§ Mr. ChisholmTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many women have been asked to name an absent father at benefit offices in(a) Edinburgh and (b) Scotland as a whole; how many have demurred; and how many have had income support deducted as a penalty.
§ Mr. BurtThe administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for Mrs. Ros Hepplewhite, the chief executive, who has written further to the hon. Member.
Letter from R. Hepplewhite to Mr. Malcolm Chisholm, dated 16 August 1993:
As Chief Executive of the Child Support Agency I wrote to you on 26 July in response to your Parliamentary Question about the number of women in Edinburgh who had been asked to name an absent father and how many had demurred.My letter said that between 5 April and 30 June 1993, 37 parents with care of children had been interviewed in Edinburgh in connection with their applications for child maintenance. I also said that, of these, 24 had declined without good cause to co-operate in providing details of the absent parent. However, I have subsequently established that of the 37 interviewed, 12 named the absent parent and only one parent declined without good cause to co-operate. The other figures given are unchanged.I am sorry for any confusion my earlier reply may have caused.