§ Ms Roseanna CunninghamTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) if the CSA has a remit to re-examine its original decision to cover the new partner of child and mother; [153611]
(2) pursuant to his answer of 26 February 2001, Official Report, column 535W, on the Child Support Agency, what criteria the CSA uses to decide whether to re-examine a case which leads to a change in the original decision. [153701]
§ Angela EagleThe Child Support Agency (CSA) will re-examine the original decision on a case if there has been a change in circumstances, including where there is a new partner of the parent with care.
Whenever the CSA revises or supersedes a decision on a case, both parents are notified of the new decision and how it has been arrived at. Either patent can ask the CSA to look at the decision again within one month of being notified if they think that the decision is wrong. If the CSA accepts that there has been a mistake, it will correct it straight away. In re-examining a decision the CSA will check that the law has been applied correctly to the facts of the case.
Either parent can also appeal against the CSA's decision to an independent tribunal who will consider whether the Agency applied the law correctly.
If neither parent asks for their case to be looked at again, the CSA will not look at the case unless a periodic case check is carried out.
§ Ms Roseanna CunninghamTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, pursuant to his answer of 26 February 2001,Official Report, column 535W, on the Child Support Agency, (1) if he will provide a breakdown for each category for each council area in Scotland; [153700]
(2) how many of the complaints in the named categories were lodged in Scotland. [153702]
§ Angela EagleThe information requested is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is as follows.
The total number of letters of complaint received by the Child Support Agency's Scotland and North Eastern Business Unit in 1999–2000 was 3,078. This covers the whole of Scotland, Northumberland, North East England and parts of North Yorkshire.
The total number of letters of complaint received between April 2000 and 28 February 2001 is 2,362. The categories are shown as follows.
Category of complaints 1999–2000 2000–01 Delay/Failure to take appropriate action 1,461 1,521 Incorrect action 725 706 Communication 760 705 Policy 506 542 Complaints about staff 190 161 Disclosure of information 65 48 Good cause 16 5 Human Rights Act 0 26 Total 3,723 3,714 1 Year to date Note:
The total number of complaints is higher than the number of letters because some letters of complaint covered more than one subject.