§ Mr. MorganTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement on his policy for the proposed administrative arrangements for the identification and collection of payments and disbursements via the Child Support Agency in Wales from 1 April.
§ Mr. JackI have been asked to reply.
From 1 April 1992, a child support unit will be established to take over the existing administration of child maintenance collections and payments from the Social Security Benefits Agency, prior to the introduction of the Child Support Agency from April 1993. The agency will introduce a new system for the assessment, collection and enforcement of child maintenance to all families for whom maintenance is an issue. Administration of the system will be carried out by staff based in social security offices, who will provide a local service to customers. Work that does not require face to face contact with customers will be carried out in six centres to be based in Belfast, Birkenhead, Dudley, Falkirk, Hastings and Plymouth.