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I am replying to your Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security on the number of maintenance assessment forms sent by the Child Support Agency.

In the period 5 April to 31 December 1993 the Agency issued 711,000 maintenance application forms to parents with care.

It is not possible to give estimates of the expected number of application forms which will be issued in future years, but overall the Agency expects to be dealing with around one million parents with care in each year.

I hope this reply is useful.

Mr. Hall : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the average maintenance settlement issued by the Child Support Agency ; what is the average maintenance payment collected by the Child Support Agency ; and how many of those contacted by the Child Support Agency already paid maintenance under existing arrangements.

Mr. Burt : 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. Mike Hall, dated 4 March 1994 :

I am replying to you recent Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security about the Child Support Agency.

You asked about the average maintenance assessment made and collected by the Agency. Initial estimates were that average weekly maintenance assessments by the Agency would be approximately £45-£50 a week. Information gathered on assessments completed to date, and the amounts the Agency therefore expects to collect, is consistent with these estimates.

You also ask about clients with existing maintenance arrangements. To the end of December 1993, the Agency had issued maintenance enquiry forms to 344,000 absent parents.

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Figures were not kept on the proportion of these cases in which maintenance was not already being paid. We estimate, however, that about 55 per cent. of cases taken-on by the Agency were not already receiving maintenance.

I hope this reply is helpful.

Mr. Hall : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many people have started to pay maintenance in line with the Child Support Agency assessments.

Mr. Burt : 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. Mike Hall, dated 4 March 1994 :

I am replying to your question to the Secretary of State for Social Security about the number of people paying maintenance to the Child Support Agency.

The Child Support Computer System records clients' details on an individual case by case basis. It is not currently configured to produce the information in the form requested.

It may be helpful, however, if I explain that as at 31 December 1993 the Agency had completed 121,600 assessments of which over half were issued in the last two months.

I hope this reply is useful.

Housing Benefit

Mr. Hinchliffe : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what level of housing benefit was payable to households in (a) council tenancies, (b) housing association tenancies and (c) private tenancies, annually, for each year from 1988.

Mr. Burt : I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Islington, North (Mr. Corbyn), on 25 January at columns 185-86 .

Child Care

Ms Harman : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how much his Department spends on child care ; on what provision the sum is spent ; how many children receive the child care ; and if he will make a statement about child care.

Mr. Scott : The net cost of providing subsidised child care facilities for staff in this Department is currently around £500,000 a year. This sum is spent on workplace nurseries, 600 places ; holiday play schemes, 2,460 places ; after school child care and child care referral services.

These initiatives are supported on value for money grounds in helping to recruit and retain staff and in enabling the staff themselves to balance the demands of home and work.

ENVIRONMENT

Government Offices

Mr. Matthew Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to his answer of 21 January, Official Report, column 863, if he will list any Government accommodation in (a) the SW1 postal district of London and (b) the remainder of the United Kingdom that is undergoing refurbishment, showing the location of the accommodation being refurbished and the nature and cost of each refurbishment.

Mr. Baldry : Vacant or partially vacant properties on the common user estate with refurbishment schemes in

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planning or execution are listed. Refurbishment ranges from minor internal uplift to full-scale replacement of services, modernisation, refitting and improvement to render buildings capable of re-occupation and economic use.

Some schemes are undertaken and funded by occupying Departments or landlords and the cost of providing fully comprehensive information and the costs of each scheme would be uneconomic.

Properties Undergoing Refurbishment

London SW1

FCO Building,

King Charles Street

Marlborough House

11 Belgrave Road

Depot, Chadwick Street

1-19 Victoria Street

Thames House, Millbank

Other Locations

Charles House, London W14

Collyer Place, London SE15

Melbourne House, London WC2

Euston Tower, London NW1

Somerset House, London WC2

122 Thorpe Road, Norwich

Oxford House, Bishops Stortford

Nelson House, Great Yarmouth

Magna House, Bury St. Edmunds

Port Police Station, Felixstowe

31 Red Lion Street, Chesham

Sovereign House, Hertford

St. Andrews House and Triton House, Bury St. Edmunds

Charles House, Norwich

55 Station Road, Clacton

Portcullis House and Alexander House, Southend

Scotland Green House, Tottenham

Harlesden House, Harlesden

SOB London Road, Stanmore

Beeches Road, Chelmsford

DTC Tolcarne Drive, Pinner

Haven House, Ipswich

36-46 The Avenue, Bexleyheath

Westmoreland Road, Bromley

Scottish Union House, Croydon

Apollo House, Croydon

Lunar House, Croydon

Whitgift Centre, Croydon

AMP House, Croydon

Montague House, Croydon

PRO, Kew

Sutherland House, Sutton

Crown Building, Woolwich

Anchorage House, Chatham

The Grove, Gravesend

Medvale House, Maidstone

Gloucester House, Bognor Regis

Roebuck House, Cosham

Wingfield House, Portsmouth

Wynnstay House, Portsmouth

Segensworth Road, Titchfield

Alencon Link, Basingstoke

Coley Park, Reading

Ashdown House, Hastings

Government Buildings, Marston Road, Oxford

Lambert House, Talbot Street, Nottingham

Crown Building 55 Norfolk Street, Boston

Station Road, Kettering

Crown Buildings, 1 Queen Street, Wellingborough

Ladywood House, 45-46 Stephenson Street, Birmingham

Princess House, The Square, Shrewsbury

North Penrallt, Caernarfon

Bridge House, Bristol

Mesnes House, Mesnes Street, Wigan

Ashburner House, Seymour Grove, Manchester

Heron House, Hougoumont Avenue, Crosby

Highland House, Manchester

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St. John's House, Bootle

St. Martin's House, Bootle

Graeme House, Liverpool

Moorgate Street, Rotherham

Elvet House, Hallgarth Street, Durham

Benton House, Sandyford Road, Newcastle Upon Tyne

Wellbar House, Gallowgate, Newcastle Upon Tyne

John Rideal House, Barnsley

Steel City House, Sheffield

29 Shambles Street, Barnsley

Montrose House, Glasgow

Argyle House, Edinburgh

52-56 Melville Street, Edinburgh

2A-2B High Street, Dunbarton

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