§ 26. Mr. Simon HughesTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what remedies are available to people whose(a) social security benefit and (b) child support payments are delayed through no fault of the claimant or applicant. [84017]
§ Angela EagleUnder the Department's standing compensation scheme, the terms of which have been agreed between the Department and the Ombudsman, compensation may be considered where official error or unreasonable delay have led to an actual financial loss.
Where benefit or child support payments are unreasonably delayed (delay must exceed a set period which depends on the benefit concerned) due to official error a special payment can be considered, in recognition of the fact that the customer has lost the use of the sum owed. In such cases the compensatory payment is 49W calculated in the form of interest on the arrears of benefit when they are paid. A copy of the Department's guide to special payments, known as the "Financial Redress for Maladministration", is held in the House of Commons Library.
In addition, if a parent with care of a child is receiving Income Support or income based Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA), and the non-resident parent does not pay the child support to the parent with care, Income Support or JSA can be paid in its place pending the recovery of the money from the non-resident parent.
As a last resort, if a customer is without funds to cover the period between a claim for benefit and the first payment that is due, crisis loans are available to prevent risk to the health or safety of the applicant and his family.