HC Deb 19 March 1996 vol 274 c181W
Mr. Peter Atkinson

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what recent changes have been made to the system of child support; and if he will make a statement. [17007]

Mr. Andrew Mitchell

A number of changes have been made to the child support scheme over the past year. These include:

  • an allowance in the formula for travel-to-work costs and provision to recognise existing property and capital settlements;
  • a cap on maintenance assessments which restricts the amount an absent parent is assessed to pay to a maximum of 30 per cent. of net income;
  • changes to streamline administration including simplifications in the review procedures and in the definitions of housing costs and earnings for the purposes of the maintenance assessment;
  • provisions paving the way for the introduction of future changes which will allow for a departure from the formula assessment in prescribed circumstances, and for the payment of a child maintenance bonus to parents with care moving off benefit into work.

These changes have been made in the light of live running of the scheme in order to address the main areas of concern, avoid undue hardship for the parents involved and enable the Child Support Agency to operate more effectively.

April 1995 May 1995 June 1995 July 1995 August 1995 September 1995 October 1995 November 1995 December 1995 January 1996 Total
Birmingham1
Exams scheduled 11,308
Exams performed 31 740 1,775 2,816 4,430 6,803 7,658 5,040 6,832 36,125
Failures to attend2 51 149 316 550 839 1,317 1,671 1,622 1,949 8,468
Bootle
Exams scheduled 8,858
Exams performed 37 1,271 2,521 3,352 3,819 4,550 4,777 3,758 4,851 28,936
Failures to attend 7 57 399 598 1,049 1,189 1,441 1,124 1,291 7,155
Bristol
Exams schedules 4,250
Exams performed 15 465 1,385 2,383 2,653 2,757 2,957 2,394 3,038 18,047
Failures to attend 7 47 193 458 575 739 700 605 589 3,913
Caridff
Exams scheduled 10,893
Exams performed 0 899 2,724 3,921 4,880 4,585 5,747 3,804 5,734 32,294
Failures to attend 2 75 432 623 962 948 1,197 895 1,205 6,339
Edinburgh
Exams scheduled 3,890
Exams performed 112 809 1,666 1,819 2,421 2,793 3,158 2,301 2,847 17,926
Failures to attend 4 3 64 196 413 434 627 579 704 3,024
Glasgow
Exams scheduled 5,460