sport. Now he has returned to his oldstamping ground at DWP, as Secretary ofState. John Pinching went to find out howhe’s getting on

Is it good to be back?

It’s really great. One of the things thatstands out about DWP is that it feelslike a confident department. We’vegot a big agenda to implement, agood record on delivery and we’re atthe very heart of government. It’s alsointeresting to find out more about thethings I was less involved with before,like Welfare to Work and the CSA.

What has changed?

The way pension reform has gonefrom ‘what if we did it like this’ to‘here is how we do it’. There has been a significant improvement in the performance of the CSA andwelfare reform has gone past thedevelopment stage and is now being implemented.

What are your main objectives?

I want to get the right balancebetween support, and incentives to work. In my policy speech at theSocial Market Foundation I spoke of wariness when talking aboutpeople and their ability to work.Many disabled people do remarkablework every day. The Flexible New Deal will give people much morecontrol over the support, training and healthcare that they receive.People can live independent liveswhatever their circumstances.

Will sending people who don’thave a job into work, or work-related activity, reducedisillusionment among the young, unemployed?

Cultural attitudes are difficult tochange. We want to give people

who have been out of employmentor training for six months at least an experience of work, so that when they encounter an employerthey can say ‘yes, I can do that.’ For those who are claiming benefitand working, it will disrupt theirillegal activity.

You met Bill Gates recently, at the 25th anniversary of the Prince’s Trust; did he seem like the richest man on the planet?

If you saw him in the street he wouldn’t strike you asparticularly wealthy. Heanswered all the questions and was energising with thepublic. During the day I alsomet people who had been in prison with drug problems,but were now successfulbusinessmen. It was a greatadvertisement for entrepreneurism.

What do you think of hischarity work?

Microsoft sponsoring the Prince’sTrust is a great thing. The way heinvests in charities is impressive. Ithink it is admirable when peoplewho earn a lot of money putsomething back into society.

How did you get into politics?

One summer, while I was atuniversity I decided to volunteerto work in Tony Blair’s office,when he was a member of theLabour opposition party. I thenbecame a managementconsultant, worked at the BBC and returned after New Labour’s victory in 1997.

“


I auditioned to be aknight but they gavethe part to a blokecalled Dan, or DanielCraig (James Bond)as he’s now known

Did you ever think of pursuing adifferent career?

I did a lot of acting while I was atuniversity, before realising I was terrible.On one occasion I was playing monknumber four in a stage production ofMurder in the Cathedral. I had one lineand shared it with all the other monks.During the tour an opportunity arose toplay a knight, so I decided to audition.Unfortunately they decided to give it to abloke called Dan or Daniel Craig, as he’snow known. If things had worked outdifferently he could have been Secretaryof State for Work and Pensions!

How do you escape from the world of politics?

I listen to a lot of music – the last album Ibought was LCD Sound System’s Soundof Silver. I also play football and supportArsenal – not just the last few years, butfor many trophyless seasons as well.

What is your desert Island disc?

It changes every day. I was asked tocompile a list for community radio onceand it took me a week. When I had finallychosen the records, they were too longand the show over-ran and we onlyplayed two from my list.

“

“


Feature


COMBINING work and studying fora degree isn’t easy – but a new e-learning degree is offering DWPmanagers a more flexible route intohigher education.

The e-Masters MA in PolicyManagement and Government issponsored by the Department andtailored exclusively for DWP staff with five years experience at EO level.

Kevin Hall, Director of MA in PublicServices Management runs the courseat York University and is a former DWPmanager himself.

“The MA is ideal for managers whowant to develop their leadershipskills,” says Kevin. “Learning online

David Hall finds out about a new e-learningmasters degree specifically designed for DWPmanagers

helps students structure their degreearound the demands of a career.”

The degree covers a diverse range of issues relevant to managerialroles within DWP.

“We have regular discussion groups,full tutorial support and frequentcontact between tutors and fellowparticipants,” says Kevin.

A series of awareness sessions about the course are taking placethroughout April in York, Leeds,London and Glasgow.

For further information visit theUniversity of York website:www.york.ac.uk/depts/spsw/gsp/pmg.html

Learning by degrees

NAOMIWright works on thecontinuousimprovementinitiative and

is in hersecond year of the MA.

“The variety of topics covered by theMasters grabbed my attentioninstantly,” says Naomi.

Naomi had been interested in doing a degree in management for sometime but was concerned she might beat a disadvantage, having not been infurther education since leaving collegemore than ten years ago.

Talking to the programme’s directorsand other students gave Naomi thecourage to apply.

“I definitely made the right decision,”says Naomi. The subjects covered onthe programme are so varied and there is something relevant to all roles. It’s hard juggling work and homecommitments with a degree – but it’s worth it.”

Look out for more articles onlearning and development infuture issues of DWPeople.

Room for improvement The Department offers a wide range of learning opportunities for improving and developing your career, including:� Summer Schools for all staff up to HEO/Band D grade� Apprenticeships that lead to nationally recognised qualifications � Talent Management programmes� Scottish and National Vocational Qualifications (S/NVQs)

The DWP Learning and Development website has more information on these and is available at:http://intralink/1/corp/sites/cld/index.asp under ‘My Development’.

case Study


Feature


MANAGING a national sports team is not an easy task, as any previousEngland football boss will testify, butone DWP staff member is provingmore than up to the challenge.

Carolyn Gunter, a Decision-Maker at Bristol Disability Benefits Centre,manages no fewer than four Under-18s England Indoor Netball teams(Ladies and Mixed) – and is aiming to lead her players to success in theworld championships held onAustralia's Gold Coast later this year.

Carolyn has always been sports crazy –as a teenager she represented hercounty at netball and even had trialsfor the England volleyball team. Onceher playing days were over, she gotinvolved in the coaching and managingside of sport, helping to run variouslocal youth football and netball teamsin Bristol.

It was this experience that led theEngland Indoor Netball Association to ask her to manage the nationalteams at last year’s Tri-NationTournament in South Africa.

“The tour was an incredibleexperience,” says Carolyn. “Walkingthrough Heathrow airport with anEngland kit on waiting to fly out wassomething I had dreamed of but neverthought I would achieve.

“We were even asked for ourautographs and treated like royalty.Standing alongside the teams to singthe National Anthem was anunforgettable moment.”

For Carolyn’s teams, even competingwas a remarkable achievementconsidering the two other teamsinvolved – South Africa and Australia –

have more than ten years experience,whereas the England team onlystarted playing together last year.

All the teams are self-funded and rely on sponsorship and donations to continue playing competitively. For Carolyn, the Department’s SpecialLeave was crucial in helping her torealise her dream.

“All of this was only made possiblewith the help of the Department andmy managers,” she says. “I wasgranted Special Leave with pay so I must thank the management teamat Bristol for enabling me to go andrepresent my country.”

Now Carolyn has the World Cup inAustralia firmly in her sights. With the host nation, South Africa and New Zealand all competing forhonours it will be an even sterner test for her and her teams.

“We are hopeful that at least one ofour teams will reach the finals. I knowthe players will play their very best for England.”

Holding court David Hall meets the DWP staff member who ishoping to lead four national sports teams to glory

Feeling inspired by Carolyn’s story?

ACTION Sport UK run indoor sportstournaments and competitions acrossthe country. Find out more at:www.actionsportuk.com

HASSRA offers indoor and outdoorsports for the Department’s staff at:www.hassra.org.uk

The England Under-18s Ladies Netball team in action at the Tri-Nation Tournament last year



Net result

Feature

The DWP intranet shows major improvementas new plans aim for even greater success

WHAT on earth did we do before the intranet was invented?

It’s where we can obtain a wealth of Departmental information from thelatest news to the policy and strategyupdates vital to our jobs and contactdetails for our colleagues.

The Department understands howimportant the intranet is, which is why so many improvements have been made in the last year.

In recognition of this, the independentIntranet Benchmarking Forum (IBF)currently has the DWP intranet sittinga very credible ninth place in its league table.

The table contains 37 organisations,including the BBC, Prudential Group,Rolls Royce and our public sectorcolleagues at HMRC – all of which weare rated above except the BBC, whoonly beat us by one per cent.

This is a great endorsement of DWP’sonline presence. Indeed, there hasbeen much to celebrate recently.

The intranet now opens automatically,offering staff instant access to thehomepage with its rolling banner ofdaily news and key messages.

The homepage is also much moreinteractive with online polls, quizzesand the perennially popular feedbackchannel Have Your Say.

Furthermore, while the staff survey was being collated, our site featured a ‘countdown clock’, a check on howmany forms had been completed and,subsequently, the survey results.

Intranet development team manager,Ian Roden, enthused: “It’s great to see that we have improved so much in the last year; a testament to all thehard work, but there is still a long way to go.”

“Over the next few months, we will begoing round the country establishingwhat users want, and making furtherdevelopments based on what wefind,” he added.

In the near future increased statisticalanalysis of how staff are using theintranet will be collated.

This will provide vital information,which can be used for futureimprovements and better services.For example, in development is aa straightforward system alerting webpublishers about faulty or obsoletelinks will allow them to repair or

discard them accordingly.

Meanwhile, an enhanced searchengine, which allows staff to narrowtheir search to a category, will make iteasier to find what they’re looking for.

These enhancements are scheduled forthe end of March so keep an eye out.

� DWP’s overall IBF rating was 71 per cent

� Our visuals scored an outstanding 83 per cent

� Accessibility came in at 80 per cent – well above average

� Usability rated at 57 per cent – slightly below average

� IBF identified that information wasn’t always where staff thought it would be.

IBF findings


Feature


“Although it is very slow attimes, the intranet is much easierto navigate. Search results tendto be more accurate, it is morepleasing on the eye and contenthas improved.”

Becky Martin, Customer ServicesManager, Lincoln Jobcentre Plus

Charlotte Rose, Felling Jobcentre Plus

Setting our sitesTHE LATEST proposals to improve theintranet focus – as the IBF wouldsuggest – on intranet usability.

Over the next year to 18 months, anumber of measures will be taken to improve the current online facilities.Changes will be made entirely from the users’ perspective.

Among the targets will be: improvingcontent and structure – ultimately

allowing staff to access informationbased on their own preferences –ensuring the intranet is technically upto date and improving the appearanceand clarity of the site.

There are also plans for a newpublishing model that will make itmuch easier to publish new material on the intranet, requiring less people to maintain the site and, of course,saving money.

The introduction of exciting socialmedia technology will mean thatcontent can be provided in real-time, to specific readerships.

Using the momentum already gainedfrom previous changes, the futuretransformation may mean an evenbetter finish in next year’s IBF league table.

“I find the interactive discussiongroups really useful. HeadlineNews is interesting and I do feellike it keeps me informed withthe information I need to know.The search engine still needs tobe improved however.”

Joseph Knapton, Disability andCarers Service call operator from Blackpool

“It’s much better than it was,and the changes have made a difference. Personalising thehome page is a really goodfacility. I would like to see anHR page and better searchfacilities.”



Feature

Directgov makes move from Central Office of Information to DWPTHE Government’s premier digitalchannel, Directgov, is transferring itsoperations from the Central Office ofInformation to DWP.

Directgov, which launched in 2004, is a multi-media platform offering access to nearly all governmentproducts and services.

It can currently be found, not only onthe intranet, but also digital televisionand mobile phone.

Jayne Nickalls, Directgov’s ChiefExecutive, said: “DWP is anorganisation that is built aroundcustomer needs and joining theDepartment is a tremendous advantage

to us,” she said, “Directgov will havegreater representation acrossgovernment, while also benefiting fromDWP’s leadership and guidance.”

“We are all looking forward to formingan effective partnership with our newcolleagues,” she added.

Although it does retain independentstatus Directgov will be reporting toDWP’s IT Director General and ChiefInformation Officer, Joe Harley, andPermanent Secretary, Leigh Lewis.

Joe is excited by the move: “By having access to our skills andresources, Directgov will be able tomore quickly raise its public profile,

while increasing the number of citizenswho use its services.

“Having met many of their seniorteam, I am very confident that workingtogether we will be able to deliver anever compelling service to the citizensof the UK.”

Tony Singleton, Directgov’s Businessand Operations Director, added: “Beingpart of an organisation that, at sometime or another, touches the lifeof every citizen in the country putsDirectgov in a very strong position.”

DWP has already committed £5m thisyear, ensuring Directgov can build onits momentum.

Altogether now

Directgov islaunched

2004 March 2006

‘Hits’ on the Directgovwebsite increase from800,000 to 5 million

April 2006

Dirctgov moves from thee-Government unit to the

Central Office of Information

April 2008

Directgov to joinDWP

AS PART of an ongoing programme to reduce the number of governmentwebsites, most DWP internet sites willclose, and have their content andservices moved to Directgov.

A single place for citizens to findinformation will ensure that customersfind what they need, without having to know which part of government to contact.

Sue Castling is overseeing the mergingof DWP sites. “DWP already works hardto make sure its customers can accessthe information and services they are

looking for online,“ she said. “More of our customers than ever before are ready to deal with us via electronicchannels, and Directgov gives us anopportunity to make the experiencequicker and easier.”

At present DWP has responsibility for34 websites, many of which will closeover the next three years.

The process is due to be completed by 2011, at which time most citizen-focused services will be found onDirectgov, with employer informationon the Businesslink site.

Building site

January 2008

‘Hits’ on the Directgovwebsite increase to 7 million



Feature

Joining forcesDirectgov staff will soon be joining usas colleagues. We asked some of themwhat they think about moving to DWP?

Their space

Director of Communications DavidDilley: “I am keen to work with DWPstaff as we aim for the common goalof transforming online services, byallowing our customers to findinformation in a single place.”

Project Manager Poss Apostolou: “This is a great opportunity to makecontact with different customers. DWPhas access to 70 million people – thatcan only be a good thing for us.”

Budget Manager Robert Lacey: “After twomoves since 2004, I am looking forward tosome stability. The continuity will also be goodfrom a customer point of view. Both groupsof staff can learn a lot from each other.”

Internal Communications Manager TraceyCrawford: “Joining the biggest Departmentwill help to raise our profile further. I thinkthe move will be rewarding for both parties.”

Campaign Project Manager HeatherReynolds: “I feel that the move can onlyenhance Directgov’s visability. We willbe able to draw on each other’sstrengths and experience.”

A NEW collaborative online service willallow customers to access their ownpersonal account, through Directgov’sMoney, Tax and Benefits section.

‘My DWP’ will provide each personthat registers, individual informationabout the personal benefits they may be entitled to, based on thedetails that they supply.

Acccount holders will also be able toupdate their information – reducingthe number of times they have tocontact us to make changes.

Ultimately, customers will be able tosee which benefit they might get, whatit is worth and data about all theirexisting benefits.

The facility taps into a broadeningmarket of people that enjoy organisingtheir finances online.

DWP’s IT Director General and Chief Information Officer Joe Harleysays: “The migration of onlinefacilities to Directgov requires stafffrom both organisations to workeffectively together.”



Feature

RELATIVELY SPEAKING!Singers, sports stars, playwrights and prophets, it seems that DWP staff are related to them all!

�� Maximum believability�� Convincing�� Prepared to believe you�� Suspicious� Fanciful

Relative ratings

Ian Hutty and Sir Ian Botham

Imagine DCS Decision-Maker Ian Hutty’s delight when, in a recentDaily Telegraph article, he noticed that Rebecca Ann Hutty – thedaughter of his great, great, great grandfather John – had marriedGeorge Chappel Botham. The latter being a distant relative of formerEngland cricket captain, Question of Sport panellist and elephantenthusiast, Ian Botham. A national hero, Botham still holds the recordfor most England test wickets. He has also graced the pages of many tabloids over the years.

��

“My mate’s ex-

wife is Tony

Christie’s niece”

Richard Berret

RECENTLY we appealed forinformation about your interestingancestors and our electronic mailbag has been bursting at the seamswith a glorious mix of plausible, far-fetched, fascinating and downrightabsurd connections.

Some of those extraordinarygenealogy stories are featured thismonth, and they’ll be more tales ofthe unexpected next time.

Leigh Marnley and Max Bygraves

Perpetually optimistic crooner, Max Bygraves, was,in many ways, ‘favourite uncle’ to an entiregeneration. By all accounts he was the genuinearticle to Jobcentre Plus’ Leigh Marnley.Bygraves married Leigh’s aunt, Blossom – whoapparently paid their first months rent. Since

those poverty stricken days Max has soldcountless albums, addressing

subjects such as Christmas, warand cakes.

��

Tenuou

sli

nkof the

mo

nth

John Brown and Peggy Herbison

John Brown has been working here since 1967. Back in thosehalcyon days new recruits were asked to nominate their preferreddepartment. Wisely John chose DWP on the basis that his father’scousin was Minister for Social Security, Peggy Herbison.According to John his great aunt was such a regular visitor to thelocal offices that many believed she helped to process claims.

��

DWPeople reporter JohnPinching brings you the celebrity

links before anyone else!



Feature

Di Walker and Jim DaleLone Parent Adviser Di Walker’s great unclehad an aunt who married the step-brother ofCarry On Film favourite Jim Dale. The onlymale member of the team still alive, Dale wasoften cast as a bumbling, but well-meaningbuffoon. After 11 appearances on the serieshe was lured to Hollywood, starring in severalDisney movies notably, Digby, the Biggest Dogin the World.

��

Cannot bee serious: Tom Johnson and Sting Watch out for the gene Police �

Premium bond: Maria Ademosu and Shirley Bassey An aunt said they had a relative living in England called Shirley Bassey(Wales, surely?) ��

Royal pardon: Kristian Young and Bonnie Prince CharlieApparently the documents proving this were destroyed during a familyfeud. Convenient! ��

Practically neighbours: Arthur McNulty and Kylie MinogueExplanation includes emigration, great aunts and, inevitably, namechanges. Nice try. ��

Un-stable: Andy Magee and one of the three wise menThe irony of this claim isn’t lost on anyone. �

Much ado about nothing: Carl Pedley and William ShakespeareReally, you couldn’t write it. �

Wing and a prayer: Adrian Goodrum and Stanley Matthews“Family in Stoke” leads to, of course, one of football’s greatest ever

exponents! ��

Disgraceland: John Boyson and Elvis Presley You ain’t nothing but a hound dog, lying all the time! �

No fangs: Christina Mackay and Christopher LeeAn evil look from the Prince of Darkness, alas, doesn’t ‘count’! �

TALL TALES?

Paul and Timmy MallettPAUL Mallett, from the Child Support Agency in Plymouth, is moreclosely connected to fame and fortune than any other candidate. He is, after all, the brother of television star Timmy Mallett! In themid-eighties Timmy could be seen virtually every morning onWakaday and The Wide Awake Club, wielding a huge spongehammer and wearing garish attire. Timmy’s legacy includes adistinctive gesture, known as the Wakawave, an avian co-host,Magic, and the word association game, Mallett’s Mallett.He also has the rare distinction of having jokinglybashed former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcheraround the head. Mallett junior still regularly seeshis famous brother. “He now spends a lot of timepainting with his great friend Rolf Harris,”said Paul.

��


STEVE Lang (above) from NorcrossDisability and Carers Service is in themidst of a 16-week training scheduleto get in shape for the Marathon.

He says: “I am running four times aweek and my routine includes hill and interval runs and cross-training. I do my longest run every Sunday to prepare for the big day and these

get longer each week, up to 20 miles.

“I have also made the sacrifice ofgiving up my favourite food –Domino’s Pepperoni Passion, alongwith chips and alcohol. Now I’meating more pasta, fruit and taking vitamin supplements.”

Steve is running the LondonMarathon for the Cystic Fibrosis Trust.

He says: “My six year old daughterOlivia suffers from cystic fibrosis –which is the UK’s most life-threatening, inherited disease.

She has a daily routine of about 30 tablets, medicines, nebulisedmedications and two sessions of physio,on top of visiting the hospital for twoweeks every three months.

”The Cystic Fibrosis Trust needs toraise £8 million every year to fund its vital work aimed at understanding,treating and curing cystic fibrosis.”

Steve last ran the Marathon in 2006and hopes to improve on his race time this year.

He adds: “Last time I was injured andstruggled around in just less than fourand a half hours. This year I’m hopingto beat three and a half hours.”

View Steve’s fundraising site at:www.justgiving.com/lang08

RACHEL Fry (right)from PrestonBenefit DeliveryCentre isrunning toraise moneyfor Refuge –a national charity supportingwomen and childrenfleeing domestic violence.

She says: “I decided to run the London Marathon after joining a running clublast summer, before then I hadn’t

Makingtracks TREVOR Buckland

from Broadstairs JobcentrePlus has been hitting thegym to get in shape forthe marathon.

“This is my first marathonand I’ll be running in aidof the Evelina Children’sHospital Appeal. Myfriend’s baby boy Ronniewas rushed to hospital there for life-saving surgery. He had his bowel removedand without their care he would not have survived.”

www.justgiving.com/littleronnie

DWP is bursting with fit and healthy staff andmore than 50 contacted DWPeople about theirMarathon plans for April. Good luck to everyonetaking part. Here’s a selection:


done any running since my last schoolsports day!

“I’ve been out training in the rain andhail and will be running five times aweek to try and complete the run inless than five hours.”

View Rachel’s fundraising site at:www.justgiving.com/rachelandjen

GARETH Jenkins(left) from BayardHouse JobcentrePlus in Walsall isrunning for SANDS– the Stillbirth andNeonatal DeathCharity in memory of his daughter.

He says: “I did my firsthalf-marathon in 1985 and since thenI’ve completed two London Marathonsin 1989 and 1991.

“I’ve had a long lay off and this is myfirst marathon in 17 years, so I’mrunning 30-35 miles a week and I’vejust completed a 20-mile run.”

View Gareth’s fundraising site at: www.justgiving.com/garyjenkins

SHELAGH Ackers (right) fromJobcentre Plus Oldham isrunning her first LondonMarathon this year.

She says: “I am veryexcited! I started runninga few years ago and waspersuaded to join theMiddleton Harriers lastyear. Since joining arunning club I have gonefrom running just acouple of miles tocompleting my first half-marathon aroundSwinton last September.

“I’m hoping to raise asmuch money as I canfor bowel cancer as myfather died of it and weneed to raise awarenessof the symptoms, sopeople can spot thesigns early.

Fast facts...Each LondonMarathon uses:710,000 bottles of water

20,900 metres of barriers

500 stretchers

68 ambulances

950 portable toilets

Did you know...?The oldest person everto complete the racewas 93-year-old FaujaSingh, who took justover six hours.

GARY Taylor is running to

raise money for the British

Heart Foundation in memory of

his dad.

He says: “My father died

suddenly from a massive heart

attack. I then discovered that

my grandfather and great-

grandfather had died of the

same thing – and I had inherited

it. I had to re-think my lifestyle to keep my

blood pressure down, so I started running.

“I’ve taken part in two marathons in Leeds and

Dublin and after five years of waiting I have

now secured a place in the London Marathon.”

www.justgiving.com/garytaylorBHFRunner

“I am gradually increasingmy mileage every week to prepare myself. I havealso done cross-country

and fell running to increase mystamina. I hopeto complete the LondonMarathon inless than five hours.”



Feature

DWP at your fingertips

IN THE three months since its launchthe Signposting Directory intranet site has received more than 65,000hits. By lunchtime on the first day,there had been more than 6,000 hits; this rose to almost 10,000 thefollowing day.

The Directory is an initiative from theDWP Change Programme, designed to help customer-facing staff to directcustomers quickly to the person whocan provide the help they need. Nomatter where they choose to accessour organisation, the Directoryprovides a stepping-stone to linkingservices across different businesses.

The team that jointly developed theDirectory, (Contact Centre AdvisoryTeam, The Pension Service CentralDesign Authority and e-commsOperations and Support), have receivedmore than 70 feedback messages fromusers, the vast majority being positive,for example suggesting enhancementsor additions to the Directory.

Vicki Storer from Pensions CentralDesign Authority says: “This was verymuch a joint endeavour, not justbetween Contact Centre Advisory Teamand The Pensions Service, but alsocolleagues from across DWP, and e-comms who were able to translateideas into a usable tool. It’s been greatto be involved in something that hasprompted such a positive response.”

The DWP Signposting Directory connectscustomers with the services they need in thelatest success story from the Change Programme

The design involved talking to andmeeting contact centre and customer-facing representatives from eachbusiness area, establishing what theywanted from a directory, and how theywanted the information presented.

Following its launch, the Directory wasformally evaluated by a group of users,the key findings being:� Most users liked how the Directory

was set out and appreciated the simplicity

� Most thought it needed to be expanded to provide an even greater improvement to customer service

� 88 per cent agreed that the Directory is set out clearly

� All agreed that they could find the number they needed quickly. Themajority thought that it didn’t impact on the time spent with the customer, but did improve customer service.

Following the second user groupworkshop in February, the team arenow working to upgrade the Directoryand add more features, includingaccess to regional based numbers, andadditional numbers, whilst retaining the easy to understand layout.

Mark Jones, from the Contact CentreAdvisory Team says: “Users gave us asteer as to what they wanted to seeincluded in the next version and we

are working to deliver this. They alsostrongly supported the notion that theDirectory must be ‘uncluttered by detailand easy to use whilst a customer is onthe phone’ and we are using thisprinciple when including such things asdetails of opening hours.”

Staff can access the SignpostingDirectory from the intranet, under‘D’ or ‘S’ from the A-Z on thehomepage.

Signposting Directory nowincludes Welsh language numbers

Contact Centre staff are now able to find Welsh language telephonenumbers in the SignpostingDirectory. Staff can find numbers for DWP, for other governmentdepartments and third parties via a simple icon.



Achieving the best

A NEW short film produced by DWPand the Department for Innovation,Universities and Skills (DIUS) showshow the government is workingtogether with employers to tap intoBritain’s talent – and make a hugedifference to individuals, communitiesand businesses across the UK.

In ‘Unlocking Britain’s Talent’, thegeneral public talk about how gaining skills and finding work haschanged their lives, and employersdiscuss the huge benefits of LocalEmployment Partnerships (LEPs),apprenticeships and working directlywith Jobcentre Plus.

The film was screened at ‘Ready toWork, Skilled for Work: UnlockingBritain’s Talent’, a conference held inLondon in January for employers, tradeunions, lobby groups and employmentand skills providers to showcase whatthe government is doing aroundrecruitment, training and skills.

The message of the conference – and the film – is simple. If governmentand business work more closelytogether, employers will have access to the skills they need to prosper, and millions of people will be able to realise their potential.

Attendees at the conference, includingUK employers, senior business leadersand DWP partners, were addressed by Prime Minister Gordon Brown,Secretary of State for Work andPensions James Purnell and DIUSSecretary of State John Denham.

Mr Purnell said: “Getting people intowork isn’t enough. People also want toget on. We need more employers tooffer jobs to those out of work, investin apprenticeships and to boost our

economy by giving everyone who canthe chance to work.”

The conference highlighted how LEPsare helping employers find candidateswho are pre-trained with the basicskills for the jobs they have specified.Under the partnerships, thegovernment will help employers accessa wider pool of talent and make surethat these people have ready-to-workskills and a ready-to-work attitude.

In exchange, employers agreemeasures that can include guaranteedjob interviews, work placements,mentoring, work trials and moreinclusive recruitment processes.

More than 550 employers havecommitted to LEPs. Well over half are already putting their LEPagreements into practice, workingclosely with Jobcentre Plus at local levelto provide a range of support andsuccessfully linking employers with job-ready candidates.

Britain’s Talent speaks: “I love my job, so I’m looking forward to my future.”

“I’ve got a more fulfilled life now than I did before.Financially it’s changed my life as well.”

“Before I left school I never passed an exam and since I left school I’ve never failed one.”

“It’s quite overwhelming actually, the difference it’s made.”

Prime Minister Gordon Brown talks with delegates at the conference

The key to success

For more information about LEPS:http://intralink.link2.gpn.gov.uk/jcp/directorates/ercomms/workingwithemployers/lep/index.aspYou can see a clip of the film onlineat: http://intralink.link2.gpn.gov.uk/home/homepage/urgent/20080128_ready_to_work.asp



TEAMTEAM OFOF

THETHE MONTHMONTH

Achieving the best

DWPeople finds out how the Business Design and Change Pipeline team havebeen improving services for DCS customers.

THE Business Design and ChangePipeline team knew that developing aStandard Operating Model (SOM) forthe Disability and Carers Service wouldbe no simple task. But that didn’t deterthem from taking on the challenge andpulling out the stops to get everythingin place on time.

The team of nine from Norcross wasnewly formed and keen to ensure theexpanded SOM was top quality and readyto go on the intranet in February 2008.

Team members all have very differentroles within the team and everyoneinvolved had to work very hard over ashort period to make sure they hadeverything ready in time for thedeadline.

Design Assurance team member GinaLongstaff says: “The team has threesub-teams within it, and as teammembers are often in meetings andunavailable, we need to support eachother and cover each others’ roles.

“We are all as diverse as our team rolesand a recent team-building exerciseshowed that we couldn’t even keep acouple of tennis balls in the air formore than six seconds – so how wemanage to juggle everything at workslightly bemuses me!”

In addition to their work on the SOM, the team are also responsible for investigating new and potentialchanges and ideas that may have animpact on DCS business in the future.

Back row left to right: Paul Allen, Dolours Barker, Lorraine George Front row left to right: Bev Dyson, Charlie Ritchie, Gina Longstaff



Achieving the best

DWPeople wants to hear from those teams that havedemonstrated at least one of the key DWP values:

• Achieving the best• Respecting people• Making a difference• Looking outwards

Nominations should be nolonger than 300 words.

Tell us:

• Who is in your team• What you all do • Why you should be considered • Which of the DWP values your team have demonstrated.

Send your entries by email to:[email protected]

Could you bethe next Team of the Month?

The team works with staff across DWP to understand and influencethese changes and make sure DCS is accounted for.

The massive task of developing a newSOM for DCS involved working withDisability Benefit Centres across thecountry while also expanding it tocover all processes for Disability LivingAllowance and Attendance Allowanceacross the whole business.

After a very busy few months, the team had everything ready for the Model to go live on the intranet on time.

Team member Penny Yates says: “Weworked together to create a SOMwhich would make sure DCS delivers acommon national service based onestablished processes and best practiceto make sure that customers receiveeffective and consistent service.

“It gives staff a detailed yet user-

friendly model to do this, with links torelevant guidance and toolkits – this isa first for DCS.”

The team has already received positivefeedback from staff about the newModel, with the links to guidanceproving particularly popular.

Team leader Charlie Ritchie says: “I am particularly proud of my team’sachievements – they worked closelywith operational colleagues from allover the country and listened to widely varying views on how thebusiness delivers benefits to agree a way forward.

“The team’s efforts will make a realdifference to the business by makingsure we all deliver a consistent level ofcustomer service and greater efficiencywhile giving managers more flexibilitywhen deploying resources.

“It is a real example of excellence inthe workplace.”

Gina Longstaff

Design Assurance team member

“We are a compact team with a large responsibility.

We’re cosy, but wise! We work hard but manage to

have fun at the same time and the days fly by.

“My team mates are brilliant and we have a

laugh…or we’d cry!”

Lorraine GeorgeBusiness Analyst

“Although we each have our own areas of work, everyone seemed able to roll-up their sleeves and help out a colleague who may need a bit of assistance.Deadlines can be painful but the team really pulled together to meet them.

“When the going gets tough – someone brings in theconfectionary. Not sure if this was to raise our sugar levelsor keep us quiet – but it seems to work!”



October and was truly amazed at theamount of files that are stored there.

I totally agree with Lynn’s suggestion of having the address of the sender on the polylopes and boxes that aresent to Heywood.

We at Hastings have always tried to assist our Heywood colleagues when sending items to them and have improved the way we send items that now include our ‘returnaddress’ on all items.

I hope both Lynn’s and my commentswill encourage all offices to follow suitby including their ‘return address’ onpolylopes and boxes that they send toHeywood and join in on the ‘add yourreturn address campaign’.

Neil DavisHastings Child Support Agency

What do you think? Send your letters on any subject to: [email protected]

Wild claims of co-workers

SOME of you may have noticed a Headline News article on the intranet recently which was asking for wild claims about your famous relativesto be included in dwpeople magazine.

It got me thinking and Iwondered if anyone hasany good memories orstories of famous peoplewho used to work in theDepartment, like Ian Brown from the Stone Roses, Ian Curtis from Joy Division or Sean Moore the drummerwith Manic Street Preachers. I’m surethere are many more.

Spot the mistake

WHILE reading February’s dwpeoplemagazine, which was very interesting, I couldn’t help noticing one tiny error.

The story on pages 24-25 about the Mayor of Sefton has an insetphotograph which is labelled as Sefton.

The picture is actually of the Palm House in Sefton Park in South Liverpool.

Sefton Borough – where John Walker was Mayor – is in the northern part of Merseyside andnowhere near Sefton Park.

Keith MoorcroftJobcentre PlusSouth Tyne and Wear Valley District

Laura Turvey, dwpeople, responds:

Whoops. Well spotted Keith, and all the other staff who wrote in to correct us – you are all quite right.Apologies for the mix up and thanksfor letting us know.

Return to sender

I HAVE just read Lynn Hayes fromChild Support Agency Sheffield’s letter from February’s dwpeople with interest.

I too have had the privilege of visiting the Heywood Store in

If you remember working with them – do you have any good stories?

Liam HamiltonBirkenhead Child Support Agency

Does anyone have any good memories of famous people who used to work in the Department?

“

”

STAR LETTER

Kylie at DWP?

HOW delighted I was to see Kylie on the frontcover ofFebruary’sdwpeople.

Can you tellme when shestarts work?Where she willbe working?And how I can get atransfer to thesame office?!

Rich PayneBristol Disability and Carers Service



Reporting benefitthieves

CLAUDINE Carr works on the NationalBenefit Fraud Hotline and is based inPreston. She tells DWPeople what it’s like to take the calls:

“There are three contact centres that are currently responsible for the hotlineand we can take more than 5,000 calls a week.

“Every call is different – the average call length varies between five or tenminutes depending on the level ofinformation the customer has, but youcan take detailed calls that are a lotlonger. Some people report hunches;others have more concrete evidence.

“My job is to find out as muchinformation as I can about suspectedfraud and put this in a PPQ form. The form is a lot easier to use than the old paper form because there arestandardised questions so you don’t miss anything out.

“The completed form is sent on to afraud investigator or a Jobcentre Pluscompliance officer depending on thetype of information the referral contains.

“As well as taking calls, I also mentornew starters. I really enjoy my work andI value the job that I do. I like to thinkI’m giving something back by helping to stop benefit cheats. It’s not someoneelse’s money – I pay my taxes too!”

� On average, every £1 spent on thehotline generates approximately £16 in identified overpayments.

“ “

DWP is committed to providing valuefor money for taxpayers and one waythe Department can do this is by takingserious steps to slash benefit fraud.

The good news is that DWP has madesubstantial progress, reducing benefitfraud in Jobseeker’s Allowance andIncome Support by more than halfsince 2000. The bad news is benefitthieves still stole from taxpayers anestimated £700 million across allbenefits in 2006-7.

Peter Gabell, who works in the FraudInvestigation Service at Swansea, says:“Common types of benefit fraudcan include deliberately failing todeclare earnings or not reporting achange in circumstances such asfinding work or a new partner moving in to the home. In some cases, customers may exaggerate oreven fake an illness or disability.”

So how does the Department decidewho to investigate for benefit theft?There are three main ways that benefitfraud suspicions are reported:� by Departmental staff (see below)� by the public through the National

Benefit Fraud Hotline (see right) and the website (https://secure.dwp.gov.uk/benefitfraud)

� by the data matching service

John MacLean from the data matchingservice says: ”Data matching is a veryefficient and cost effective method ofcombating fraud. We use a number ofinternal and external data sources toidentify discrepancies. In the lastfinancial year we issued over 320,000referrals and these uncovered morethan £92 million of overpayments.”

From March, the Department will alsobe able to access information fromcredit reference agencies. This willidentify people who are claimingsingle-person benefits and are livingwith a partner.

In the first of a newseries, Catherine Chanlooks at how benefitfraud is reported

The National Benefit Fraud Hotline is on 0800 854 440.

AN ONLINEreferral formcalled theprogrammeprotectionquery or ‘PPQ’is DWP’s latest

tool in the fight against benefit fraud.

The form can be used by staff to reportcases where they think customers areacting fraudulently or to log suspicionsfrom members of the public.

The layout means data is standardisedso it can be sent on to the relevantteams more quickly.

Debbie Hyland, from the project team,says: “The additional questions theform asks helps us gather betterquality information, which is then sent direct to investigators orJobcentre Plus compliance staff.”

The PPQ form can be opened via the icon on the desktop of all DWP computers.

Backstage

Feature

Mind your PPQs!

An image from DWP’s marketing campaign

It’s not someone else’s money – I pay my taxes too!



“Family business” faces the law

Busted!

FIVE women are behind bars aftercheating nearly £250,000 out of thebenefits system and going on the run.

The group, made up of friends andrelatives, committed the fraud over aten-year period by producing forged orfalse documents at Jobcentres and PostOffices. Judge Philip Gregory likened itto running a “family business”.

Bernadette Hampton, 32, MaryMcDonagh, 33, Marie Johnson, 55,Margaret Hampton, 52, andBernadette Jones, 46, all came from

Quinton and Handsworth inBirmingham. The Department firstbecame aware of the women after an anonymous tip-off about anotherdefendant, Sean Anthony Johnson.

Investigators uncovered the conspiracyand a series of house raids took place,turning up a further 84 identities andtwo blank birth certificates.

Mr Johnson was sentenced in 2005 to two years and 10 months forconspiracy to defraud. But the courtwas unable to sentence the women –

they had all fled to the Republic ofIreland in a bid to escape the law.

DWP’s Fraud Investigation Service tracked down the women and afterinternational warrants and courthearings, the group were all broughtback to the West Midlands.

At Birmingham Crown Court they each received two years and 10months for conspiring to defraud and an additional four months eachfor absconding.

Top row (left to right): � Bernadette Hampton � Bernadette Jones � Mary McDonagh

Bottom row (left to right):� Marie Johnson� Margaret Hampton

DWP staff can report benefit fraud using the PPQ form on the desktop

h h h

h h

Busted! reports the international arrest of five benefit fraudsters


the aftermath

Building the case


Busted!

IT WAS one of the UK’s biggest ever benefit fraudcases involving a secret room, nearly 200 falseidentities and £2.4 million.

Jean Hutchinson, 65, and her cousin Ralph Dale, 64,were sentenced to five and four years respectively fortheir massive fraud. Blackfriars Crown Court in Londonheard how Hutchinson systematically stole identities,which the pair used to make hundreds of false claims.

After the case, Busted! spoke to Laurie Shore from theFraud Investigation Service.

Busted! goes behind the scenes

Sealing her fate“JEAN Hutchinson had severalproperties and used fake identities to make claims including for housingbenefit. After a dispute with thecouncil, officials went to assess herhome. Hutchinson had sealed off part of the flat including some of the windows and the secret roomwhere she hid the stolen identities.

This aroused suspicion so the localauthority started to investigate andtipped off DWP.

“Around the same time GreenwichCouncil contacted us to report anumber of benefit applications withsimilar handwriting – they turned outto be from Hutchinson.”

“THE five-month surveillanceoperation involved about 15 fraudinvestigators. We saw Hutchinsonmeeting up with Dale and visitinga number of houses. Our checksshowed they owned the propertiesand were making false benefit claimsat these addresses.

“We knew we were building a strongcase but we never knew the size of

the operation until we raidedHutchinson’s home and uncovered the secret room. We found nearly200 identities, all neatly filed andcross-referenced.

“It took our lead investigator LesleyO’Rourke 18 months to prepare thecase and submit nearly 200,000exhibits to court.”

“THE Department has a policy ofbringing benefit cheats to justice anda confiscation hearing will take placein June to recover public money.

“It’s also interesting to see how the

benefit processes have changedover time, compared to whenHutchinson and Dale first startedmaking false claims. DWP is nowmore geared up to detect fraudstersand take action.”

Using a log-book of emigrants,

Hutchinson wrote letters posing

as a relative researching the family

tree. When people wrote back, she

used the details to steal identities.

Shortly before being arrested,

Hutchinson sent a car to Portugal

and investigators believe she was

preparing to leave the country.

Following a stroke, Dale was left

with severe hearing and speech

impairments. He used his disabilities

to visit GPs using false identities, in

order to make multiple Incapacity

Benefit claims.

DWP investigators spot Jean Hutchinsonmeeting up with Ralph Dale

Members of the public can report suspicions on the National Benefit Fraud Hotline on 0800 854 440



Quiz time

Quickcrossword

Across

6. Florida7. Kinks9. Scrum10. Fly-leaf12. Mary Poppins14. Eva Longoria18. Sabbath19. Homer21. Rogue22. RonaldoAcross

1. A country’s sea-force (4)8. Large, long-armed apes of Borneo

(10)9. Britain’s Formula One star (8)

10. US agency responsible for aviationand space-flight (4)

12. Carrott, the famous Birminghamcomedian (6)

14. Protective kitchen garments (6)15. Young cat (6)17. ‘Casino _____’, the James Bond

movie starring Daniel Craig (6)18. See 3 Down19. African country associated with

Robert Mugabe (8)21. Famous World War II movie starring

Bogart and Bergman (10)22. Protective covering for the face (4)

Down2. Greenish-blue colour (10)3. And 18 Across. Cartoon character

who lives in Jellystone Park (4,4)4. Smith, the manager of Rangers

FC (6)5. Kampala is this country's

capital city (6)6. Troy Tempest was the main

character in this children’s television show (8)

7. World’s largest continent (4)11. Flowers famously painted by

Vincent van Gogh (10)13. Popular pantomime (5,3)16. Projecting spout on a petrol

pump (6)17. They built Hadrian’s Wall (6)18. Slang word for a dollar (4)20. James Nesbitt’s character in

‘Cold Feet’ (4)

Win a £15 voucher

As usual we were inundated withentries to the crossword in February’sedition of DWPeople.

The winner of the £15 Marks &Spencer voucher was John Parkerfrom Blackpool.

The correct answers were:Across: 6. Hallows 7. Still 9. Great 10. Cayenne 12. Harry Potter 14. Renaissance 18. Student 19. Green 21. Alpha 22. Results

Down: 1. Barry 2. Alpaca 3. Ewe4. Street 5. Clinker 8. Caspian 11. Present 13. Deathly 15. And The16. Circus 17. Keith 20. Sea

We’ll give a £15 Marks & Spencervoucher for the first correct entrydrawn from the hat. Each monthwe’ll print the answers from theprevious month and the name of the winner.

So don’t delay, fill in your details andanswer the question below to be inwith a chance of winning. Send yourcompleted crossword markedDWPeople Crossword Competition.Using internal mail to:Laura TurveyRoom 650, London, Caxton HouseOr standard post to:Laura Turvey Room 650, Caxton House 6 -12 Tothill Street London SW1H 9NA Competition closes on 30 March.

Tell us which was your favouritefeature in this issue?______________________________________________________________

Name:........................................................Full address: ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................


Room with a view

Congratulations to Hilary Reeves and Mike Choruschyi!

THESE are the final imagesfrom Room with a View.

Thanks to all staff who sent their pictures in and congratulations to the finalists.

Hilary Reeves’s view from her Jobcentre Plus office in Lincoln

Mike Choruschyi’s view from his Child Support Agency window in Liverpool


dwpeople march 2008 complete magazine

Documents