§ Mr. RedmondTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security for what reasons Mrs. Netta Black of Ardoch crescent. Stevenson, Ayrshire received a request from the Child Support Agency that her late husband pay for the upkeep of his daughter.
§ Mr. ScottOwing to a clerical error, the Child Support Agency wrote to Mrs. Black on 17 February 1994. An apology was made to her on 7 March and the case was closed. There has been no further contact between the agency and Mrs. Black.
§ Mr. RedmondTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list to-date the number of letters his Department's Child Support Agency has sent apologising to widows for inadvertently sending letters to them demanding money from their late husbands to pay for the upkeep of their children; and how many apologies are still on file waiting to be sent.
§ Mr. RedmondTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will make a statement on the reasons for a letter from the Child Support Agency being sent to Miss Hayley Lidster of Godlys, Mid Glamorgan concerning child support.
§ Mr. ScottA letter from the Child Support Agency to a client with a similar name was delivered in error to Miss Lidster. The agency subsequently sent letters of apology to both the people involved.
§ Mr. Tony BanksTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many cases pursued by the Child Support Agency have resulted in the payment of maintenance to the parent with care in(a) Newham and (b) Great Britain.
§ Mr. ScottFigures are not available for the number of maintenance assessments made in Newham. National figures were given by Ros Hepplewhite, the chief executive of the Child Support Agency in her reply to the hon. Member for Warrington, South (Mr. Hall) on 4 March,Official Report, column 38.
§ Mr. Tony BanksTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many lone parents previously in receipt of benefits have had their income raised above entitlement to benefit as a result of a maintenance assessment by the Child Support Agency in(a) Newham and (b) Great Britain.
§ Mr. ScottInformation is not collected separately for Newham. National figures are being collected but are not yet available.
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§ Mr. Tony BanksTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many lone parents in receipt of benefits have had their benefit reduced due to their failure to provide the Child Support Agency with the required information about the absent parent in(a) the London borough of Newham and (b) Great Britain.
§ Mr. ScottThe information requested is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
§ Mr. Tony BanksTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security in how many cases dealt with by the Child Support Agency resulting in the assessment of a minimum award this assessment has not been pursued because the absent parent is exempt from payment.
§ Mr. Tony BanksTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what provision the Child Support Agency has for the use of interpreters during CSA interviews where one or both parents does not have English as a first language; and in how many instances interpreters have been used.
§ Mr. ScottChild Support Agency local offices are co-located with Benefits Agency offices. There is an inter-agency agreement which provides for CSA clients to have the same access to interpreters during interviews as BA customers. BA policy is to provide a linguistic service to customers for whom English is not their first language. Guidance, including a code of practice, has been issued to all district managers. The service may be provided by BA interpreters, BA bilingual staff, community interpreters or other commercial interpreters. No records are kept to show in how many instances interpreters have been used.