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Pension Sharing (Divorce)
Mr. Kirkwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security when she will publish the draft Bill on pension sharing after divorce. [15960]
Mr. Denham: The Government are committed to introducing pension sharing for divorcing couples and we aim to do so from April 2000. We welcome input from all interested groups to ensure that we deliver effective and workable arrangements which recognise the contribution that both women and men make to a marriage. We are currently working in partnership with the pensions industry, family lawyers and other key groups and will publish draft Bill clauses for consultation during the current Parliamentary session. This is the first time that this Department has consulted on draft primary legislation in this way, demonstrating our commitment to open and consultative Government.
Benefits Agency Staff
Mr. Hinchliffe: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many Benefits Agency staff are themselves in receipt of income-related benefits. [15837]
Mr. Keith Bradley: The information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Child Support Agency
Mr. Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the current backlog of cases at the CSA.[14227]
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.
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The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive, Mrs. Faith Boardman. She will write to my hon. Friend.
Letter from Mrs. Faith Boardman to Mr. Keith Vaz, dated 14 November 1997:
Mr. Vaz:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what were the staffing levels at the CSA on (i) 1 October 1996 and (ii) 1 October 1997. [14226]
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
17 Nov 1997 : Column: 88
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 my hon. Friend.
I am replying to your Parliamentary Question concerning the backlog of cases at the Child Support Agency.
Any maintenance application which is over 52 weeks old is considered to form part of the Agency's backlog. At 30 September 1997, there were approximately 199,000 such cases.
The Agency has developed and is now implementing a strategy for meeting its undertaking to clear its backlogs. All Business Units have put in place operational plans which will guide them towards the achievement of our stated objective of clearing backlogs by 31 March 1999.
The Agency is tackling the backlog of cases. However, we must balance the demands placed on us--to delivery Secretary of State targets, to continue to improve performance and improve customer service--and clearance of the backlogs.
I hope this is helpful.
| Permanent and fixed term contract staff | Casual staff | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 September 1996 | 7,191.6 | 455.4 | 7,647 |
| 30 September 1997 | 8,043.2 | 462.7 | 8,505.9 |
(17) Figures are an amalgamation of full-time and part-time staff and are expressed as whole time equivalents.
I hope this is helpful.