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Child Support Maintenance
Mr. Pond: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how much child support maintenance has been assessed to date but not paid; and what proportion of this is currently assessed to be collectable. [5437]
Mr. Keith 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.
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Letter from Mrs. Faith Boardman to Mr. Chris Pond, dated 10 July 1997:
I am replying to your Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security about unpaid child support maintenance.
The amount of child support maintenance where a full maintenance assessment is in place, that had not been paid at the 23 June 1997, was £557,493,252.
The proportion of child support maintenance that is currently regarded as collectable is 48%, taken from the last published Debt Analysis Exercise which was carried out in September 1996. Using this proportion the amount deemed to be collectable is £267,596,761. A further Debt Analysis Exercise has been undertaken this year, and the findings, (once signed off by the National Audit Office), will be published in the Agency's Annual Report and Accounts.
The Agency uses every power available to it to chase up absent parents who try to avoid paying legally due maintenance and our efforts will continue in this area. In 1996-97 the Agency collected or arranged payment for almost £400 million maintenance; this will increase this year to £500 million.
I hope this is helpful.
HOUSE OF COMMONS
All-party Groups and Committees
Mr. Forth: To ask the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission, what steps he takes to ensure that the rules regarding all-party groups and committees are properly observed. [7819]
Mr. Kirkwood: This is a matter for the Administration Committee.
AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD
Mink
Mr. Donald Anderson: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what response he intends to make to proposals in the Council of Europe to set international standards for the farming of mink. [6572]
Mr. Morley: The Standing Committee of The European Convention on the Protection of Animals Kept for Farming Purposes is currently reviewing its 1991 recommendation on the welfare of animals farmed for fur. We shall be pressing for adoption of the highest possible standards, paying proper regard to the welfare of the animals concerned. We will not support any convention that weakens present welfare standards. This does not affect the Government's commitment to bringing an end to fur farming in this country: we are urgently considering how this is to be achieved.
Design Flood Levels
Mrs. Brinton: To ask the Ministers of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if information on design flood levels is required to be made freely available to design professionals by the responsible authority. [7248]
Mr. Morley:
The Environment Agency collects information on the risk of flooding from rivers or the sea. I am advised that readily available information on design flood levels can be obtained from the relevant Region of
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the Agency. Internal Drainage Boards may hold similar information about their districts and I would expect this to be made available on request.
Mrs. Brinton:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food which authority is responsible for confirming design flood levels, particularly flood levels in East Anglia. [7247]
Mr. Morley:
The Environment Agency (and in areas where they exist, Internal Drainage Boards) provide advice to local planning authorities on risks of flooding from rivers or the sea when they are consulted in connection with development plans or planning applications. They also determine the design flood levels for new and improvement flood defence works that they are themselves empowered to construct on rivers or on the coast.
Mrs. Browning:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will publish the results of his Department's investigation into the Channel 4 programme "Bringing Home the Bacon". [7706]
Mr. Morley:
This investigation has resulted in prosecution proceedings being taken in Thetford Magistrates Court on Friday 1 August and it would be inappropriate to comment any further whilst criminal proceedings are pending.
Mr. Salter:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will relax the conditions under which licences are issued for the culling of cormorants on inland waterways in circumstances where fish are subject to intense predation. [7933]
Mr. Morley:
Cormorants are protected by the 1979 EC Birds Directive, implemented in the UK by the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. This Act provides for them to be shot under licence in strictly limited numbers in cases where they are causing serious damage to a fishery and where there is no other satisfactory solution. There are no powers to undertake a general cull.
As a licensing authority under the 1981 Act, the Ministry must issue licences in accordance with the requirements of the Act and I cannot, therefore, relax the conditions under which they are issued.
Crime Victims (Intimidation)
Mr. Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is his estimate of the number of victims of crime who are intimidated by prisoners by (a) letter or (b) telephone; and if he will make a statement. [6606]
Ms Joyce Quin:
Statistics are not currently held centrally on the number of victims of crime who are contacted by prisoners following the unauthorised use of cardphones and correspondence which may result in disciplinary or criminal proceedings being taken against
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the prisoner concerned. Such information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost by a detailed inspection of prisoners' records.
Latest figures obtained from the Prison Service Victim Helpline referred to in the Victim's Charter, a copy of which is in the Library, indicate that in 1996 the Helpline received 11 complaints from victims about written communications from prisoners and 5 complaints about contact using a cardphone for prisoners' use.
Mr. Sedgemore:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if the ACPO guidelines for the use of plastic bullets are a classified document; and if he will place a copy in the Library. [8277]
Mr. Michael:
The guidelines are Home Office guidelines which have in the past been classified. The Code of Practice on Access to Government Information exempts from disclosure information that would harm national security or defence but I do not believe the guidelines come within this category. I am therefore placing a copy of the relevant part in the Library.
Mr. Sedgemore:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of 19 June, Official Report, columns 275-76, when he expects the review of guidelines on the use of plastic baton rounds to be completed. [8269]
Mr. Michael:
The Association of Chief Police Officers, together with the Royal Ulster Constabulary, are currently considering the guidelines. When this review is complete, we will consider any proposals that they wish to make. It will be for Ministers to decide whether any changes in the guidelines should be made. I understand that the review is likely to be completed towards the end of the year.
Mr. Malins:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of Crown court cases in 1996 resulted in a disposal which could have been imposed by a magistrates court. [7467]
Mr. Michael
[holding answer 10 July 1997]: Information for 1995 is given in the table below. Data for 1996 will not be available until the autumn.
| Offence Group | percentage |
|---|---|
| Indictable only | 30 |
| Triable either way | 62 |
| All offences(1) | 59 |
(1) Including summary offences.
Fire Services (Gwent)
Mr. Rowlands:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many call-outs were made during the last five years to (a) the Bargoed fire station and (b) the Cefn Forest fire station, Gwent. [6417]
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Mr. George Howarth:
The information requested is not available centrally.
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