Child Support (Hansard, 29 June 1993)

§ Mr. Nicholas Brown
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security when he intends to commission research on the workings of the new child support scheme; and what form such research will take.
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§ Mr. Burt
We have consistently stressed the importance of monitoring and evaluating the effects of the new policy and there is ongoing work built in to the Department's research programme. It involves both the careful analysis of management information on the activities of the Child Support Agency and the commissioning, as necessary, of research by external experts including; a customer satisfaction survey: work on how professionals view the new system and an extension of work on lone parents, benefits and maintenance by the Policy Studies Institute.

§ Mr. Barry Jones
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) what was the average time taken to fill in the Child Support Agency form in the Child Support Agency tests;
(2) how many pages are contained in the Child Support Agency form which is given to the absent parents to complete;
(3) how many pages are contained in the Child Support Agency form which is given to the mother or carer for completion.

§ Mr. Burt
The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for Mrs. Ros Hepplewhite, the chief executive. She will write to the hon. Member and a copy will be placed in the Library.
Letter from Ros Hepplewhite to Mr. Barry Jones, dated 9 June 1993:
As Chief Executive of the Child Support Agency (CSA) it is my responsibility to answer questions about relevant operational matters. I am therefore replying to your three recent Parliamentary Questions about the number of pages in the form which is given to the absent parent to complete, the number of pages in the form which is given to the mother or carer for completion, and the average time taken to fill in the form in the tests.
The CSA form given to the absent parent to complete is 36 pages long.
The CSA form given to the parent with care of the child to complete is 36 pages long or, where the client is claiming Income Support, 16 pages long.
The findings of three rounds of market research indicate that on average completion of the maintenance application form (MAF) by the parent with care of the children would take about an hour and completion of the Maintenance Enquiry Form by the absent parent would take a similar amount of time. Completion of the shortened version of the MAF (for use by clients claiming Income Support) should take less than half an hour.