HC Deb 03 December 1998 vol 321 cc271-2W
Mr. Bob Russell

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what valuation is made of(a) a company car and (b) a company grant for an employee to acquire a car for company business, in formulating CSA payments. [60858]

Angela Eagle

The value of a company car is not taken into consideration in determining the income of either parent under the maintenance formula.

The treatment of an allowance paid by an employer for the purchase of a car will depend on the intended use. Where it is for business purposes only, the whole allowance will be ignored in determining income. Where there is a degree of private use, the amount taken into account will be that portion of the allowance which it is considered covers the parent's private usage.

The Green Paper "Children First—a new approach to child support" (Cm 3992) published on 6 July sets out our proposals for a new child support scheme, including a simpler definition of what counts as income.