§ Mr. BradleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) how many applications for child maintenance have been made by parents with care who(a) are or (b) are not in receipt of income support or family credit;
(2) in how many cases of the child support maintenance application forms returned to Child Support Agency centres, the parent with care has refused to authorise him to collect maintenance;
(3) if he will make a statement on the work of the Child Support Agency in its first three months at each of the four Child Support Agency centres presently operating;
(4) what was the average time taken by each Child Support Agency centre, during the first three months, to complete a maintenance assessment, from the date of maintenance inquiry form being sent to the absent parent;
227W(5) how many maintenance assessments have been carried out by each child support centre since the launch of the Child Support Agency in April;
(6) how many (a) maintenance application forms and (b) maintenance inquiry forms have been sent out by the Child Support Agency at each of the Child Support Agency centres; and how many in each case have been returned:
(7) how many of the maintenance assessments prepared by the Child Support Agency since April relate to children living with parents who are on income support and family credit.
§ Mr. BurtThe administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for Mrs. Ros Hepplewhite, the chief executive. She will write to the hon. Member and a copy will be placed in the Library.
Letter from Ms R. Hepplewhite to Mr. Keith Bradley, dated 26 July 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 in its first three months of operation.I have attached as an annex to this letter a table providing information about the number of maintenance application and maintenance enquiry forms which have been issued, the number of these which have been returned and the number of maintenance assessments which have been completed.You asked also for a breakdown of the number of applications and assessments made in relation to parents who are in receipt of benefit. As you will be aware, Alistair Burt, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Social Security, pointed out in his reply of 13 July to a question from Frank Field MP reported at Column 482 of the Official Report that, after only three months' operation, it is too early to provide such a breakdown which is reliable enough for publication, and we do not currently collect information about the number of maintenance assessments made in relation to this group. It is also too early to provide reliable information on average clearance times, such as that which you have requested.You asked also about the number of applications received where the parent with care has refused to provide authority for the collection of maintenance. Whilst information is not available in this form, you may wish to know that some 2,300 have so far been referred for interview in connection with the requirement to co-operate.Although it is too early to draw any overall conclusions from the data so far available my view is that the Agency has made a steady start in introducing the new arrangements for ensuring that parents meet their responsibilities for child maintenance whenever they are able to do so.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.Annex
The number of Maintenance Application/Maintenance Enquiry Forms sent out by the Agency at each Agency Centre, the number returned and the number of assessments in the period 5 April to 30 June are as follows:228W
Maintenance Application Forms Issued Returned Hastings 51,000 24,500 Falkirk 37,000 18,000 Dudley 54,000 29,000 Belfast 35,000 18,500 TOTAL 177,000 90,000
Maintenance Enquiry Forms and assessments completed Issued Returned Assessments made Hastings 9,500 3,500 920 Falkirk 7,000 3,000 780 Dudley 14,500 6,500 1,900 Belfast 7,500 3,000 400 TOTAL 38,500 16,000 4,000 Notes:
(i) These figures have been rounded and are provisional, so may be subject to amendment.
(ii) Birkenhead and Plymouth Centres are not yet operational and their caseloads are currently handled by Dudley and Hastings respectively.