Diana Johnson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Diana Johnson on 2014-04-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what review was undertaken of the Hull Official Receiver’s office before his Department’s decision to close that office; what the timescale for that review was; and what evidence was collected in that review.

Jenny Willott

The decision on Hull was one of a number of decisions made by the Insolvency Service Board n the context of a review of the Insolvency Service’s estate. That review covered all 36 buildings occupied by the Insolvency Service and had the objectives of ensuring that its estate met the Insolvency Service’s needs to provide efficiency and excellent customer service and to reduce costs against a context of significant falls in case numbers. The review of the estates strategy started in early 2013 and Hull was in the final phase of buildings being reviewed in February 2014. The Board considered the options of remaining in the same accommodation in Hull, moving to alternative Government property in Hull and moving the Hull operation to Leeds. The evidence collected comprised, for each option, impact on customers, impact on employees, an assessment of strategic benefits, financial impact and how any move could be delivered.