Government Departments Lack Common Sense?

A couple of months ago I received a package from the EMA, a UK government department that provides some funding for students whilst studying for their A-levels. It was a pleasant surprise as I hadn’t even realised such funds and grants existed.

So I set about completing the form and pulling together the supporting evidence and documentation.

Having put together what I thought was the complete information package I sent the forms off to the EMA. About 2 weeks later I received the forms back saying that they couldn’t process my application because they didn’t accept my tax return. So I wrote to my accountant and obtained confirmation that my tax return was indeed correct and returned the forms.

Yesterday, 2 weeks after returning the forms for the second time, I received them all back again saying that they couldn’t process my application. There now seemed no problem with my tax return but the evidence I sent of my daughter’s bank account details (which were sent at the time of the original application) were not acceptable.

I was a little confused at this stage:

• On the application form the EMA request evidence from the bank (e.g. a letter) which shows my daughter’s bank sort code and account number, her name address.  In view of this request, I sent a scan of the letter we received from the bank confirming the opening of her bank account with her bank card attached.  At the top left hand corner of this letter was printed her name and address and the scan of the card showed her name, bank name, sort code and account number, all of which lined-up with those I had provided on the application form.

The reason my application could not proceed was that they apparently required a scan of the back side of the card as well as the front.  My first question was, ‘Why?’ … there’s nothing on the back of the card except the security code which was not requested and wich I would not give out anyway.

Okay; if the scan of a card is not acceptable then fine, but my questions are:

• Why did they leave it until after I had already returned my application form a second time to point this out to me.  If they had read the whole form first time around they would have noticed this and could have saved time, postage costs (4 extra 2nd class stamps/payments by them) and frustration by asking all their questions at once?
• Do I need to actually point out in words of one syllable and add annotations as to where my daughter’s name, address, bank sort code and account number (the requested information) are located on the letter and bank card?

What concerns me is that whilst the current government seem ever more interested in what we do and monitoring us, we are totally powerless to access those who administer the various departments.  Sure, we can ring helplines but we are usually told that it is procedure, and anyway, the reason we usually want to ring them is because they’ve already returned our forms etc. 

What bothers me most is that the government departments seem totally unaccountable to the people who pay for them and put them in power …  and there is never anyone who makes a mistake. 

• If they under charge us for tax through no fault of our own, it is our fault for not having noticed it (guys, you are the experts and that’s what you’re paid to do on our behalf). 
• If we send in an application form for a visa and it gets lost after they acknowledge receipt then it’s our fault despite ringing them to chase it up.

People in power, please don’t be too surprised at the hostility and lack of co-operation from the general public when we’ve been on the receiving end of ineptitude with no accountability.  Please, please revise your systems so that they apply some common sense and display the concern you voice in public over cost cutting etc.  Rather than saving money by cutting essential services like education (you may as well cut your own throat if you adopt this approach), an internal independent audit by a body with no government interests may just help your budgets to grow considerably through internal cost savings from improved processes.

I would like to think someone in responsibility may read and act on this entry, but there again,  the moon may turn blue sooner.

Until next time …

Posted in challenge, integrity, respect, Uncategorized Tagged: above reproach, EMA grant application, EMA grant application returns, government departments lacking common sense, improving processes, internal independent audit, is the information they ask for what they really want, no accountability, taxpayers money, the moon will turn blue sooner, uk government