HC Deb 01 November 1993 vol 231 cc78-81W
Mrs. Angela Knight

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will set out the take-on strategy of the Child Support Agency.

Mr. Burt

The Child Support Agency has a phased four year take-on programme of work.

During the first year, the agency will deal with new benefit clients, including an estimated half a million who do not currently receive maintenance, and new non benefit clients without existing court orders or written maintenance agreements who wish to apply. New benefit clients will form the bulk of the work in 1993–94 resulting in assessments for many absent parents who have consciously avoided paying in the past.

The agency has already achieved considerable success in the task of locating parents who previously evaded their responsibilities. Since the agency was launched, the absent parent has been found in over 90 per cent. of those cases where the parent with care does not know his address. In September alone over 2,500 absent parents have been located by the agency's specialist tracing sections.

The agency will also take on existing benefit clients, where the parent with care or their current partner was already receiving income support prior to 5 April, over a three year period. In addition, the agency will consider sympathetically, in the light of their individual circumstances, any existing benefit client who seeks to be taken on early, including those where the absent parent has been avoiding paying maintenance.

The agency is now dealing with existing benefit clients who already receive maintenance and where the whereabouts of the absent parent is known. Many of these will be clients where a change of circumstances triggers take on of the case; this avoids double handling by dealing with the case then rather than another occasion. The agency is now dealing with some existing benefit clients who are not receiving maintenance, and will be steadily taking on more. It will normally prioritise such cases according to whether or not a regular maintenance payment can be secured, again in order to secure the maximum benefit to parents with care quickly, but will have taken on all such cases by April 1996.

During the last stage of the programme, in 1996–97, the agency will phase in those parents with care with existing maintenance agreements who do not receive income support, family credit, or disability working allowance, who wish to be taken on. This will be in line with a staggered programme according to the first letter of their surname.

This strategy means that more children will receive more maintenance more regularly. It does this in the most administratively efficient manner, and in a way which will most economically reduce the burden on the taxpayer.

Mr. Kevin Hughes

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) in how many cases the parent with care has refused to provide information to the Child Support Agency as to the identity of the absent parent; and in how many of those cases the absent parent has been traced by the Child Support Agency in the first six months of operation;

(2) how many applications for maintenance assessments have been (a) received and (b) processed by the Child Support Agency in its first six months of operation;

(3) in how many cases the Child Support Agency has decided that there have been good causes for the refusal to co-operate by those parents with care who have chosen not to co-operate with the Child Support Agency;

(4) in how many cases processed by the Child Support Agency since April the absent parent has been part of a second family;

(5) how many applications made to the Child Support Agency have been processed and put into payment in the first six months of the agency's operation; how many of these assessments are being collected by the agency; and how many are being collected by other means;

(6) how many parents with care have (a) chosen not to co-operate with the Child Support Agency and (b) been unable to provide information as to the identity of the absent parent in the first six months of the Child Support Agency's operation.

Mr. Burt

The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for Ros Hepplewhite, the chief executive. She will write to the hon. Member and a copy will be placed in the Library.

Letter from Ros Hepplewhite to Mr. Kevin Hughes, dated 29 October, 1993: As Chief Executive of the Child Support Agency it is my responsibility to answer questions about relevant operational matters. I am therefore replying to your recent Parliamentary Questions to the Secretary of State for Social Security asking about various aspects of the work of the Child Support Agency. You ask about cases where the requirement to cooperate has been an issue. The number of such cases to 30 September is 6,600 and in 4,900 of these the Agency has accepted that the parent with care had good cause not to co-operate with the Agency in pursuing a maintenance claim. Tracing action is only taken when the parent with care has been able to provide sufficient information on the father to make such action feasible. At 30 September 328,700 Maintenance Assessment Forms had been returned and 36,610 maintenance assessments completed. You also ask about the collection of maintenance. Information on maintenance being collected is not currently available but will be available later in the year. I should explain that once the Agency has assessed an absent parent's maintenance payment, the maintenance can be paid direct to the parent with care rather than through the Agency. I am sorry but we do not collect statistical information on how many absent parents have a second family. I hope you will find this reply helpful. A copy will appear in the Official Report and a copy will also be placed in the Library.

Miss Emma Nicholson

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will publish information relating to the performance of the Child Support Agency on a regular basis.

Mr. Burt

I am pleased to announce that I intend to place information in the Library of the House each month relating to key performance areas of the Child Support Agency. An initial report, covering the first six months of the agency's operations, will be placed in the Library today.

Mr. Bradley

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) how many and what proportion of Child Support Agency assessments to date involve the protected income calculation to decrease the maintenance assessment; and how many and what proportion of assessments to date exceed the maintenance requirement;

(2) if he will publish a table showing the average assessment made by the Child Support Agency, broken down into the average assessment for families of one qualifying child, two qualifying children, three qualifying children and four or more qualifying children;

(3) if he will publish a breakdown of the range of net income and exempt income of absent parents assessed by the Child Support Agency.

Mr. Burt

I understand from Ros Heppelwhite, the chief executive of the Child Support Agency that the information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Mr. Bill Michie

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many(a) maintenance application forms have been issued, (b) assessments have been completed, (c) benefit penalties have been imposed and (d) good cause claims have been accepted and how many refused in respect of the Child Support Act 1991 (i) nationally and (ii) in the Sheffield area.

Mr. Burt

The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for Ros Hepplewhite, the chief executive. She will write to the hon. Member and a copy will be placed in the Library.

Letter from Ros Hepplewhite to Mr. Bill Michie, dated 29 October 1993: As Chief Executive of the Child Support Agency it is my responsibility to answer questions about relevant operational matters. I am therefore replying to your recent Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security asking how many (a) maintenance application forms have been issued, (b) assessments have been completed, (c) benefit penalties imposed and (d) good cause claims have been accepted and how many refused in respect of the Child Support Agency (i) nationally and (ii) in the Sheffield area. The information available in answer to your question about national figures is shown below but I am sorry that we are not able to provide a geographical breakdown for the Sheffield area. At 30 September 527,000 Maintenance Application Forms (MAFs) had been issued, and 36,610 maintenance assessments completed. The number of cases where the requirement to co-operate has been an issue up to 30 September 1993 is 6,600 and in 4,900 of these the Agency has accepted that the Parent with Care had good cause not to co-operate in pursuing a maintenance claim. Of those cases in which "good cause" was not accepted, 22 Reduced Benefit Directions have been issued and the cases referred to the Benefits Agency to implement the prescribed reduction. I hope you will find this reply helpful. A copy will appear in the Official Report and a copy will also be placed in the Library.