Available online
Description
One of a series of verite documentaries about citizen encounters with state agencies, this programme looks at the supplementary benefits system through the eyes of the claimant undergoing an initia...l interview. Originally intended as the safety net of the welfare state, the supplementary benefit system now supports more than three million people, one quarter of whom, like Jeffrey Bowler in this programme, are unemployed. The interview was recorded, after long negotiations with the DHSS and civil service union, at a local office near Nottingham. Mr Bowler must respond to detailed questions about his personal and financial circumstances as part of the means testing. Occasionally the interview is "frozen" for explanation of the proceedings in commentary or for remarks recorded by Mr Bowler after the interview was over.
One of a series of verite documentaries about citizen encounters with state agencies, this programme looks at the supplementary benefits system through the eyes of the claimant undergoing an initia...l interview. Originally intended as the safety net of the welfare state, the supplementary benefit system now supports more than three million people, one quarter of whom, like Jeffrey Bowler in this programme, are unemployed. The interview was recorded, after long negotiations with the DHSS and civil service union, at a local office near Nottingham. Mr Bowler must respond to detailed questions about his personal and financial circumstances as part of the means testing. Occasionally the interview is "frozen" for explanation of the proceedings in commentary or for remarks recorded by Mr Bowler after the interview was over.
| Module code and title: | D336, "Policies, people and administration" |
|---|---|
| Item code: | D336; 02 |
| First transmission date: | 15-03-1980 |
| Published: | 1980 |
| Rights Statement: | |
| Restrictions on use: | |
| Duration: | 00:24:20 |
| + Show more... | |
| Producer: | Susan Boyd-Bowman |
| Contributors: | Jeffrey Bowler; Christopher Pollitt; Lesley Tomczyk |
| Publisher: | BBC Open University |
| Keyword(s): | Administration; Decision making; Politics; Social security; Unemployment |
| Master spool number: | 6HT/73454 |
| Production number: | FOUD127N |
| Videofinder number: | 279 |
| Available to public: | no |
