HC Deb 01 February 1994 vol 236 cc687-9W
Mr. Alexander

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will provide full details of the arrangements for awarding performance-related pay to staff employed by the Child Support Agency; and if he will make a statement.

Total cost of DSS proposals for 1993–94 and PES period
£ million, cash
1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97
Phasing 5 35 20 15
Increase in protected income margins to £30 and 15 per cent. 5 35 50 60
Reduction in additional deduction rate Negligible 5 5 5
Reduction of 25 per cent, in the amount of maintenance for caring parent once child 11, and again at 14 Negligible 10 10 15
Total cost of proposals 15 85 85 95
Effect of rescheduling of work to accommodate implementation of changes 30 15 — —
TOTAL effect of programme costs 45 100 85 95

Note: Figures have been rounded to the nearest £5 million. Amounts less than £2.5 million are treated as negligible. Totals may not sum because of rounding.

Mr. Burt

I refer my hon. Friend to the reply given to the hon. Member for Warley, West (Mr. Spellar) by the chief executive of the Child Support Agency on 19 January 1994, at column797.

Mr. Dewar

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) what is the estimated reduction in yield to the Child Support Agency arising in a full year from the reduction in extra maintenance payments from 25p in every additional pound of assessable income to 15p and 20p if there are two children;

(2) what is the estimated reduction in yield in a full year to the Child Support Agency arising from the reduction of one quarter in the care element of the maintenance requirement for a child over 11 years and of a further quarter when the youngest child reaches 14 years;

(3) what is his estimate of the total sum forgone by the Child Support Agency as a result of the changes to the child support system announced by his Department on 22 December;

(4) if he will estimate the reduction in yield to the Child Support Agency of the phasing proposals set out in the Child Support (Miscellaneous Amendments and Transitional Provisions) Regulations 1994;

(5) what is the estimated reduction in yield to the Child Support Agency arising in a full year from the increase in the level of protected income above income support from £8 to £30 and the lop in the pound to 15p.

Mr. Kirkwood

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how much money he has made available for the cost of the modifications announced on 22 December 1993 to the Child Support Act 1991.

Mr. Burt

The estimated costs of the changes to the assessment formula and of the extension to the provisions for phasing in new amounts of maintenance are in the table.

These estimates are derived using the assumptions about volume of cases, taking account of factors such as time taken, throughput and compliance rates underlying the figures published in the agency's business plan, and do not, at this stage, make any allowance for changes in these variables in response to this package of changes.

Mr. Dewar

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the estimated cost to the Child Support Agency of the withdrawal of the collection fee in cases where maintenance is being paid direct to the parent with care.

Mr. Burt

It is not possible to provide an accurate estimate of the cases affected. The number is likely to be small, so it is anticipated that the cost will therefore be minimal.

Mr. Dewar

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the latest estimate of the Child Support Agency's administrative budget for 1993–94 and for the next three financial years.

Mr. Burt

The information is in the table.

£ million
1993–94 120
1994–95 135
1995–96 136

Sources:

1993–94 Winter Supplementary Estimate, November 1993.

1994–96 DSS Departmental Report 1993.

Invalidity benefit spells commencing by period
Period Total spells commencing (ii) Total spells Total spells
All men Per cent. All women Per cent.
7 June 1971 to 3 June 1972 636,000 526,000 83 110,000 17
5 June 1972 to 2 June 1973 416,000 365,000 88 51,000 12
4 June 1973 to 1 June 1974 453,000 400,000 88 53,000 12
3 June 1974 to 31 May 1975 459,000 403,000 88 56,000 12
1 September 1975 to 6 June 1976 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a
7 June 1976 to 4 June 1977 520,000 440,000 85 79,000 15
6 June 1977 to 3 June 1978 562,000 473,000 84 89,000 16
5 June 1978 to 2 June 1979 621,000 518,000 83 103,000 17
4 June 1979 to 31 May 1980 543,000 439,000 81 103,000 19
2 June 1980 to 30 May 1981 365,000 283,000 78 81,000 22
1 June 1981 to 29 May 1982 303,000 229,000 76 74,000 24
5 April 1982 to 2 April 1983 305,000 225,000 74 80,000 26
4 April 1983 to 31 March 1984 278,000 205,000 74 72,000 26
2 April 1984 to 30 March 1985 272,000 199,000 73 73,000 27
1 April 1985 to 5 April 1986 285,000 207,000 73 78,000 27
7 April 1986 to 4 April 1987 284,000 202,000 71 83,000 29
6 April 1987 to 2 April 1988 282,000 201,000 71 81,000 29
4 April 1988 to 1 April 1989 280,000 199,000 71 81,000 29
3 April 1989 to 31 March 1990 284,000 208,000 73 76,000 27
2 April 1990 to 30 March 1991 288,000 204,000 71 83,000 29
1 April 1991 to 4 April 1992 323,000 233,000 72 90,000 28

Notes:

  1. (i) All figures are for Great Britain and are based on a 2.5 per cent. sample up to 1974–75; a 2 per cent. sample up to 1977–78; and a 1 per cent. sample thereafter. Figures are rounded to the nearest thousand and percentages are rounded to the nearest whole per cent.
  2. (ii) May include two or more spells commencing for the same person.
  3. (iii) Figures include spells where benefit is not paid because of entitlement to overlapping benefits.
  4. (ix) There are no figures available for 1975–76 as this was an incomplete statistical year.