HL Deb 20 April 1995 vol 563 cc58-9WA
Lord Simon of Glaisdale

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What additional manpower and costs (initial and ongoing) were incurred by the Department of Social Security as a result of the Child Support Act 1991.

Lord Mackay of Ardbrecknish

Prior to the establishment of the Child Support Agency, the cost of services regarding child maintenance provided by the DSS were not identified separately. It is therefore not possible to identify any additional staffing and costs without incurring disproportionate cost.

Lord Simon of Glaisdale

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What was the annual cost to the Exchequer caused by the amendments to the Child Support Act 1991 introduced by SI 1992/2644 and the Child Support Act 1991 (Commencement No. 3 and Transitional Provisions) Amendment Order 1993.

Lord Mackay of Ardbrecknish

SI 1992/2644 was the Child Support Act 1991 (Commencement No. 3 and Transitional Provisions) Order 1992 and was amended by the Child Support Act 1991 (Commencement No. 3 and Transitional Provisions) Amendment Order 1993. These commencement orders introduced a number of transitional provisions, including the phased take on by the Child Support Agency in 1996/97 of some cases with court orders or written maintenance agreements, and arrangements in certain cases for a phased transition from the amount of maintenance payable under a court order or written maintenance agreement to the amount payable under the Child Support Act.

Since the phased take on programme in 1996/97 will only involve cases where the parent with care is not receiving a prescribed social security benefit, there will be no cost to the Exchequer. The provisions for transition to the new amount of maintenance payable

Per cent.
Hard Drugs (Class A) Soft Drugs (Class B)
Heroin Cocaine Ecstasy LSD Cannabis Amphetamines
1994 58.4 4.1 95.2 33.1 48.4 91.5
1993 42.9 21.4 94.8 28.8 43.2 86
1992 48.6 8.4 80.8 23.5 31.8 99.6