HC Deb 05 March 1996 vol 273 cc162-3W
Mr. Heppell

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security for what reasons individuals who have detachment orders have received arrears notices from the Child Support Agency when their employers have failed to pay the CSA. [17706]

Mr. Andrew Mitchell

The 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 Mr. John Heppell, dated 4 March 1996:

I am replying to your Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security about the issues of Child Support Agency arrears notices.

You asked about the issue of arrears notices by the Agency where an absent parent's method of payment is by Deduction of Earnings Order (DEO). The reason such notices are currently issued is that employers, even when complying with a DEO, can vary the date of their payments; but arrears notices are issued automatically to the absent parent by the Child Support Computer System (CSCS) when payments are more than eight days late.

The Agency has recognised that this process needs to be amended where a DEO is in force and the employer is complying with it. In April 1996, CSCS will be updated and enhanced. As part of this enhancement CSCS will no longer issue arrears notices to absent parents whose method of payment is DEO. Instead, a monthly analysis will be introduced to identify those cases where the absent parent's employer has not operated the DEO correctly. The Agency will follow these up with the employer concerned.

I hope this is helpful.