Child Support Act 1991 (Hansard, 1 February 1994)

§ Mr. Kirkwood
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will estimate how much it will cost to implement the modifications announced on 22 December 1993 to the Child Support Act 1991.

§ Mr. Burt
The final cost of implementing the changes is difficult to estimate as the impact extends over several years, until all phasing cases are dealt with. Initial indications suggest that the total work involved would cost in the region of £3 million, which it is intended to absorb within current estimates.

§ Mr. Kirkwood
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security whether the cost of the modifications announced on 22 December 1993 to the Child Support Act is being made available from the budget for(a) 1993–94 or (b) 1994–95.

§ Mr. Burt
The changes will have some effect on expenditure in the current financial year: this will be met from the Reserve and will not add to the planned total of public expenditure. A supplementary estimate will be sought shortly. The main financial impact of the changes will be in 1994–95 and subsequent years.

§ Mr. Donohoe
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) whether the assessment forms issued to absent parents under the terms of the Child Support Act 1991 indicate that any information disclosed in the assessment forms will be disclosed to the other parties directly involved in that assessment;
(2) whether the assessment forms issued to absent parents under the terms of the Child Support Act 1991 indicate that any information disclosed in the form is confidential and for the use of the Child Support Agency only.

§ Mr. Burt
The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for Ros Hepplewhite, the chief executive. She will write to the hon. Member.
Letter from Ros Hepplewhite to Mr. Brian Donohoe, dated 31 January 1994: I am replying to your Parliamentary Questions to the Secretary of State for Social Security requesting information about the maintenance enquiry forms used by the Child Support Agency. When the Agency takes on a case, the absent parent is sent a maintenace enquiry pack. In this pack, the absent parent is advised that, as part of the Department of Social Security, the Agency is bound by very strict rules of confidentiality. The pack also makes clear that, unless ordered to do so by Court Order, the Agency will not normally disclose an address or telephone number to the other party without the absent parent's specific permission. In addition, the Child Support Agency Charter states that, like the courts, the Agency is required by law to let both parents know what financial information was used to make the maintenance assessment. I hope that you find this reply useful.