§ Mr. Kevin HughesTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many compensation payments for administrative errors made by the Child Support Agency have taken longer than(a) six months, (b) one year and (c) 18 months to process. [34021]
§ Mr. Andrew MitchellThe information is not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
§ Ms GordonTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what assessment he has made of the compliance of the CSA computer system with the Data Protection Act 1984; and what was the cost of the system. [33826]
§ 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 Ann Chant to Ms Mildred Gordon, dated 25 June 1996:
In the absence of Miss Chant, the Chief Executive, I am replying to your Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security about the Child Support Agency Computer System.
The Child Support Agency and its computer system are registered with the Office of the Data Protection Registrar, in accordance with the provisions of the Data Protection Act 1984. A close liaison exists with the Agency and the Registrar's Office, with regular meetings both at Chief Executive and working level. The Agency has responded positively to a number of recommendations made by the Data Protection Registrar in the past, following complaints made to the Registrar.
Any software procurement programmes or system enhancements take full account of the requirements of the Data Protection Act.
The cost of the CSA computer system is commercial in confidence.
I hope this is helpful.
§ Mr. Kevin HughesTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) what is the average length of time taken by the Child Support Agency to award compensation payments for administrative errors; [34018]
(2) how many applications the Child Support Agency has received for compensation following administrative errors by the agency in each year since the agency came into operation; [34019]
(3) what amount was awarded in compensation for administrative errors by the Child Support Agency in each year since it came into operation; [34020]
(4) what proposals his Department has to ensure prompt compensation in respect of administrative errors by the Child Support Agency. [34022]
§ 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.
175WLetter from Ann Chant to Mr. Kevin Hughes, dated 25 June 1996:
In the absence of Miss Chant, the Chief Executive, I am replying to your Parliamentary Questions to the Secretary of State for Social Security about compensation procedures within the Child Support Agency.
The Child Support agency has a discrete unit to deal with all claims for special payments. This ensures that each case receives individual attention and helps achieve fairness and an appropriate standard of consistency in an essentially discretionary scheme. All cases are treated with priority and are normally dealt with in order of the date of receipt at the unit.
A special payment is considered where a clear and unambiguous error by the Agency has resulted in an actual financial loss to the client. Each case is carefully considered on its individual merits and depending on the complexity of the case, the length of time required to award a special payment can vary considerably. It is not possible therefore to calculate a meaningful average for the time taken to award such payments.
The numbers of special payment applications received and the amounts paid for the years in question are shown in the table attached.
I hope this is helpful.
Year Number received Amount £ 1993–94 11 410.00 1994–95 551 4,469.10 1995–961 1,507 174,100.10 1996–97 378 161,708.43 1 Figures include 494 cases amounting to £58,400 paid as part of an exercise to rectify incorrectly assessed minimum maintenance payments attributed to absent parents.