§ Mr. RedmondTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what consideration has been given to 271W market testing the services provided by the child support maintenance services of the Child Support Agency; and if he will make a statement. [31556]
§ Mr. MossResponsibility for taking forward the competing for quality initiative rests with the chief executive of the Child Support Agency and to date all the agency's support services have been contracted out. The agency will be the subject of an agency review in 1997– 98 and the prior options stage of that review will include, inter alia, an examination of the potential for the market testing of the agency's main functions including child support maintenance.