Child Support Agency (Hansard, 2 December 1997)

§ Mr. Keith Bradley

We are determined to ensure that the Child Support Agency provides an efficient and effective service to all its customers, including their representatives.

The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive, Mrs. Faith Boardman. She will write to my hon. Friend.

205W

Letter from Mrs. Faith Boardman to Mr. David Hinchliffe, dated 1 December 1997: I am replying to your Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security about replies from the Child Support Agency to inquiries from Members of Parliament. The Agency's policy in dealing with an inquiry from an MP is to provide a full, up-to-date and accurate reply to the issues raised. Each case is treated individually and the Agency aims to answer correspondence in line with the Departmental target of responding within 20 days. In the course of dealing with children's maintenance, correspondence between the Agency and customers is to be expected, and indeed necessary. Where this coincides with an inquiry from the customer's MP on their behalf, in order to be as helpful as possible and to ensure that the full facts are available, the Agency may copy relevant letters to the MP particularly where an identical issue has been raised by the constituent both directly with the Agency and through their MP. This has proved to be a useful, cost-effective and efficient mechanism, which helps avoid any misunderstanding and ensures that the MP is fully aware of what has been said to their constituent. I am very conscious that there are still far too many justified complaints about the standards of basic customer contact and the service we provide. Over the next few years, I am committed to bringing high quality levels of performance to every part of our operation as a matter of routine, thereby reducing the number of complaints received and enhancing the public perception of the Agency. I hope this is helpful.