§ Ms LynneTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what procedures a lone mother with two children of different fathers is expected to take when completing the Child Support Agency maintenance application form if she wants only one father to be pursued; and what consideration has been given to requiring more than one signature on the maintenance application form to authorise maintenance from two separate fathers. [37587]
§ 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.
Letter from Miss Ann Chant to Ms Liz Lynne, dated 25 October 1995:
I am replying to your recent Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State concerning maintenance applications and disclosure of information about absent parents.To establish whether "good cause" applies in an application for child maintenance, a letter is first issued to the parent with care. This letter allows her to inform the Agency why she should not be required to co-operate with the Agency in respect of any alleged absent parent. The Agency will consider her representations and a maintenance application form will be issued to establish details only of the absent parent or parents for whom "good cause" has not been accepted.All of the parent with care's details are obtained on one form. She is asked to provide information about all the children who live with her. For each child she is asked "Is this child included in the application for child maintenance?". Where "good cause" has been accepted against that child's absent parent, she should answer "No" to that question. This procedure is explained in the help notes that accompany the maintenance application form and removes the need for multiple signatures on one form where there is more than one absent parent involved.721WThe Child Support National Enquiry telephone line is quoted in this section of the help notes and will provide help or confidential advice about the completion of this section of the form. Clients are also advised that they can contact the Child Support Agency Centre for help and if necessary an interview will be arranged to discuss matters.I hope this is helpful.
§ Ms LynneTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, pursuant to his answer of 19 July,Official Report, column 1499, what steps are taken to ensure that benefit savings specified as coming from income support claims being withdrawn within four weeks of Child Support Agency action are entirely due to the operations of the Child Support Agency and not any external factors. [37616]
§ 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 Ms Liz Lynne, dated 25 October 1995:
I am replying to your Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security on the subject of benefit savings.For the Child Support Agency, a benefit saving is only recorded when a parent with care ceases to claim Income Support within four weeks of Agency action, or within eight weeks if the action relates to an investigation into the requirement to co-operate.Savings which may not have arisen directly as a result of the Agency's action will be more than offset by those savings which are due to the Agency's actions, but occurred outside the four or eight week period and are not taken into account at all.
§ Ms LynneTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, pursuant to his answer of 19 July,Official Report, column 1499, what are the arguments for including benefit savings resulting from pre-Child Support Agency assessments within the total figure for benefit savings achieved by the Child Support Agency during 1994–95. [37617]
§ 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 Ms Liz Lynne, dated 25 October 1995:
I am replying to your Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security on the subject of benefit savings resulting from pre-Child Support Agency assessments.The Agency has Departmental responsibility for all benefit savings arising from child maintenance. This includes savings arising from pre-Child Support maintenance arrangements under which maintenance was paid direct between parents, and cases in which the Agency provides a collection service for parents with care. In both categories, the Agency fulfils a continuing monitoring and, where necessary, enforcement role.It is estimated that of the £479 million in benefit savings recorded in 1994/95, £126.5 million arose in cases where the parent with care was receiving Income Support with maintenance under a pre-CSA arrangement. As more cases are assessed or reviewed by the Agency, the proportion of savings arising from these arrangements is reducing.
§ Ms LynneTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what were the average times taken for the liable relatives unit and the courts to deal with a child maintenance case in the last year of that system; and what is the equivalent figure for the Child Support Agency. [37595]
722W
§ Mr. MitchellThe information is not readily available in the format requested and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
The Lord Chancellor's Department does not hold information as to the time taken by the courts to deal with child maintenance cases.
The average time taken by the Child Support Agency between the issue of a maintenance application form and the maintenance assessment being made is 211 days. This calculation is based on 5 per cent. sample cases taken for May 1995.
§ Ms LynneTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will publish a breakdown of the amounts of child maintenance absent parents were required to pay by the child support unit in the financial year 1992–93. [37598]
§ Mr. MitchellThe information requested is not available as, in many of the cases dealt with by the child support unit, an arrangement was made for the absent parent to pay maintenance direct to the parent with care. Where this exceeded the parent with care's benefit entitlement, benefit ceased and the unit was not required to collect information. In those cases where benefit continued to be paid, information collected centrally related only to the total amounts of maintenance which were actually paid.
§ Ms LynneTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will name the suppliers which were invited to tender for the supply of the Child Support Agency computer system; and what were the terms of their offers. [37599]
§ Mr. HealdIn 1992, a contract for the provision of the Child Support Agency's operational accounting system was awarded following a competitive procurement under European Community rules. Following a formal shortlisting process EDS Scicon and Lockheed IMS were invited to submit tenders. Following formal evaluation of these tenders the contract was awarded to EDS Scicon. The contract has later been extended to include additional requirements.
In 1993, following a competitive procurement under EC rules a contract was awarded for a CSA financial accounting system. IBM United Kingdom Ltd., Easams Ltd. and Walker International were shortlisted and a contract was subsequently awarded to IBM United Kingdom Ltd.
In 1995, following a competitive procurement under EC rules Sanderson CFL Ltd. and ICL (UK) Ltd., were shortlisted for a CSA debt management system. A letter of intent for contract award has been issued to Sanderson CFL Ltd.
The terms of the offers received are regarded as commercial in confidence and cannot be disclosed.
§ Ms LynneTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, pursuant to his answer of 19 April,Official Report, column 181, whether the figure for benefit savings achieved by the liable relatives unit in the year 6 April 1991 to 5 April 1992 includes an allowance for parents with care who ceased to claim income support within four weeks of being contacted by the Department of Social Security, or for parents with care who ceased to 723W claim income support after maintenance had been arranged; and if he will estimate the benefit savings to the Child Support Agency of using the 1994 accounting rules in the financial year 1994–95. [37618]
§ Mr. MitchellThe benefits savings figure for 1991–92 included amounts for cases where claims ceased within four weeks of the Department taking action to arrange, increase or enforce payment for maintenance.
The Child Support Agency made benefit savings of £479.05 million in 1994–95.