§ Mr. GapesTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) when his Department received the letter from the hon. Member for Ilford, South sent to him on 28 March concerning the length of time taken by the Child Support Agency to respond to representations from hon. Members; when he replied to it; when it was forwarded to the Child Support Agency ; and when the chief executive of the Child Support Agency replied to it;
(2) when he will reply to the letter sent to him by the hon. Member for Ilford, South on 28 March;
(3) if he will publish the text of the reply dated 20 June from the chief executive of the Child Support Agency in response to the letter of 28 March from the hon. Member for Ilford, South to him.
§ Mr. BurtMy right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State received the letter on 31 March. As the letter concerned the operations of the Child Support Agency, it was transferred to the agency on 13 April for reply by the chief executive. I wrote to the hon. Member on 5 May to acknowledge receipt of his letter, and confirming the transfer of the letter to the chief executive. I understand that the chief executive replied on 20 June as follows
Thank you for your letter of 28 March to Peter Lilley who has asked me to reply. I am sorry for the delay in making my reply.All letters from Members of Parliament addressed to me are acknowledged and I aim to respond within an average of 20 working days. Recent press interest has stimulated a great deal of correspondence from constituents and although that target is not being met at the moment, the necessary steps are being taken to ensure that correspondence from Members will be answered as soon as possible.I hope my letter explains the posiition.
§ Mr. GapesTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what assessment he has made of the length of time taken by the Child Support Agency to reply to letters from hon. Members; and if he will make a statement;
(2) what guidelines have been issued to the Child Support Agency as to the time scale for replying to letters from hon. Members; and in what percentage of cases the Child Support Agency has met those guidelines.
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§ Mr. BurtThe Child Support Agency has a target to reply in full to a letter from an hon. Member within an average of 20 working days.
I recognise that the target has been met only in some 13 per cent. of cases and unacceptable delays have occurred. The agency has taken a number of measures to improve performance in this area. These include additional staff resources and improved processing arrangements.
§ Mr. GapesTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security whether it is his policy to refer all letters from hon. Members concerning delay in replying to letters by the Child Support Agency for reply by the Child Support Agency itself.
§ Mr. BurtMinisters see all correspondence from hon. Members relating to social security matters. However, where queries relate to operational matters dealt with by executive agencies, including the Child Support Agency, Ministers may refer them to the appropriate chief executive to reply. The chief executive has responsibility for operational issues and it is for the authority to take remedial action where necessary.