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Child Support Agency
Mr. Hoon: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many Child Support Agency cases of a maintenance inquiry form being incorrectly issued following an identity check of the absent parent against centrally held departmental records have been recorded by his Department on the latest date for which figures are available. [11160]
Mr. Andrew Mitchell: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the chief executive, Miss Ann Chant CB. She will write to the hon. Member.
Letter from Ann Chant to Mr. Geoffrey Hoon, dated 23 January 1997:
24 Jan 1997 : Column: 771
Mr. Bayley:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many claims for child support were being (a) paid and (b) processed by the Child Support Agency at 31 July 1996. [11295]
Mr. Mitchell:
The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the chief executive, Miss Ann Chant CB. She will write to the hon. Member.
Letter from Ann Chant to Mr. Hugh Bayley, dated 23 January 1997:
Mr. Rooney:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) how many claims were submitted to the special payments unit of the Child Support Agency in each of the last three years for which figures are available; how many (a) have been settled, (b) have been refused and (c) are outstanding; and what was the total amount of money paid out; [12434]
Mr. Mitchell:
The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the chief executive, Miss Ann Chant CB. She will write to the hon. Member.
Letter from Ann Chant to Mr. Terry Rooney, dated 23 January 1997:
24 Jan 1997 : Column: 772
Mr. Alan Howarth:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is his latest estimate of (a) the cost and (b) the numbers gaining if the child care disregard were extended to (i) children over the age of 11 years for whom disability living allowance or the disability premium is payable, (ii) each child under 11 years in the family and (iii) children under 16 years during school holidays. [10991]
Mr. Roger Evans:
It is estimated that each option would affect fewer than 2,500 families, and cost less than £2.5 million per annum.
Notes:
1. Estimates are based on the May 1996 family credit statistics and 1994-95 family resources survey uprated to 1997-98 prices, taxes and benefit levels. 2. They refer to child care from sources other than relatives, friends or neighbours.
Mr. Flynn:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security which venues have ceased to be used by social security appeal tribunals since January 1996; and which venues it is proposed to cease using. [2025]
Mr. Roger Evans
[pursuant to his reply of 4 November, Official Report, column 386]: Unfortunately, the reply I gave was open to misinterpretation. A more appropriate answer is as follows:
The following nine venues have ceased to be used by social security appeal tribunals since January 1996: Mansfield, Brigend, Meerthyr Tydfil, Pontypridd, Gloucester, Yeovil, Huddersfield, Scunthorpe and Paisley.
The independent tribunal service constantly reviews and examines its running costs of which tribunal accommodation forms a large part. I understand that the ITS is currently considering the continued usage of a number of current premises and that liaison with tribunal users is taking place. No firm decisions have been taken at this time.
Mr. Simpson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what account is taken on the level of house insulation in calculating cold weather payments. [12060]
Mr. Roger Evans:
The Department of Environment has provided grants to low income households for home insulation through the home energy efficiency scheme since 1991. We have increased the amount for cold weather payments by 70 per cent. since 1990. In doing so, we have not taken increasing levels of insulation into account.
24 Jan 1997 : Column: 773
Mrs. Peacock:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security on how many occasions each of the weather stations serving Batley and Spen have triggered cold weather payments in the last three months of 1996 and the first two weeks of January 1997. [11966]
Mr. Evans:
The administration of the social fund is a matter for Peter Mathison, the chief executive of the Benefits Agency. He will write to the hon. Member.
Letter from Peter Mathison to Mrs. Elizabeth Peacock, dated 23 January 1997:
Mr. Gordon Prentice:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many cases there have been since 1979 of contaminated or unfit meat from knackers' yards (a) entering and (b) being prevented from entering food for human consumption; and how many prosecutions have resulted. [12093]
Mrs. Browning:
During the period 1979 to date, there has been legislation in force, currently the Animal By-Products (Identification) Regulations 1995, which require that, subject to exemptions--mainly for poultry meat--meat is sterilised or stained before it can be removed from a knacker's yard. This ensures that unfit meat from knackers' yards is readily identifiable and should not therefore enter the food chain. The regulations are enforced by local authorities and the information requested is not held centrally.
I am replying to your Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security about maintenance enquiry forms by the Child Support Agency.
The Agency has monitored the numbers of incorrectly issued maintenance enquiry forms (MEFs) only since April 1994. Information is not therefore available for the first year of operation.
Before any MEF is issued, the identity of the absent parent concerned is verified against the Department's Central Index. A MEF can be issued incorrectly either where the parent with care has given the Agency incorrect or incomplete information or where the Agency has incorrectly identified an absent parent. From April 1996, I am able to provide a breakdown of figures identifying clearly who was responsible for the incorrect MEF issue.
In the period 1 April 1994 to 30 November 1996 (the latest date for which published figures are available), the Agency recorded a total of 186 incorrectly issued MEFs. The majority (115) occurred in 1994/95, with a further 45 in the following year. In the current year (since 1 April 1996) the figure is 26; of these, 11 were the fault of the Agency.
In total, these cases represent 0.03% of the total number of MEFs issued in the same period, i.e. approximately 605,000.
I hope this is helpful.
I am replying to your Parliamentary Question asking for the number of claims to child support which were being paid and processed by the Child Support Agency at 31st July 1996.
I must explain that the Child Support Agency does not receive claims for child support nor does it make payments for this purpose. Instead, an application must be made to the Agency by the absent parent or the parent with care for an assessment of child support liability to be made. Any money that is subsequently paid, comes from the absent parent--the Agency holds no funds of its own.
Since the inception of the Agency up to the 31 July 1996, the Agency had received 1.73 million applications for a child support assessment. This figure included cases where the parent with care was in receipt of Income Support, Family Credit or Disability Working Allowance where there is a requirement upon the parent with care to make an application.
At 31 July 1996 the Agency had cleared 1.33 million applications for a child support assessment.
I hope this is helpful.
(2) against which vote payments by the special payments unit of the Child Support Agency are charged. [12430]
I am replying to your Parliamentary Questions to the Secretary of State for Social Security about the Child Support Agency Special Payments Unit.
The total number of claims submitted to the Special Payments Unit of the Child Support Agency for the years 1994/95, 1995/96 and 1996/97 (to 31 December 1996) were 545, 1013 and 1567 respectively. Of the total 3125 received, 962 have been settled and 1138 have been refused.
At 31 December 1996, there were 643 cases at various stages of action in the Special Payments Unit, and 382 cases where additional information was required before a decision could be reached. The total monies paid out during the period is £641,863.
All special payments made by the Child Support Agency are charged through Vote 3.
I hope this is helpful.
The estimates do not allow for behavioural effects.
3. These estimates are based on small samples and should be treated with caution.
The Secretary of State for Social Security has asked me to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question requesting information on how many occasions each of the weather stations serving Batley and Spen have triggered cold weather payments in the last three months of 1996 and the first two weeks of January 1997.
The Batley and Spen area is served by the Benefits Agency (BA) District of Kirklees which includes the BA offices at Huddersfield and Dewsbury. Postal codes within the Kirklees District are linked to the weather stations at Bingley and Leeds.
To date this winter, Bingley Weather Station has identified a forecast of cold weather, from 3 January 1997 to 9 January 1997 inclusive. Leeds Weather Station has not identified any periods of cold weather so far this winter.
I hope you find this reply helpful.
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