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Benefits (Warrington, North)
Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many people in the Warrington, North constituency are (a) in receipt of family credit and (b) in receipt of income support. [24826]
Mr. Keith Bradley:
The administration of Family Credit and Income Support is a matter for Peter Mathison, Chief Executive of the Benefits Agency. He will write to my hon. Friend.
26 Jan 1998 : Column: 119
| Families in receipt | |
|---|---|
| Family Credit, as at September 1997 | |
| Warrington office | 3,062 |
| Widnes office | 1,913 |
| Income Support, as at November 1997 | |
| North Cheshire District | 25,857 |
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Child Support Agency
Mr. Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what has been (a) the average number of employees and (b) the total caseload of the Child Support Agency in each year since the Agency was established; and what estimates she has made in each case for the next three financial years. [24988]
Mr. Keith Bradley: 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 Faith Boardman to Mr. Steve Webb, dated 23 January 1998:
26 Jan 1998 : Column: 119
I am replying to your Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security about the employees and caseload of the Child Support Agency.
The information on the number of staff since the Agency was established is shown in the table:
| Permanent | Non-permanent | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Headcount | Whole time equivalent(23) | Fixed term contract headcount | Casuals headcount(24) | Casuals whole time equivalent | |
| 31 March 1993 | 3,230 | n/a | (25)n/a | n/a | n/a |
| 31 March 1994 | 4,997 | 4,787.4 | 138 | n/a | n/a |
| 31 March 1995 | 6,312 | 5,974.3 | 79 | 470 | 445.5 |
| 31 March 1996 | 6,770 | 6,660.6 | 352 | 281 | 275.9 |
| 31 March 1997 | 8,068 | 7,880.4 | 327 | 533 | 503.3 |
| 31 December 1997 | 7,678 | 8,052.7 | 948 | 469 | 452.2 |
(23) The permanent whole time equivalent totals include fixed term contract staff.
(24) Statistics for casual staff were not kept prior to 1995.
(25) The fixed term contract staff figure for 1993 is included in the permanent total.
26 Jan 1998 : Column: 119
| Financial year | Estimated staff |
|---|---|
| 1998-99 | 8,344 |
| 1999-2000 | 8,319 |
| 2000-01 | 7,936 |
These figures are based on whole time equivalents.
All staffing figures exclude staff in the Belfast Centre, as these staff are Northern Ireland Civil Servants.
26 Jan 1998 : Column: 120
The Agency's caseload comprises two broad categories, ie work-on-hand, where the case has not been cleared by assessment or by closure for other reasons, and live and assessed cases, where an assessment (either full or interim) has been made.
The details of the Agency's live and assessed cases are provided by the DSS Analytical Services Division, and appear in the Quarterly Summary of Statistics (QSS). Publication of the QSS has
not always coincided with the end of the financial year; the figures quoted in the table below are therefore from the nearest year-end:
| Date | Live and assessed | Work on hand (less than 52 weeks)(26) | Backlog (cases over 52 weeks) | Total caseload |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 1994 | 203,600 | 523,968 | 727,568 | |
| March 1995 | 345,400 | 212,780 | 212,780212 | 770,960 |
| February 1996 | 460,800 | 180,263 | 223,382 | 864,445 |
| February 1997 | 579,200 | 178,024 | 240,345 | 997,569 |
| December 1997 | 706,800 | (27)183,440 | 171,927 | 1,062,167 |
(26) Includes cases from week 1 to week 52.
(27) The increased work on hand is due to a higher intake than anticipated.
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26 Jan 1998 : Column: 122
Current projections suggest a forecast for live and assessed cases as follows:
March 1998: 730,000
March 1999: 855,000
March 2000: 950,000
Between April 1998 and March 2002 the live and assessed caseload is due to rise by around 50 per cent, to reach a figure of 1,115,000. Of the number of cases cleared from the work available each year (current work on hand plus new intake), the proportion which will lead to assessment and join the live and assessed caseload
is expected to rise from 35 per cent. in 1997-98 and 1998-99, to 40 per cent. in 1999-2000 and 2000-01. This is due to improved clearance times and 'cleaner' intake as a result of Closer Working with the Benefits Agency.
I hope this is helpful.