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Boundary Commission
Mr. David Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the members of the Boundary Commission for Scotland. [2010]
Mr. Dewar: My predecessor reappointed Dr. Charles M. Glennie CBE and Professor Urlan A. Wannop to the Boundary Commission for Scotland from 1 January 1997 to 31 December 1997.
The other members of the Commission are:
Madam Speaker--ex-officio, Chairman.
The Hon. Lady Cosgrove, appointed as Deputy Chairman by the Lord President of the Court of Session from 1 January 1997 to 31 December 1999.
TRADE AND INDUSTRY
Departmental Publications
Mr. Burstow: To ask the President of the Board of Trade by what means her Department makes available its publications in (a) Braille, (b) audio tape and (c) large print; and how this is publicised. [1679]
Mr. Nigel Griffiths: In discussions with the RNIB and other interested organisations, the Department seeks to ensure that its publications are accessible to the visually impaired.
To this end, our consumer advice on metrication changes in 1995 was published and distributed in Braille by the RNIB on behalf of the Department. More recently, audio advice about tactile danger warnings and about risks of carbon monoxide poisoning have been made available to those with visual impairment through COI's regular Sound Advice audio tapes, which are distributed to over 4,500 organisations dealing with blind and partially sighted people.
Also guidance will shortly be issued within the Department aimed at making printed material easier to read for visually impaired people.
The Department also has a range of information about its policies, programmes and publications on the Internet (http.\\www.dti.gov.uk\). It is possible to print all DTI pages from the Internet in large print; the pages are also available in audio to those who have access to a Talking Computer.
Mr. Nigel Jones:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade what plans she has to ensure that her Department's computer systems are millennium compliant; and if she will make a statement. [1244]
Mr. Nigel Griffiths:
Following an initial impact assessment, my Department has initiated a programme of changes to its IT systems which will make them compliant with the Century date change. This programme is expected to be completed in the Spring 1999.
3 Jun 1997 : Column: 140
Mr. Mitchell:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade if she will list on the basis of July to December 1973 = 100, the increase in United Kingdom relative export unit values in dollars for each year since 1970 together with United Kingdom share of volume of exports of manufactures by main manufacturing countries. [1556]
Mrs. Roche:
The information requested is not available. Data on relative export unit values are available only from 1975. Data based on 1990 = 100 between 1975 and 1996Q1 are available on the Central Shared Database which can be accessed from the Library. Data on the UK share of exports of manufactures by the main manufacturing countries for 1982 to 1992Q3 based on 1985 weights are published in the February 1993 Monthly Review of External Trade Statistics, a copy of which is in the Library of the House.
Mr. Pike:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade what representations her Department has received in the last 12 months relating to the misuse of fireworks; what consultations her Department has undertaken on firework safety in the last 12 months; what action she proposes to take to regulate the (a) sale and (b) use of fireworks; and if she will make a statement. [1441]
Mr. Nigel Griffiths:
My Department has received several hundred complaints from the public about the misuse of fireworks and I propose shortly to consult interested organisations on draft regulations to introduce additional restrictions on the types of fireworks which should be sold to the public, including some types of fireworks which feature in complaints of misuse.
Sir George Young:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade if she will make a statement on the proposed alliance of British Airways and American Airlines, following her meeting with Commissioner van Miert. [1505]
Mr. Nigel Griffiths:
My right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade met Commissioner van Miert on Tuesday 20 May for a preliminary discussion of the proposed alliance between British Airways and American Airlines, and other competition matters. It is not the President of the Board of Trade's policy to make public statements about the merits of individual competition cases in which she will be responsible for making decisions.
Mr. Canavan:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade if she will make a statement about the Monopolies and Mergers Commission's report on the merger between FirstBus and SB Holdings and the implications for Midland Bluebird. [1153]
Mr. Nigel Griffiths
[holding answer 2 June 1997]: The MMC's report on the acquisition by FirstBus plc of SB Holdings Ltd. (SBH) was published in January 1997. In line with the MMC's recommendations, the then Minister for Corporate and Consumer Affairs, Mr. John Taylor, asked the Director General of Fair Trading (DGFT) to seek undertakings from FirstBus to divest the
3 Jun 1997 : Column: 141
business of its subsidiary Midland Bluebird, plus part of the Glasgow operations of SBH. In the event that FirstBus has not identified a firm buyer that has been approved by the Secretary of State by 24 October 1997, the undertakings which are being sought will provide for the divestment of SBH in its entirety without divestment of any of Midland Bluebird's operations. The DGFT will advise my right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade on the outcome of his discussions with FirstBus in due course.
Mr. Harvey:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade what definition he will use to describe small firms, in terms of number of employees and turnover, when he introduces the fair payment of commercial debts bill; and if he will make a statement. [1277]
Mrs. Roche:
We will consult on the details of the Fair Payment of Commercial Debts Bill in the summer. We will ask businesses, their representative organisations and other interested bodies for their views about the extent and application of the legislation for a Statutory Right to Interest.
Ms Roseanna Cunningham:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if she will list the number and percentage of deduction from earnings orders in force to recover arrears of maintenance assessments carried out by the Child Support Agency on absent parents (a) in total and (b) by regional office for each year since the establishment of the agency. [1355]
Mr. Bradley:
The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive, Mrs. Faith Boardman. She will write to the hon. Member.
Letter from Faith Boardman to Ms Roseanna Cunningham, dated 2 June 1997:
All live and assessed figures are for year end with the exception of the 1996-97 figure which is February 1997 data from Analytical Services Division Quarterly Summary of Statistics. This is the most recent data available.
3 Jun 1997 : Column: 142
Mr. Bradley:
The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive, Mrs. Faith Boardman. She will write to the hon. Member.
Letter from Faith Boardman to Ms Roseanna Cunningham, dated 2 June 1997:
I am replying to your Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security about Child Support Agency assessment reviews.
3 Jun 1997 : Column: 143
Mr. Bradley:
The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive, Mrs. Faith Boardman. She will write to the hon. Member.
Letter from Faith Boardman to Ms Roseanna Cunningham, dated 2 June 1997:
Mr. Bradley:
The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive, Mrs. Faith Boardman. She will write to the hon. Member.
Letter from Faith Boardman to Ms Roseanna Cunningham, dated 2 June 1997:
I am replying to your Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security about Child Support cases where monies are not being recovered from absent parents (APs).
3 Jun 1997 : Column: 144
The above compliance table only includes cases where the Agency collection service is used, and the absent parent (AP) has a full maintenance assessment and payment is via the regular payment account.
Full compliance: All payments due to the regular maintenance accounts have been made and nothing is outstanding.
Partial compliance: Some payment(s) have been made to the regular maintenance accounts during the last 3 months and there is an amount outstanding.
Nil compliance: No payments have been made to the regular maintenance accounts during the last 3 months.
Mr. Bradley:
The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive, Mrs. Faith Boardman. She will write to the hon. Member.
Letter from Faith Boardman to Ms Roseanna Cunningham, dated 2 June 1997:
3 Jun 1997 : Column: 145
I am replying to your Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security about deduction from earnings orders (DEOs) issued by the Child Support Agency.
I should first of all point out that although DEOs are mainly used as a collection method where the AP has not co-operated, they may be used as a preferred payment method by absent parents and are not solely used for collection of arrears payments.
It is not possible to provide the regional breakdown you requested. However information has been collected on the number of DEOs issued since April 1993. The attached table shows the number of DEOs issued and how they compare with the Agency's live load.
I hope this is helpful.
Period DEOs issued Live and assessed caseload
1993-94 2,600 180,000
1994-95 32,027 368,000
1995-96 52,931 462,000
1996-97 57,898 579,000
Ms Cunningham:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the average time taken by the CSA to complete an assessment review; and what action she intends to take to reduce this time. [1360]
Ms Cunningham:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if she will list the average length of time taken by the Child Support Agency to complete a maintenance assessment (a) in total and (b) by regional office for each year since the establishment of the agency. [1357]
The first part of your question asks about the average time taken to complete in assessment review. Under Child Support Agency legislation, there are a number of different reviews that can be requested by parties to an assessment. (which will include the absent parent, parent/person with care and child in Scotland). Any of the interested parties can ask for a review of their assessment by another child support officer if they disagree with the decision of the original child support officer. This is referred to as a second tier review. They may also request a change of circumstance review if a change has occurred that may affect their maintenance assessment. In addition, the Agency undertakes a periodic review of each case every two years.
The Agency measures the number of individual reviews cleared within each of the time bands specified in Agency targets. The Agency does not measures average processing times for cases either within the time bands, or overall.
The 1996-97 target for second tier reviews were;
55% of second tier reviews to be cleared within 13 weeks;
80% of second tier reviews to be cleared within 26 weeks;
and no more than 15% to be older than 26 weeks as at 31 March 1997.
The Agency met all elements of this target and performance was as follows;
66% of second tier reviews cleared within 13 weeks;
88% of second tier reviews to be cleared within 26 weeks;
and 10% that were older than 26 weeks as at 31 March 1997.
The 1996-97 target for change of circumstances were;
Of those change of circumstances cleared
-50% to be cleared within 13 weeks
-60% to be cleared within 26 weeks
Again the Agency met both elements of this target as follows;
Of those change of circumstances cleared
-63% were cleared within 13 weeks
-78% were cleared within 26 weeks.
Even though these targets were exceeded last year, this does not mean that we are complacent in these areas. We will be seeking to ensure that this years performance improves further.
I hope this is helpful.
Ms Cunningham:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if she will list the number and percentage of Child Support Agency cases in which no moneys are being recovered from the absent parent (a) in total, (b) by regional office and (c) by gender of absent parent for each year since the establishment of the agency. [1356]
I am replying to your Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security about Child Support Agency maintenance assessments.
The Agency does not collect information on average processing times, however, the Agency does have a Secretary of State target to clear 60% of new maintenance applications within 26 weeks, which has been in place for the years 1995/96 and 1996/97.
In 1995/96, the Agency cleared 48% of new applications within 26 weeks; in 1996/97 the performance achieved was 54%. However in the last 2 months of 1996/97 the 60% target was exceeded overall A breakdown of the performance by Child Support Agency Centre is available for 1996/97 and is shown in the attached table.
The intake of child maintenance applications is forecast to increase by 5% this year. Nevertheless, we will maintain this target.
I hope this is helpful.
1996-97 performance by Child Support Agency Centre Percentage of applications cleared within 26 weeks
Dudley 51
Hastings 49
Falkirk 53
Plymouth 53
Birkenhead 59
Belfast 55
The information you have requested by region and for all years of Agency operation, is available only at disproportionate cost. I hope the following details will be helpful to you.
The attached table gives information on the current levels of compliance with maintenance assessments at Agency level. The data is taken from a 5% sample of live cases drawn from the child support computer system on the date shown. The Agency does not distinguish absent parents or parents with care by gender.
Ms Cunningham:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if she will list the number and percentage of maintenance assessments carried out by the Child Support Agency which are challenged by the absent parent (a) in total and (b) by regional office for each year since the establishment of the agency. [1354]
February 1997 Full compliance Partial compliance Nil compliance
Full maintenance assessments Number of cases 52,200 52,100 61,000
Percentage 31.6 31.5 36.9
Interim maintenance assessments Number of cases (i) 600 4,000 51,700
Percentage 1.1 7.1 91.8
Number of cases AP paying direct to PWC 97,500 -- --
I am replying to your Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security about Child Support Agency maintenance assessments.
You have asked about the number of maintenance assessments that are challenged by the absent parent. The Agency records information on the number of applications for a second tier review (STR) received from any party to the assessment. Along with absent parents this includes parents with care, persons (other than parents) with care, and a child in Scotland. The STR is the means by which any of the interested parties can ask for a review of their assessment by another child support officer (CSO) if they disagree with the decision of the original CSO.
The attached tables therefore give the number of STR requests received by the Agency since inception, set against the total number of maintenance assessments made in each year.
I hope this is helpful.
Number
Total number of maintenance assessments 205,442
Total number of second tier reviews (STR) received 10,804
| Child support agency centre | Second tier reviews received |
|---|---|
| 1994-95 | |
| Dudley | 4,161 |
| Hastings | 3,568 |
| Falkirk | 4,256 |
| Plymouth | 5,843 |
| Birkenhead | 5,231 |
| Belfast | 4,236 |
| Agency total 1994-95 | 27,295 |
| Agency total number of maintenance assessments | 250,836 |
| 1995-96 | |
| Dudley | 5,231 |
| Hastings | 3,812 |
| Falkirk | 5,440 |
| Plymouth | 7,746 |
| Birkenhead | 6,356 |
| Belfast | 4,977 |
| Agency total 1995-96 | 33,562 |
| Agency total number of maintenance assessments | 127,876 |
| 1996-97 | |
| Dudley | 5,646 |
| Hastings | 3,554 |
| Falkirk | 5,637 |
| Plymouth | 7,237 |
| Birkenhead | 6,825 |
| Belfast | 6,349 |
| Agency total 1996-97 | 35,248 |
| Agency total number of maintenance assessments | 129,255 |
Ms Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if she will list the number and percentage of Child Support Agency cases in which an interim assessment exceeded the actual maintenance assessment (a) in total and (b) by regional office for each year since the establishment of the agency. [1358]
Mr. Bradley: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive, Mrs. Faith Boardman. She will write to the hon. Member.
Letter from Faith Boardman to Ms Roseanna Cunningham, dated 2 June 1997:
3 Jun 1997 : Column: 146
I am replying to your Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security about Child Support Agency interim maintenance assessments (IMAs).
The Agency is unable to answer your question in the format requested, however set out below is an explanation of interim assessments together with the number we have imposed to date, I hope you find this helpful.
An IMA is usually imposed where the absent parent, parent with care or their respective partners do not provide all the information required under Child Support legislation to make a full maintenance assessment (FMA).
One of four different categories of IMA can be imposed depending on the nature of the missing information, ie category A, B, C or D IMA. Category A and D are intended to encourage compliance and will normally always be punitive and higher than the liability under a FMA. A category B may, or may not be punitive depending on the circumstances of the case, it generally will not take account of any new family. A category C IMA is non punitive and is imposed in self employed cases to allow the AP extra time to provide the necessary financial evidence.
Since April 1993 the Agency has imposed over 166,000 IMAs. I do not have break down by category, but the majority of IMAs will be category A where the liability is normally higher than the FMA.
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