§ Mr. Frank FieldTo ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the running costs are of the(a) court-based child maintenance assessment system in the year prior to the introduction of the CSA and (b) CSA in the latest year for which he has data in today's price terms as a percentage of the total value of all maintenance assessments. [101500]
§ Malcolm WicksInformation is not available in respect of the year prior to the introduction of the Child Support Agency. The available information is set out as follows:
The White Paper "Children Come First" (Cm 1264) published in October 1990 indicated that the direct and indirect administration costs of the scheme then in place amounted, for the year 1989–90 and at 2001–02 prices, to £193 million.
292WComparable information on the total value of maintenance assessments for 1989–90 is not held.
The Child Support Agency's administration costs were £285.5 million in 2001–02. This represented some 37 per cent. of the total value of the maintenance collected and arranged by the Agency in that year.
Notes:
1. The direct administration costs for the pre-CSA scheme include expenditure on assessments, variations in the level of assessments, enforcement and payment and collection.
2. The indirect administration costs for the pre-CSA scheme take account of legal aid expenditure on aspects of ancillary relief in matrimonial proceedings, including, as well as child maintenance, matters such as spousal maintenance and property and other issues.
3. The figures for the costs of the pre-CSA scheme are based on those given in Volume Two of the White Paper "Children Come First" (Cm 1264).
4. The administration costs of the Child Support Agency for 2001–02 are drawn from the Agency's Annual Report and Accounts for the year.