§ Mr. Goodman:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he will write to the hon. Member for Wycombe about the Child Support Agency with reference to the debate in Westminster Hall on 12 November. [140902]
§ Mr. Goodman:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make a statement on the implications of the appeal by Helena Smith against the Child Support Agency. [141261]
§ Mr. Pond:The period for appeal against the decision has not yet expired. However, the Agency is issuing guidance to its staff to assist them in handling inquiries arising from the decision.
§ Mr. Laurence Robertson:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what account the Child Support Agency takes of court orders when assessing the level of maintenance to be paid by non-resident parents; and if he will make a statement. [141937]
§ Mr. Pond:Where an application to the Child Support Agency is made as a result of a parent with care claiming a relevant benefit, any court order for the child concerned is cancelled.
Under the new child support scheme, in non-benefit cases either parent can choose to use the services of the Agency even though they may have a court order. In such cases the court order is cancelled. The new provisions only apply to court orders made on or after 3 March 2003 and provided that the order has been in place for at least a year.
Court orders for other children may be taken into account when the Agency determines a non-resident parent's liability for child support maintenance.