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SOCIAL SECURITY
Child Support Agency
Mr. Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what plans she has for a review of the structure and operation of the Child Support Agency; over what time scale and with what terms of reference; and if she will make a statement. [4889]
Mr. Keith Bradley: Over the coming months we will be looking closely at all areas of the Child Support Agency's operations, in particular to ensure that cases are processed faster, backlogs are tackled and fathers do not avoid paying maintenance.
Mr. Kirkwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if she will list the proportion of the new work intake of the Child Support Agency during 1996-97 and the number of live assessed cases on 31 March 1997 relating to persons with care (a) claiming (i) income support, (ii) income-based jobseekers allowance, (iii) family credit and (iv) disability working allowance and (b) not in receipt of means-tested benefits; if she will list the figures for the three previous years; and if she will estimate the proportion of maintenance collected which is not offset against means-tested benefits. [5265]
Mr. Bradley: We expect the Child Support Agency to provide an efficient and effective service to all its clients throughout the Child Support assessment process. We are looking for substantial and sustained improvements from the Agency in particular on getting more maintenance paid, reducing the backlog and improving customer service.
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 Mrs. Faith Boardman to Mr. Archy Kirkwood, dated 7 July 1997:
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I am replying to your Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security about new work intake by the Child Support Agency.
The Agency intake of new work in 1996-97 was 368,026. The intake for the 3 previous years was 356,317 in 1995-96; 398,584 in 1994-95; and 858,011 in 1993-94.
Information is not available to break down each years new intake of work into the categories that you have requested. However, data relating to the Agency's live and assessed caseload is produced by
the Analytical Services Division of the Department of Social Security. Figures are not available, as at the month of March for each of the years you have requested; the nearest figures available are those at 30 June 1994, 31 March 1995 and 28 February for both 1996 and 1997. The table attached shows the total live and assessed caseload, and the number of cases with full maintenance assessments at the dates mentioned.
The table also outlines the proportion of parents/persons with care claiming means tested benefits and those who are not. Data is only available for full maintenance assessments. The number of cases
where the parent with care is in receipt of Disabled Working Allowance is small, and these are included with Family Credit cases. Income-based Job Seekers Allowance cases are not counted separately, and they are included with Income Support cases.
Of the £399.9m collected or arranged for payment by the Agency in 1996-97, £267.7m (67%) has been calculated as offsetting benefit spending. This leaves an estimated £132.2m (33%) which did not offset benefit spending.
I hope this is helpful.
June 1994 March 1995 February 1996 February 1997
Number of live and assessed cases 203,600 345,400 460,800 579,200
Number of FMAs 152,100 257,900 369,100 498,500
Proportion of parents with care
In receipt of income support 86.2 per cent. 83.5 per cent. 77.0 per cent. 73.1 per cent.
In receipt of family credit and disabled working allowance 8.9 per cent. 10.5 per cent. 13.2 per cent. 15.2 per cent.
Not in receipt of means tested benefit 4.9 per cent. 6.0 per cent. 9.8 per cent. 11.7 per cent.
Mr. Kirkwood:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many persons with care have received payments of interest on delay from the Child Support Agency. [5271]
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 Mrs. Faith Boardman to Mr. Archy Kirkwood, dated 7 July 1997:
I am replying to your Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security about the number of persons with care who have received payments of interest on delay from the Child Support Agency.
The measure whereby persons with care are compensated for delays caused by the Agency in passing on maintenance payments was introduced in March 1996, and was applicable to payments made from 1 April 1995. At the 30 April 1997, the total number of persons with care who have received payments under this measure from the Agency was 835, from a live and assessed caseload of approximately half a million.
I hope this is helpful.
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proportion of absent parents have an assessment which is higher than the maintenance requirement for the relevant children. [5293]
Mr. Bradley: The formula provisions are designed to ensure that absent parents pay a reasonable amount towards the costs of their children, and contain a number of safeguards to ensure they retain a fair proportion of their income to meet other commitments. The additional maintenance payable when absent parents have sufficient income to meet the basic maintenance requirement helps to ensure that children share their higher standard of living.
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 Mrs. Faith Boardman to Mr. Archy Kirkwood, dated 7 July 1997:
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Absent parents with a net income of £0.00 includes all cases where the absent parent is on income support JSA(IB). This includes a small number of cases where the maintenance assessment is greater than £4.80. These are normally suspended cases where the CSA is investigating the current status of the absent parent.
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I am replying to your Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security regarding the level of Child Support Agency full maintenance assessments against absent parents net income and the proportion of absent parents that have a maintenance assessment that is higher than the maintenance requirement.
The tables below outline full maintenance assessments of absent parents by net income as requested.
The proportion of absent parents with a final maintenance higher than the maintenance requirement is approximately 12%.
I hope this is helpful.
Mr. Kirkwood:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if she will list for each quarter for which information is available since April 1993 (a) the total debt in Child Support Agency accounts, (b) the debt attributable to interim maintenance assessments and (c) for both IMA-only cases and fully assessed cases, the number and percentage of accounts (i) fully paid up, (ii) partly paid up and (iii) without any payments made; and if he will add these data to the CSA performance statistical information placed in the Library. [5261]
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 Mrs. Faith Boardman to Mr. Archy Kirkwood, dated 7 July 1997:
I am replying to your Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security about the amount of debt in Child Support Agency accounts.
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The amount of debt, which includes final maintenance assessments and all interim maintenance assessments (except Category A maintenance assessments) remaining to be collected by the Agency at the end of March 1997 was £513,124,641.
The amount of maintenance outstanding attributable to Category A assessments remaining to be collected by the Agency at the end of March 1997 was £613,765,094.
Compliance rates are only available from November 1995. Prior to that date information available was of insufficient reliability to produce accurate results. The tables attached reflect the position from November 1995.
We will not be including these statistics in the CSA Statistical Information report which is placed in the House of Commons Library, as these statistics are available to the public in the DSS Analytical Services Division CSA Quarterly Summary of Statistics.
I hope this is helpful.
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Not applicable category includes those cases with nothing due or where payment is not via the collection service, as well as the majority of absent parents in receipt of income support.
Due to rounding figures may not sum to exact totals.
Nil compliance indicates that no payment has been made during the last three months.
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Not applicable category includes those cases with nothing due or where payment is not via the collection service, as well as the majority of absent parents in receipt of income support.
Due to rounding figures may not sum to exact totals.
Nil compliance indicates that no payment has been made during the last three months.
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Mr. Bradley: We expect the Child Support Agency to provide an efficient and effective service to all its clients throughout the child support assessment process. We are looking for substantial and sustained operational improvements from the Agency, in particular on getting more maintenance paid, reducing the backlog and improving customer service.
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 Mrs. Faith Boardman to Mr. Chris Pond, dated 7 July 1997:
I am replying to your Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security about the processing of maintenance assessments. I am afraid that I am unable to provide precise information in the format requested, as we do not have a breakdown of the proportion of clearances within a year and greater than a year.
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assessment and (b) live assessed cases at the end of each financial year of its operation; and what estimates she has made of these figures over the next five years. [5280]
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 Mrs. Faith Boardman to Mr. Archy Kirkwood, dated 7 July 1997:
I am replying to your Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security about the caseload of the Child Support Agency.
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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 Mrs. Faith Boardman to Mr. Archy Kirkwood, dated 7 July 1997:
Whilst figures are collated on correspondence received by Ministers and Chief Executive offices, this is not broken down into different categories, and it is not possible to say what proportion of that correspondence relates to complaints. Details of the number of letters received by the Chief Executive and by Ministers over the last six quarters is as follows:
It is important to consider the amount of correspondence, whether complaints or other matters, in the context of the Agency's overall business. From launch in April 1993 to the end of 1996/97, the Agency has taken on just under two million cases. A relatively small proportion of the Agency's workload, therefore, results in complaints or other correspondence.
In response to a written Parliamentary Question, the then Parliamentary Under Secretary of State announced on 25 March 1996, that an Independent Complaints Examiner would be recruited for the Agency. This was followed by a press release, on the same day, stating his intentions to recruit an Independent Complaints Examiner, following a pilot to inform the guidelines within which the Examiner would operate. The appointment of Anne Parker as Independent Case Examiner was announced in a press release on 31st December 1996 and a leaflet explaining the service was published at the end of March 1997. Additionally, moves to
publicise the service have included meetings between the Examiner and stakeholder organisations, and correspondence from the Ombudsman to MPs.
The Office of the Independent Case Examiner opened for business on 7th April 1997, but there were some restrictions on publicity during the General Election period.
I hope this is helpful.
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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 Mrs. Faith Boardman to Mr. Archy Kirkwood, dated 7 July 1997:
Mr. Kirkwood:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what has been the caseload of the Child Support Agency, in respect of (a) cases awaiting
The clearance of maintenance assessments is the subject of a Secretary of State target, which in 1996/97 required that 60% of new applications be cleared within 26 weeks. We therefore monitored the progress of applications with this target in mind.
In 1996/97, we reported that 54% of new applications were cleared within 26 weeks. This was the figure for the full year. Performance was improving as the year-end approached in February and March, the in-month achievement was 60% and 63% respectively.
Performance this year shows a continuing upward trend in the clearance of cases.
I hope this is helpful.
Details of the number of cases awaiting assessment at the end of each year of operation are as follows:
1993-94: 550,000
1994-95: 425,561
1995-96: 409,659
1996-97: 406,649
Details of the Agency's live and assessed cases are provided by the Department of Social Security Analytical Services Division, and are measured for the Agency's Quarterly Summary of Statistics (QSS). The quarterly measurement has not always coincided with the end of the financial year; the following figures are therefore from the QSS nearest to the year-end:
1993-94: 203,600 (June 1994 QSS)
1994-95: 345,400 (March 1995 QSS)
1995-96: 460,800 (February 1996 QSS)
1996-97: 579,200 (February 1997 QSS).
We would expect to have reduced work on hand to around 200,000 by the end of 1998-99. The Agency is constantly seeking to improve clearance times and taking this into account would expect to have around 150,000-200,000 cases on hand during the following three years.
The number of live and assessed cases at the end of each of the next five years is expected to be as follows:
1997-98: 730,000
1998-99: 855,000
1999-2000: 950,000
Mr. Kirkwood:
To ask the Secretary of Sate for Social Security how many complaints concerning the Child Support Agency were sent in the last six quarters to (a) its customer services manager, (b) its chief executive and (c) Ministers; and when complainants were informed of the establishment of the office of independent case examiner. [5316]
2000-01: 1,035,000
2001-02; 1,115,000
I hope this is helpful.
I am replying to your Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security about complaints concerning the Child Support Agency. I am afraid that I am unable to provide precise information in the format requested.
Most letters of complaint to the Agency are not dealt with centrally, but are handled by the Child Support Agency Centres (or, in a small number of instances, field offices) responsible for the complainants case. The number of complaints received by the Centres (or the field) over the last six quarters is as follows:
Quarter Number of complaints
October to December 1995 7,609
January to March 1996 6,257
April to June 1996 6,275
July to September 1996 6,259
October to December 1996 5,808
January to March 1997 5,870
Quarter Chief Executive Ministers
October to December 1995 2,322 455
January to March 1996 2,412 370
April to June 1996 2,338 402
July to September 1996 2,102 319
October to December 1996 2,333 346
January to March 1997 2,266 347
Mr. Kirkwood:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many Child Support Agency cases have had initial period arrears of over six months deferred in each quarter since April 1995; and in how many of these cases the person with care has been compensated. [5254]
Mr. Kirkwood:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security when the Child Support Agency performance statistics for the final quarter of 1996-97 will be placed in the Library; and if the CSA met its performance targets and its charter targets for that year. [5288]
I am replying to your Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security about the Child Support Agency initial period arrears cases.
This measure was introduced to encourage absent parents to start paying maintenance where significant levels of arrears had accrued, as a direct result of Agency delays in processing initial maintenance assessments in the early period of the Agency. Under this arrangement, if absent parents continue to comply for 52 weeks, they would only be liable for the latest 6 months of arrears. Where this results in a balance of arrears being due to the person with care, this is paid by the Agency in the form of a special payment.
The table attached shows the number of cases where initial period arrears have been deferred and the number of cases where the person with care has been compensated.
Because of the 52 week qualifying period no payments were made during 1995/96. It follows that any agreements made for 1996/97 would not be actioned until the beginning of the following financial year, namely 1997/98.
I hope this is helpful.
Period Initial period arrears deferred -- number of cases Number of cases where person with care has been compensated
April to June 1995 14 Not applicable
July to September 1995 76 Not applicable
October to December 1995 304 Not applicable
January to March 1996 382 Not applicable
April to June 1996 303 Nil
July to September 1996 200 16
October to December 1996 191 20
January to March 1997 266 52
Totals 1,736 88
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.
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Letter from Mrs. Faith Boardman to Mr. Archy Kirkwood, dated 7 July 1997:
8 Jul 1997 : Column: 462
I am replying to your Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security about the performance of the Child Support Agency in 1996/97.
Performance statistics for the final quarter of the year were placed in the Library on 4th June 1997.
The Agency was given a demanding set of targets for 1996/97 by the Secretary of State, and performance indicated the good progress made in its main activities, with four out of five targets achieved in full. Full details of performance against the targets are shown in the attached table 1.
The original Agency Charter was published in April 1993 to coincide with the launch of the Agency. It has now been revised, following consultation with Agency staff, client representative groups, DSS Headquarters, and the Citizen's Charter Unit. The new Charter was published in November 1996, and was the first Agency leaflet to be awarded the Plain English Campaign "Crystal Mark". Performance in 1996/97 against the revised standards is shown in the attached table 2.
I hope this is helpful.
Secretary of State Target 1996-97 Performance
£380m to £400m to be collected by the Agency or arranged for direct payment. £399.89 million
To achieve continuing improvement in accuracy so that in at least 85 per cent. of cases checked during March 1997 the assessment value will be for the correct amount. 87 per cent.
95 per cent. of payments to parents with care to be made within 10 working days of receipt from the absent parent. 98 per cent.
Maintenance assessments:
60 per cent. to be cleared within 26 weeks. 54 per cent.
At 31 March 1997, no more than 10 per cent. of all applications to be over 52 weeks old. 12 per cent.
Second tier reviews:
55 per cent. to be cleared within 13 weeks. 66 per cent.
80 per cent. to be cleared within 26 weeks. 88 per cent.
At 31 March 1997, no more than 15 per cent. to be over 26 weeks old. 10 per cent.
Charter standards Performance Per cent.
We aim to complete new assessments within 26 weeks. 54
We aim to pay parents with care their maintenance within 10 working days of receipt from the absent parent. 98
We aim to review assessments within 26 weeks. 88
We aim to send all the necessary information to the appeal tribunal within 13 weeks. 82
We aim to answer your telephone call with 20 seconds if you phone with a general enquiry during normal working hours. 64
We aim to reply to letters within 10 working days of receiving them. 52
We aim to see you within 10 minutes of your arrival if you have booked an appointment. 100
We aim to acknowledge your complaint within 2 working days. 92
We aim to send a full reply within 10 working days. 62
Mr. Kirkwood:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security in how many Child Support Agency cases (a) liability orders have been registered in the county court, (b) inspectors have been appointed and (c) category C IMAs have been made. [5258]
Mr. Bradley: The Government believes all children are entitled to the support of both parents, irrespective of where they live. We cannot tolerate absent parents not paying the maintenance that they owe. It is therefore right that the Child Support Agency should chase up fathers who avoid paying.
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