§ Mr. KirkwoodTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if she will list the average weekly Child Support Agency full assessment on(a) 30 September and (b) 31 March for each year of the CSA's operation indicating the figures for (i) court orders and (ii) liable relative negotiated agreements for the previous two years. [5276]
§ Mr. Keith BradleyThe Government believes that all children are entitled to the support of both parents, irrespective of where they live. Children should only be supported by the taxpayer when their parents are unable to do so.
The information is not available in the format requested. The table gives the average weekly Child Support figures at the closest possible dates. Prior to the introduction of Child Support the average maintenance per child was £15 if arranged by the Department of Social Security or the Magistrates' court; £20 if arranged by the County court and £24 when arranged by the Scottish courts.
374W
Average weekly full maintenance assessments Average of maintenance assessments where absent parent has income from employment £ All full maintenance assessments £ June 1994 45.53 27.06 October 1994 44.34 26.39 March 1995 43.46 25.56 August 1995 38.66 23.37 February 1996 38.62 22.86 August 1996 38.02 22.02 February 1997 37.73 21.39 The drop in the average amount of child support maintenance after March 1995 reflects the policy changes which took effect from April 1995.
Source:
Children Come First Volume 2—Table 12.
§ Mr. KirkwoodTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many absent parents on income support and income based jobseeker's allowance are currently clients of the Child Support Agency; what proportion of each have deductions made from their benefit in lieu of child maintenance excluding those on income support or receiving jobseeker's allowance; how many absent parents have a nil liability for child maintenance; and how many are liable to pay the minimum payment. [5250]
§ Mr. BradleyAt February 1997 there were 168,900 absent parent clients of the Child Support Agency receiving income support and a further 2,500 receiving income based jobseeker's allowance. At August 1996, the most recent date for which income support information is available, some 30,000 absent parents had a contribution to maintenance deducted from their benefit. Since this was before the introduction of jobseeker's allowance it includes unemployed absent parents receiving income support.
At February 1997 there were 57,500 absent parents with nil liability for child maintenance and a further 42,400 liable to pay the minimum amount. This excludes those receiving income support or income based jobseeker's allowance who automatically have nil liability under the formula provisions.
§ Mr. KirkwoodTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what research her Department has(a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on the impact of a reduced benefit direction on children. [5256]
§ Mr. BradleyWe think it right that lone mothers should co-operate wherever possible in seeking maintenance for their children. The Department is continually monitoring and evaluating reduced benefit directions which apply only where a parent with care has failed to co-operate with the Child Support Agency and has no good reason for this failure. This evaluation is supported by research conducted by the Agency on the requirement to co-operate provisions, published in April last year ("The Requirement to Co-operate: A Report on the Operation of the 'Good Cause' provisions. Department of Social Security in-house report 14").
§ Mr. KirkwoodTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if she will give a breakdown of the benefit savings made as a result of Child Support Agency activity in 375W 1996–97; what is the expected breakdown of benefit savings for the current financial year; and if she will estimate total benefit savings over the next five years. [5304]
§ Mr. BradleyThe actual benefit savings for 1996–97 and the estimated savings for 1997–98 is in the table.
£ million 1996–97 outturn 1997–98 estimates Income support reductions 208.6 235.6 Family credit/disability working allowance reductions 48.1 58.7 Deductions from absent parents income support 4.8 7.3 Maintenance cessations—maintenance exceeds rate of income support 6.3 51.1 Non maintenance cessations—benefit claim withdrawn within four to eight weeks of CSA action 201.2 152.0 Total 469.0 504.7 Within the situation we have inherited the current estimate of total benefit savings over the next five years from April 1997 is some £2,800 million.