§ Mr. WillettsTo ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many families are expected(a) to gain and (b) to lose from the child support reforms, broken down by (i) couple families and (ii) families headed by a lone parent [99052]
§ Mr. PondThe information is not available in the format requested. Our latest available estimates are in the tables below. It is estimated that 82 per cent. of maintenance liabilities calculated under the new scheme will be phased in over (up to) five years.
Earning non-resident parents (Per cent.) (i) Repartnered (ii) Single Total (a) Gain 14 45 59 (b) Lose 18 21 39 In addition, a further 60 per cent. of non-resident parents on Income Support or income-based Jobseeker's Allowance will have an increased liability for maintenance. of these, 9 per cent. have a new partner, and 91 per cent. do not.
Earning non-resident parents (Per cent.) (i) Repartnered (ii) Single Total (a) Gain 11 44 55 (b) Lose 8 31 39 In addition, up to 90 per cent. of parents with care on benefit stand to gain by up to £10 a week through the introduction of the Child Maintenance Premium. Of these, 3 per cent. have a new partner and 97 per cent. do not.
521WNotes:
- 1. Figures are taken from 5 per cent. samples of all 'live and assessed' cases of quarterly scans of the Child Support Agency Computer System August 2001 and so are subject to sampling variation.
- 2. Figures are for Full Maintenance Assessments only.
- 3. Information relating to the non-resident parent and parent with care's status as repartnered or single is held only at time of case take-on, so this information may be out of date.
- 4. Totals may not sum exactly dues to rounding. There is also a small proportion of parents who will see no change in maintenance liability.
§ Mr. WillettsTo ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what research has been commissioned on the financial impact on absent fat hers of the interaction between child support maintenance assessments and the new tax credits, with particular reference to(a) absent fathers who have new partners and (b) fathers who are registered as absent, but who look after their children for three nights per week. [126567]
§ Mr. PondNo specific research has been commissioned on the interaction between new tax credits and child support. The introduction of new tax credits has been carefully reflected in the regulations governing child support. These are kept under regular review.