§ Mr. Andrew TurnerTo ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average time taken by the CSA in the last 12 months to obtain an attachment of earnings order from the date of application to the courts is; what the upper decile time is; and how many orders are in the upper decile.[14357]
§ Malcolm WicksThe administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive, Mr. Doug Smith. He will write to the hon. Member.
892WLetter from Doug Smith to Mr. Andrew Turner, dated 14 November 2001:
I am replying to your Parliamentary Questions to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions about the Child Support Agency.You have requested average times for obtaining Attachment of earnings orders from the date of application to the courts.The Child Support Agency does not make Attachment of earnings orders. The Child Support Agency has provision to make Deduction from Earnings orders which do not require court action.A Deduction from earnings order is a legally binding instruction to an employer to deduct child maintenance and arrears from a non resident parent's earnings and to pay it to the Child Support Agency.Deduction from earnings orders are an effective way of ensuring payment of child support where a non-resident parent chooses to pay in this way, or where other methods have failed. In cases where a non-resident parent refuses to pay child support, a deduction from earnings order is often the best way to ensure regular and reliable maintenance is paid.In May 2001, 141,600 non resident parents were paying child support via deduction from earnings orders.I hope this is helpful.
§ Mr. Andrew TurnerTo ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average time taken by the CSA in the last 12 months to determine an absent parent's contribution to child support is; what the upper decile time is; and how many determinations are in the upper decile.[14358]
§ Malcolm WicksThe administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive, Mr. Doug Smith. He will write to the hon. Member.
Letter from Doug Smith to Mr. Andrew Turner, dated 14 November 2001:
I am replying to your Parliamentary Questions to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions about the Child Support Agency.You asked what the average time is for the CSA in the last 12 months to determine a non resident parent's contribution to child support; what the upper decile time is; and how many determinations are in the upper decile.The information you have requested is not available in the format requested. The information that is available is provided at Appendix A.I hope this is helpful. Appendix A:
Time taken to make child support assessments (November 2000-October 2001) Number of cases Time taken assessed Percentage Less than 20 weeks 49,165 48.5 Between 20 and 52 weeks 32,115 31.6 Over 52 weeks 20,156 19.9 Total 101.436
§ Mr. Andrew TurnerTo ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average time taken by the CSA in the last 12 months to recover underpayments by absent parents is; what the upper decile time is; and how many vacancies are in the upper decile [14359]
§ Malcolm WicksThe administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive, Mr. Doug Smith. He will write to the hon. Member.
893WLetter from Doug Smith to Mr. Andrew Smith, dated 14 November 2001:
I am replying to your Parliamentary Questions to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions about the Child Support Agency.You asked what the average time is for the CSA in the last 12 months to recover underpayments by Non resident parents.The information you have requested is not available as it is not collected in the format you have requested.Maintenance that is due but not paid is collected as arrears. Clients are asked to pay arrears in a lump sum, or to agree to make regular payments towards arrears in addition to regular maintenance. Agreements follow negotiations which take into account the non resident parent's ability to pay and the need for maintenance to reach the parent with care as soon as possible. If no agreement can be reached between the Agency and the non resident parent the case is subject to enforcement action.I hope this is helpful.