HC Deb 09 March 2004 vol 418 cc1430-1W
Mr. Lidington

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has to bring older Child Support Agency cases into the new system for assessment. [158880]

Mr. Pond

I refer the hon. Member to the written answer I gave the hon. Member for Castle Point (Bob Spink) on 18 December 2003,Official Report, column 1092W.

Mr. Bill O'Brien

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many payments of maintenance to parents with care have been delayed in the last six months because of the failure of the system in the issuing of maintenance payments; and if he will make a statement. [157984]

Mr. Pond

The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive, Mr. Doug Smith. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.

Letter from Doug Smith to Mr. Bill O'Brien dated 9 March 2004:

In reply to your recent Parliamentary question about the Child Support Agency the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.

You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many payments of maintenance to parents with care have been delayed in the last six months because of the failure of the system in the issuing of maintenance payments; and if he will make a statement.

Between August 2003 and February 2004 the new computer system generated over 346,000 payments. In the same period 1,741 payments were issued manually. I do not have a record of how many of these payments represent a delay in the issue of maintenance