HC Deb 20 November 1996 vol 285 cc604-5W
Sir Dudley Smith

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) what assessment he has made of the steps taken by the Child Support Agency to secure liability orders within a reasonable time on parents who consistently avoid providing maintenance for their children; [4123]

(2) how many complaints the Child Support Agency has received in the last year about fathers who successfully avoid making any payment due to the mothers of their children, whose cases have been registered by the Child Support Agency. [4125]

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 Miss Ann Chant to Sir Dudley Smith, dated 19 November 1996: I am replying to your Parliamentary Questions to the Secretary of State for Social Security about liability orders and complaints to the Agency about fathers who avoid paying their maintenance. The Agency makes every effort to ensure that absent parents meet their maintenance liability, and takes various forms of enforcement action where this does not happen. You have specifically asked about liability orders which are applied for through the courts, mainly against non-compliant self employed absent parents. In the period from 1 April 1996 to 30 September 1996 the number of liability orders the Agency applied for was 1,082; this is an increase of 55% on the same period last year. Each such case is considered on its merits. Legal action against an absent parent is a serious step and is not taken lightly. Nevertheless, if all other voluntary methods fails and if a deduction from earnings order is not a possibility, then a liability order is applied for. Additionally, since May of this year the Agency has been able to enter liability orders as debts in the County Court Register of Judgments, which may in turn affect credit availability for the absent parent concerned. I am afraid I cannot give you an answer to your question about the number of complaints against fathers who do not comply with child support liability. There is no business need for us to categories complaints along the lines that you describe. For example, whether they are about one or other party to child maintenance or by gender within that category. I hope this is helpful.