§ Mr. MarlowTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will order an inquiry into the work of members of his Department(a) in drafting the detailed regulations relating to child support, (b) setting up and establishing the Child Support Agency and (c) managing and controlling the Child Support Agency; if he will discipline those whose performance has been in error or inadequate; and if he will give his assessment of the effect of the setting up of the Child Support Agency on public perception of the civil service.
§ Mr. BurtNo. Ministers are responsible for decisions on policy embodied in legislation, which it is for Parliament to approve, amend or reject. They are also accountable to Parliament for the conduct of the operations of their Department, including its agencies. Civil servants are responsible for advising Ministers on policy and for ensuring that their decisions are implemented effectively and efficiently.
We keep the policies, management and performance of the Department under regular review and, like other
400W
Income Support Recipients with Deductions from Benefit Region Total Claimants (a) Community Charge Arrears (b) Fuel Bills (c) Social Fund Repayments Cases Per cent. of Region Cases Per cent. of Region Cases Per cent. of Region August 1993 North Eastern 839,000 97,000 11.6 58,000 7.0 110,000 13.2 London North 1,018,000 66,000 6.5 36,000 3.6 85,000 8.4 South Western 411,000 38,000 9.2 10,000 2.4 37,000 9.1 Wales 312,000 27,000 8.8 15,000 4.9 36,000 11.4 Midlands 912,000 83,000 9.1 35,000 3.8 96,000 10.5 North Western 812,000 107,000 13.1 43,000 5.3 108,000 13.4 Scotland 553,000 44,000 7.9 41,000 7.3 96,000 17.4 London South 915,000 45,000 5.0 29,000 3.2 74,000 8.1 Great Britain 5,771,000 507,000 8.8 268,000 4.6 643,000 11.1 May 1992 North Eastern 753,000 50,000 6.7 57,000 7.6 103,000 13.7 London North 891,000 25,000 2.8 31,000 3.5 73,000 8.2 South Western 357,000 16,000 4.4 10,000 2.7 32,000 9.0 Wales 287,000 17,000 5.9 17,000 5.9 34,000 11.9 Midlands 800,000 36,000 4.5 23,000 2.9 90,000 11.2 North Western 731,000 44,000 6.0 39,000 5.3 100,000 13.7 Scotland 519,000 42,000 8.0 42,000 8.1 94,000 18.1 London South 749,000 14,000 1.8 24,000 3.3 59,000 7.9 Great Britain 5,088,000 243,000 4.8 243,000 4.8 586,000 11.5 Government bodies, it is also open to scrutiny by the National Audit Office and the Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration.
Managers, including agency chief executives, have the duty of ensuring that any necessary action, including where appropriate disciplinary action, is taken to correct any errors or inadequacies.