§ Mr. FieldTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how much money has been received by the Treasury from CSA payments to offset the cost of single parents met by public funds for each year of the CSA's existence. [69666]
§ Angela EagleThe administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive, Mrs. Faith Boardman. She will write to my right hon. Friend.
Letter from Faith Boardman to Mr. Frank Field, dated February 1999:
I am replying to your Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security about maintenance collected by the Child Support Agency.
Since launch in April 1993 to 31 December 1998, a total of £1,927.46 Million (M) in child maintenance has been collected and arranged by the Agency for payment from the non resident parent to the parent with care. Where maintenance has been collected by the Agency £438.72M has been retained for the Secretary of State to offset benefits that have already been paid. A yearly breakdown is provided in the table below.
Child Maintenance collected and arranged since launch £ million Collected and arranged Retained for SofS Total 1,927.46 438.72 1993–94 12.57 5.75 1994–95 187.4 47.94 1995–96 301.5 68.12 1996–97 399.88 95.71 1997–98 547.14 121.31 1998–99 up to 31 December 1998 478.96 99.89 The problems encountered by the Agency during its first 2–3 years are a matter of public record. From a slow beginning, the amounts of maintenance collected and arranged rose to just over £301M in 1995/6, and to just under £400M in 1996/7.
The £547.14M collected and arranged in 1997/98 represented an increase of 37 per cent on the amount in 1996/97, while the amount retained by the Secretary of State in the same period grew by 27 per cent.
Our emphasis is on getting maintenance flowing, and in doing this supporting the Government's aims for keeping lone parents off benefit and the New Deal arrangements for helping those on benefit into work.
I hope this is helpful.
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