Child Support Agency (Hansard, 5 May 1994)

§ Mr. Devlin
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security when Mr. Croft, Ref. 353 IJOH1002188491, of Stockton-on-Tees will be officially notified by the Child Support Agency that his initial assessment has been withdrawn.

§ 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.
Letter from Ros Hepplewhite to Mr. Tim Devlin, dated 5 May 1994: I am replying to your Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security about the interim child maintenance assessment made in respect of Mr. Stephen Croft by the Child Support Agency. Mr. Croft was originally advised that an interim maintenance assessment would be made because insufficient information had been supplied to permit a full assessment. Following a telephone call to the Agency, a two week extension was agreed. Unfortunately at the expiry of the extension, the interim assessment was made despite the fact that the relevant information had been received in the meantime. When this error came to light, immediate action was taken to cancel the interim assessment, and Mr. Croft was notified of this on 29 April 1994. I hope you will convey to Mr. Croft my sincere apologies for any anxiety or distress which the actions of the Agency may have caused. I hope you will also accept my assurance that I shall be keeping a close watch on the developments in this case.

§ Mr. Flynn
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what benefit savings the Child Support Agency achieved in 1993–94.

§ Mr. Burt
I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for the Don Valley (Mr. Redmond) on 3 May at columns423–24.

§ Mr. Flynn
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what assessment he has made of the first year of operation of the Child Support Agency.

§ Mr. Burt
It is too early to make a full assessment of the first year of operation of the Child Support Agency. This will be done when the annual report is available later this year. Meanwhile I meet regularly with the Child Support Agency chief executive and look carefully at all the representations that have been made, and we keep the Child Support Agency under constant review.