A GOVERNMENT department has apologised "unreservedly" for a bureaucratic blunder which saw a South Lakeland woman pursued for 2p which she did not owe.
The Department for Work and Pensions sent Lynda Gibbons, of Honister Drive, Kendal, a Job Seekers Allowance cheque for £177 in error. She repaid the money but was then sent a threatening letter demanding 2p,which the department said she still owed.
Westmorland and Lonsdale MP Tim Collins branded the episode "bureaucratic bungling" and called for an apology.
Yesterday, department spokesman Nigel Carleton told the Gazette: "The Department for Work and Pensions unreservedly apologises for any inconvenience or stress caused. In this case the letters were generated by computer and we are now looking at our processing to avoid this happening again."
May 30, 2003 09:30
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