§ Mr. FieldTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many CSA inspectors are in post and operating in the Lancashire and Merseyside region. [120863]
§ Mr. RookerThe administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive, Mrs. Faith Boardman. She will write to my right hon. Friend.
Letter from Mrs. Faith Boardman to Mr. Frank Field, dated 5 May 2000:
I am replying to your Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security about the Child Support Agency.At present, three members of Agency staff in the Lancashire and Merseyside regions carry out inspectoral duties, which include investigating the earnings of the self-employed and company directors and conducting interviews under caution. However the Wales and North West Business Unit plan to train an additional 25 officers to undertake inspectoral visits, of whom seven will operate in the Lancashire and Merseyside regions.Under current legislation child support inspectors are appointed on a case by case basis which means that they must be given a time-limited certificate of appointment for each individual case. As a result, CSA Inspectors have not, to date, been used to their best effect. This rigid and cumbersome method of appointment has prevented the Agency from building up a team of dedicated and experienced inspectors.However, the Agency has increased the number of locally based face to face officers to 600, a process that was completed at the end of March this year. The Agency is currently considering whether some, or all, of the face to face officers should also perform the role of child support inspectors or whether separate dedicated teams of inspectors would be more effective. Under the child support reforms it is planned to appoint permanent inspectors.I hope this is helpful.
§ Mr. FieldTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, pursuant to his answer of 19 April 2000,Official Report, column 551W, if he will list the IT procurement contracts agreed with EDS since 1 May 1997 with a value over £10,000; when each contract was agreed; when the IT provision began to be installed; and if each IT system is (a) fully operational and (b) in use. [120922]
§ Mr. RookerThe administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive, Mrs. Faith Boardman. She will write to my right hon. Friend.
254WLetter from Mrs. Faith Boardman to Mr. Frank Field, dated 5 May 2000:
I am replying to your Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security about the Child Support Agency.No specific IT Procurement contracts have been awarded to EDS since 1/5/97. However, the Department's private sector partner Affinity (prime contractor EDS) was awarded an early contract in March 1999, to provide products key to the future development of modernised IT for the Department.In addition, to maintain progress against legislative timescales for Child Support Reforms, an interim contract for early IT pre-development and preparation work was let to Affinity 23/12/99, to deliver products which pave the way for new IT for the CSA. In both cases, neither the contracts nor their products were intended to deliver an operational IT system.The Department does not hold an existing contract with EDS, awarded in 1995, for the provision of some mainframe-based IT and associated services.A number of consultancy contracts are also held with EDS to help determine the Department's business and financial requirements relevant to the delivery of the full IT systems, under the main contracts.The award of all contracts has been subject to the Department's formal procurement controls to ensure fair and open competition.I hope this is helpful.