§ Mr. IngramTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) how many parents with care in receipt of income support at each child support agency reporting centre have received reduced maintenance payments as a result of changes to the maintenance arrangements which came into force on 7 February 1994;
(2) how many parents with care not in receipt of benefit at each Child Support Agency reporting centre have received reduced maintenance payments as a result of changes to the maintenance arrangements which came into force on 7 February 1994;
(3) how many parents with care in receipt of family credit at each Child Support Agency reporting centre have received reduced maintenance payments as a result of changes to the maintenance arrangements which came into force on 7 February 1994;
(4) what is the average reduction in child maintenance payments made as a result of the changes to the maintenance arrangements which came into force on 7 February 1994.
§ Mr. BurtThe administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for Miss Ann Chant, the chief executive. She will write to the hon. Member.
Letter from Ann Chant to Mr. Adam Ingram, dated 2 December 1994:
I am replying to your recent Parliamentary Questions to the Secretary of State for Social Security concerning the effects of the changes to maintenance arrangements which came into force on 7 February 1994.The Agency only keeps details of the total number maintenance assessments that were reduced. Information showing the number of assessments reduced following computerised reassessment of the Agency's Great Britain caseload is shown in the table below.
Maintenance reduced by more than £1 following automated reassessment CSAC Maintenance assessments reduced by more than £1 Belfast 5,219 Birkenhead 5,806 Dudley 7,799 Falkirk 6,299 Hastings 4,474 Plymouth 5,586 Total 35,183
The average reduction in maintenance, based on the cases which were automatically reassessed and where the assessment actually changes, is £9.00 a week.In a further 4,000 cases, maintenance was not reduced at this stage as the change was less than £1. Another 2,062 cases had maintenance reduced following a clerical reassessment. Also, as at 928W 30 April 1994, 1,031 absent parents had successfully applied for transitional protection. It is not a requirement of the Agency to record specific information by client group on clients who had their maintenance reduced.I hope that this reply is helpful.
§ Mr. IngramTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) how many maintenance application forms have been returned to each Child Support Agency area reporting centre to date(a) from parents with care in receipt of income support, (b) from parents with care in receipt of family credit, (c) from parents with care in receipt of disability working allowance and (d) from parents with care not on benefit;
(2) how many non-custodial parents at each Child Support Agency reporting centre have (a) been issued with a maintenance inquiry form, (b) returned a maintenance inquiry form, (c) been assessed to pay maintenance and (d) actually paid any maintenance either to the Child Support Agency or direct to the parent with care;
(3) how many maintenance application forms have been issued by each Child Support Agency reporting centre to date (a) to parents with care in receipt of income support, (b) to parents with care in receipt of family credit, (c) to parents with care in receipt of disability working allowance and (d) to parents with care not on benefit.
§ Mr. BurtThe administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for Miss Ann Chant, the chief executive. She will write to the hon. Member.
Letter from Ann Chant to Mr. Adam Ingram, dated 2 December 1994:
I am replying to your recent Parliamentary Questions to the Secretary of State for Social Security about maintenance application forms and maintenance enquiry forms.I am unable to provide you with all the information you require. The information available is shown below.929W
Maintenance application forms issued to September 1994 Child Support Agency centre Parents with care in receipt of income support Parents with care in receipt of family credit/disability working allowance1 Parents with care not in receipt of a prescribed benefit Belfast 33,508 4,064 1,481 Birkenhead 25,687 10,464 682 Dudley 24,502 6,796 500 Falkirk 29,029 26,254 397 Hastings 26,836 6,017 1,160 Plymouth 25,855 8,185 382 1993–942 604,565 61,880 4,602 Total 769,982 285,677 24,351 1 Family credit and disability working allowance (DWA) figures are aggregated as DWA clients represent only 0.01 per cent, of the total number of the Agency's clients. 2 Figures for 1993–94 are not available broken down by CSAC.
Maintenance applications farms returned to the end of September 19941 Child support agency centre Number returned Belfast 31,355 Birkenhead 25,297 Dudley 23,570 Falkirk 30,738 Hastings 22,261 Plymouth 23,945 1993–942 628,531 Total 785,697 1 A breakdown of these figures by client group is not available. 2 Figures for 1993–94 are not available broken down by CSAC.
Maintenance Enquiry Forms issued and returned to the end of September 1994 CSAC MEFs Issued MEFs returned Belfast 30,599 23,037 Birkenhead 25,371 17,964 Dudley 23,737 15,516 Falkirk 26,651 17,690 Hastings 23,765 15,752 Plymouth 24,635 15,706 1993–941 2 459,905 297,997 Total 614,663 403,661 1Breakdown of these figures by client group is not available. 2 Figures for 1993–94 are not available broken down by CSAC.
Figures on the number of absent parents who have been assessed to pay and those who are actually paying maintenance are currently being collated; there is no business need for the Agency to collate them in the form you requested. I shall write to you further when the figures are available.
§ Mr. IngramTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many parents with care at each Child Support Agency reporting centre have(a) had a reduced benefit direction served against them and (b) suffered a benefit penalty.
§ Mr. BurtThe administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for Miss Ann Chant, the chief executive. She will write to the hon. Member.
Letter from Ann Chant to Mr. Adam Ingram, dated 2 December 1994:
I am replying to your recent Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security about the number of reduced benefit directions issued and implemented.Figures for the number of reduced benefit directions issued are given below. All but 627 of these have been issued since April 1994. Figures are not available for the number implemented.
CSAC Number issued Belfast 744 Birkenhead 1,204 Dudley 995 Falkirk 2,774 Hastings 678 Plymouth 1,302 Total 7,697
§ Mr. IngramTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many non-custodial parents at each Child Support Agency reporting centre have(a) had deductions made from income support, (b) had wage arrestments made against them and (c) actually had their wages arrested.
930W
§ Mr. BurtThe administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for Miss Ann Chant, the chief executive. She will write to the hon. Member.
Letter from Ann Chant to Mr Adam Ingram, dated 2 December 1994:
I am replying to your recent Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security about enforcement action taken against absent parents by the Child Support Agency.Since the Agency's launch an estimated 31,000 absent parents have had child maintenance deducted from their benefit.In 1993–94, 2,600 deduction from earnings orders (DEO) were issued. The information for this period was collected on a national basis only and is not broken down by Child Support Agency Centre.Figures for DEOs issued from April 1994 to September 1994 are shown below:
DEO's Number Belfast 2,006 Birkenhead 1,981 Dudley 1,296 Falkirk 2,162 Hastings 2,323 Plymouth 1,702 Details of the number of DEO's implemented are not required as part of the Agency's business requirements and are not collected.
§ Mr. IngramTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the average maintenance payment at each Child Support Agency reporting centre.
§ Mr. BurtThe administration of Child Support Agency is a matter for Miss Ann Chant, the chief executive. She will write to the hon. Member.
Letter from Ann Chant to Mr. Adam Ingram, dated 2 December 1994:
I am replying to your recent Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security about the average maintenance payment at each Child Support Agency Centre.Collection of data on the average amount of maintenance paid is not required to support the business needs of the Agency, and is consequently not collected by it, however the DSS conducts sampling exercises from time to time and at the end of October the national average weekly child maintenance liability is £44 a week.