§ Mr. CohenTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what technical difficulties the Child Support Agency has encountered in meeting requests for subject access under the Data Protection Act 1984; what investigations were instigated in respect of those difficulties; and what steps he has taken to ensure that future software procurement programmes will include, as part of their design criteria, routines which support the rights of data subjects under the Data Protection Act 1984. [5301]
§ Mr. Andrew MitchellThe administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the chief executive, Miss Ann Chant. She will write to the hon. Member.
1275WLetter from Miss Ann Chant to Mr. Harry Cohen, dated 19 December 1995:
I am replying to your Parliamentary Question to the Secretary for Social Security about the Data Protection Act 1984.Prior to August 1995 the Agency experienced some difficulties in providing information from the Child Support Computer System to the public in a clear and understandable format.System enhancements introduced during August this year have eradicated the major technical difficulty which meant that explanations and other actions had to be undertaken clerically before personal information held on the Child Support Computer System could be issued.The latest information that I can give you is that in over 90 per cent. of cases the Agency is answering requests for information within 40 days as required by the Data Protection Act 1984.The Child Support Agency is registered with the Data Protection Registrar's Office in accordance with the provisions of the Data Protection Act 1984. Any future software procurement programmes will take full account of its requirements.I hope this is helpful.
§ Mr. John GreenwayTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will update his answer of 23 November,Official Report, column 231, regarding savings achieved by the Child Support Agency, to the same format as his answer of 19 July, Official Report, column 1499, to provide a full breakdown of the maintenance contributing to benefit savings from (a) pre-CSA arrangements paid direct by absent parent to parent with care, (b) pre-CSA arrangements paid through the agency collection service, (c) CSA assessments and paid direct by absent parent to parent with care and (d) CSA assessments and paid via the agency collection service. [5651]
§ Mr. MitchellThe administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the chief executive, Miss Ann Chant. She will write to the hon. Member.
Letter from Miss Ann Chant to Mr. John Greenway, dated 19 December 1995:
I am replying to your Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security about benefit savings.You asked for an answer given on 23 November 1995 to be updated to provide a breakdown of maintenance contributing to benefit savings between that arising from pre CSA assessments and that arising from CSA assessments.The Child Support Agency is responsible for recording all Social Security benefit savings arising as a result of action taken to arrange maintenance. During the first two years we sought to estimate a breakdown between pre and post CSA maintenance. This was appropriate as, like any new organisation, the Agency wished to monitor its progress.As an ever increasing proportion of all the maintenance paid has now been arranged by the Agency, producing estimates between "old" and "new" money would no longer be either valid or useful; the Agency no longer has a business need to try to divide maintenance paid in this way. I cannot therefore provide the data you ask for.