§ Sir Dudley SmithTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what consideration underlies the authority of the Child Support Agency to charge individuals an annual fee for the review of their cases when no review has been supplied; and if he will make a statement. [28281]
§ Mr. BurtWe accept that the Child Support Agency has not been able to provide an adequate level of service. Fees have, therefore, been suspended for two years until April 1997.
The assessment fee is not charged for specific actions on a child maintenance assessment; it covers the administration costs of servicing the assessment. For that reason we believe it right that those who use such a service should pay a fee rather than have the cost borne by taxpayers, as would have been the case if the courts and lawyers had been involved.