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Police Officers (Criminal Conduct)

Mr. Cousins : To ask the Attorney-General how many cases involving allegations of criminal misconduct against police officers were considered by the Attorney-General ; and how many of these resulted in prosecutions being brought, in the last three years.

The Attorney-General : Allegations that police officers have committed criminal offences are ordinarily reported to the Director of Public Prosecutions in accordance with section 90 of the Police and Criminal

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Evidence Act 1984 and not to myself. The DPP consults me where she considers it appropriate to do so having regard to the difficulty or importance of the particular case. In addition, the DPP submits papers in any case where proceedings are considered appropriate for an offence subject to a statutory requirement that my consent be obtained.

Statistics are not maintained either in the Crown Prosecution Service or my Department as to the number of cases referred to me which relate to police officers. The number is very small but precise information could be obtained only by a trawl of all departmental files involving disproportionate expense.

SOCIAL SECURITY

Child Support Agency

Mr. Bayley : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will hold a public inquiry into the activities and performance of the Child Support Agency.

Mr. Burt : We have no plans to do so.

Mr. Ingram : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will place in the Library a copy of the Child Support Agency collection enforcement manual.

Mr. Burt : There are no plans to do so.

Mr. Ingram : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will place in the Library the departmental guidelines issued to the Child Support Agency specialist tracing section.

Mr. Burt : The guidance on specialist tracing is contained within the "Child Support Manual", a copy of which is in the Library.

Mr. Dewar : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) in how many cases in the latest period for which figures are available there has been a refusal by the parent with care to supply information about the absent parent ; and in how many of these cases the Child Support Agency accepted that co-operation had been refused with good cause ;

(2) what is his estimate of the arrears outstanding on maintenance payments set by the Child Support Agency both in total and as a percentage of the total amount to be paid ;

(3) in how many cases in the latest period for which figures are available the Child Support Agency has adjusted a maintenance assessment to allow for the recovery of arrears under paragraph 10 of the arrears regulations ;

(4) what estimate he has made of the average weekly maintenance assessment set by the Child Support Agency at the latest date for which figures are available ;

(5) what is the average time between the issue of the inquiry form, and the maintenance assessment, at the latest date for which figures are available.

Mr. Burt [holding answer 1 February 1994] : The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for Ros Hepplewhite, the chief executive. She will write to the hon. Member.

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Letter from Ros Hepplewhite to Mr. Donald Dewar, dated 2 February 1994.

I am replying to your recent Parliamentary Questions to the Secretary of State for Social Security, asking various questions about the Child Support Agency's operations.

At 31 December 1993, 35,600 cases had been received where the requirement to co-operate with the Agency was an issue. In 20,500 of these the Agency accepted that the parent with care had good cause not to co-operate in pursuing a maintenance application.

Initial estimates were that average weekly maimtenance assessments would be approximately £45 50. Information gathered on assessments completed to date is consistent with these estimates.

The Agency is not yet in a position to estimate the arrears outstanding on maintenance payments. I regret, also, that information on cases in which Regulation 10 of the Arrears Regulations has been applied is not collected.

Information on the length of time betweeen the return of the maintenance enquiry form and the completion of the maintenance assessment is not regularly collected in the form requested. From a small sample of cases it is estimated that the average time between the issue of the maintenance enquiry form and the maintenance assessment is approximately 7 weeks.

I hope you find this reply useful.

Mr. Kirkwood : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what savings the Child Support Agency has made to date.

Mr. Burt [holding answer 1 February 1994] : The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for Ros Hepplewhite, the chief executive. She will write to the hon. Member.

Letter from Ros Hepplewhite to Mr. Donald Dewar, dated 2 February 1994 :

I am replying to your Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security asking how much of the Child Support Agency's target has been collected to date.

For the period from April 1993 to December 1993, benefit savings of £214.5 million have so far been reported. This figure does not represent the total amount of savings achieved because some will be scored retrospectively.

I hope you find this reply helpful.

Income Support

Mr. Bayley : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many claimants of (a) income support or (b) other benefits have been informed by Benefits Agency staff that they would lose their entitlement to benefit if they pursued an educational course ; and how many have lost benefit following a decision to study.

Mr. Burt : The information is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Maternity Pay

Mr. Dewar : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security which organisations have responded to the consultative document, "Changes in Maternity Pay", published in August 1993.

Mr. Hague : The following organisations have responded.

Association of British Chambers of Commerce

Association of Local Authorities of Northern Ireland

Mr. R. E. B. Atkinson

Bairdwear

Barclays Bank

Beck Electronics Ltd.

Boots

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Bradford and Bingley Building Society

British Payroll Managers' Association

British Payroll Managers' Association-conference

British Railways Board

British Computer Society-payroll specialists

British Merchant Banking and Security Houses Federation British Apparel and Textile Confederation

British Association of Professional Hairdressing Employers British Bankers' Association

British Printing Industries Association

Mr. S. D. Bryant

BT

Chemical Industries Federation

Chessington Computer Centre

Child Poverty Action Group

City of Wakefield Metropolitan District Council

Clares Dickies

Clydeside Federation

Confederation of British Industry

Co-operative Union

Committee on the Administration of Justice

Committee of Vice-Chancellors and Principals of the Universities of Great Britain

Convention of Scottish Local Authorities

Crest Nicholson plc

Dairy Trade Federation

Daycare Trust

Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council

Electrical Association

Empire Paper LTD

Engineering Employers' Federation

Engineering Employers' Federation (Northern Ireland

Association)Equal Opportunities Commission for Northern Ireland Equal Opportunities Commission

Federation of Small Businesses

Federation of Civil Engineering Contractors

Federation of Recruitment and Employment Services LTD

Field, Fisher, Waterhouse

Food and Drink Federation

General Federation of Trades Unions

GMB--Britain's general union

GPMU--graphical, paper and media union

Greater Manchester Low Pay Unit

Guild of Hairdressers

Hair and Beauty Studio

Health Visitors' Association

Herdman GW Mr.

Huntingdonshire District Council

IBM

ICL

Institute of Personnel Management

Labour Relations Agency

Leeds City Council--equal opportunities unit

Legal and General

Local Government Management Board

Low Pay Unit

Mail Order Traders Association

Manchester City Council--welfare rights unit

Maternity Alliance

Medical Women's Federation

Middlesex Area Probation Service

Millar, Boyd and Reid LTD

MPG--federation of managerial, professional and general associations

MSF--the union for skilled and professional people

NASUWT--the career teachers' organisation

National Council of Women of Great Britain

National Childbirth Trust

National Metal Trades Federation

National Association of Citizens Advice Bureaux

National Childminding Association

National Hairdressers' Federation

National Farmers' Union

Nationwide Group--staff association

New Forest DC

Newcastle on Tyne University

North British Housing Association

North-East Derbyshire DC

Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce and Industry

Northern Ireland Committee of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions

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