HC Deb 08 February 1999 vol 325 cc7-8
4. Mr. Bill O'Brien (Normanton)

If he will make a statement on the work of the Child Support Agency independent case examiner; and how many cases are currently pending a decision. [68008]

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Social Security (Angela Eagle)

The Child Support Agency's independent case examiner began work in April 1997. As at 31 December 1998, she had received a total of 2,193 applications. Of those, 416 are still awaiting a decision.

Mr. O'Brien

I thank my hon. Friend for that response, but was not the independent case examiner brought in because the parliamentary ombudsman could not handle the vast number of cases that were referred to that department? Will she confirm that 40 members of staff in the independent case examiner's office are dealing with cases and that it has taken more than 17 weeks to process one case?

Will my hon. Friend also confirm that, in 1997–98, more than £1.1 million was paid in compensation? In the current year, the figure for compensation could exceed £3 million. Will she therefore take action to speed up the proposed changes to the Child Support Agency, to reduce the number of cases being referred to the independent case examiner and to reduce the amount of money—taxpayers' money—that is paid in compensation?

Angela Eagle

It is absolutely true that the current system of child support maintenance assessment that we inherited from our predecessors requires, in some cases, up to 104 pieces of information to be gathered before an assessment can be made. Clearly, the answer to that lies in the simplification that the Green Paper on reforming the Child Support Agency suggests. I can tell my hon. Friend that 1,500 individuals and 80 organisations responded to the consultation and we hope to make a statement on the way forward soon.

Mr. David Ruffley (Bury St. Edmunds)

Can the Minister explain the basis of the Government's claim that 75 per cent. of absent parents and parents with care will be better off under the new system?

Angela Eagle

First, one of the reasons why almost everyone will be better off is that the new system will work faster and people will get their maintenance. At the moment, 90 per cent. of CSA time is spent assessing maintenance rather than collecting it, so one of the big advantages of the new system will be a much streamlined, and more effective and efficient, way of getting the money to the parent with care.