Income Support (Hansard, 26 April 1996)

§ Mr. Andrew Mitchell

The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the chief executive, Miss Ann Chant. She will write to the hon. Member.

Letter from Ann Chant to Mr. Frank Field, dated 25 April 1996: I am replying to your Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security about Child Support Agency cases deferred in December 1994. It is not possible to give an exact figure for the approximately 300,000 Income Support cases deferred in December 1994 that are still outstanding. To obtain this figure a clerical examination of all the deferred cases would have to be made to find the number of cases awaiting action. However, the most recent estimate, based on a sampling exercise, suggests that the number outstanding has reduced to around 200,000. This reduction is due to a number of reasons. The Agency recommenced take on of these cases in November 1995, in line with the agreement made with the Secretary of State to recommence take on by December 1995; also, in some cases where Income Support has ceased and the parent with care has made a fresh application for benefit, the Agency will have become involved and these cases will 319W have been taken on; in other cases the parent with care will have requested that the Agency take on the case and this will have been done; finally, some clients will no longer be claiming Income Support. It is not known precisely how many of the deferred cases have ex-partners who are on Income Support; we will not know their circumstances until we have received a completed maintenance enquiry form. However, experience tells us that a significant number of the absent parents involved are in receipt of Income Support, thus providing little incentive for the parent with care to pursue the case with the Agency. I hope this is helpful.