---

BBC Director-General

Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions he has had with the Chairman of the BBC concerning the procedures for selecting the next Director-General; and if he will make a statement. [88149]

Janet Anderson: None. The appointment of the Director-General of the BBC is a matter for the Board of Governors.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Gambia

Mr. McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will list the projects for which aid has been provided to the Gambia during the last three years and the amounts for each project. [87946]

Clare Short: The following table shows British aid provided to the Gambia during the last three years. (The totals have been rounded up or down to the nearest £000).

24 Jun 1999 : Column: 429

£000

Project/programme title	1996-97	1997-98	1998-99	1996-97 to 1998-99
Good Government (Voter Registration Programme)	147	--	30	177
In-Service Education	296	226	16	539
Health Management Strengthening	106	24	--	130
Hospital Maintenance	40	14	9	63
Primary Health Care	60	87	--	148
Economic Management Capacity Building	--	--	50	50
Assistance to Auditor General	--	--	50	50
Mainstreaming Poverty and Gender	--	--	25	25
Records Management Improvement Project	--	--	120	120
Action Aid Capacity Building	--	--	100	100
Total expenditure	649	351	400	1,402

24 Jun 1999 : Column: 431

Kosovo

Mr. Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will make a statement about her Department's involvement in the planned reconstruction of Kosovo. [88115]

Clare Short: The European Union, with the support of the World Bank, will assume the lead role in the reconstruction of Kosovo within the overall UN-led civil implementation structure. We are in close touch with all the international agencies, as well as bilateral donors, concerned with reconstruction.

The European Union and World Bank, who have set up a joint headquarters in Brussels, are coordinating damage and needs assessment and will be organising a series of donor conferences over the coming months to mobilise the necessary international effort to help reconstruct Kosovo.

We are working to ensure that the arrangements for managing EU assistance are effective and allow programmes to be implemented speedily. We are also seeking to ensure that the World Bank plays as wide a role in reconstruction as the legal status of Kosovo will allow.

SOCIAL SECURITY

Child Support Agency

Mr. Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) how many people were employed by the Child Support Agency Independent Case Examiner in each of the past three years; [87575]

(2) how many cases have been dealt with by the Child Support Agency Independent Case Examiner in each of the past three years; [87573]

(3) what was the average time taken by the Child Support Agency Independent Case Examiner to conclude each case referred to him in the past three years; [87574]

(4) what plans there are to review the role and responsibility of the Child Support Agency Independent Case Examiner. [87576]

Angela Eagle: 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 Faith Boardman to Mr. Jim Murphy, dated 23 June 1999:

I am replying to your Parliamentary Questions to the Secretary of State for Social Security about the Child Support Agency Independent Case Examiner.

I have answered three of your questions by presenting the information in table format annexed to this letter.

Table 1 shows the numbers of staff employed by the Independent Case Examiner (ICE). Senior management grades and the Independent Case Examiner herself are included in the category of investigation staff. The ICE Office began its work on 7 April 1997 but staff were recruited and receiving training from the preceding February.

Table 2 shows the intake of cases for two complete years of operation. It breaks down the number dealt with to those which received a full investigation and those which were rejected. When a complaint is received, the issues are identified and ICE check that

24 Jun 1999 : Column: 432

the case can be accepted. If, for example, the Child Support Agency's complaints procedures have not been exhausted ICE will reject the case.

The rise in figures might at first sight suggest a deterioration in CSA customer service, however, this can be attributed to the legitimately rising workloads coupled with rising awareness of ICE following the launch of the first ICE Annual Report in September 1998 which generated a great deal of media interest and new work. September 1998 was the highest intake for ICE in a single month.

Table 3 gives the average time taken to carry out an investigation and report findings. A process was introduced in 1998/99 which allows appropriate cases to be identified and referred to the Child Support Agency for early resolution of the problem by taking prompt action. Thus negating the need for a full investigation by ICE. One effect of this initiative is to lengthen the average time taken to resolve those complaints where early resolution proved impossible and full investigation was needed.

In your fourth question you asked what plans there are to review the role and responsibility of the ICE. The post of Independent Case Examiner is a three year, fee paid, contract with the Department of Social Security, with the possibility of renewal by mutual consent. The three-year period for Mrs Parker does not expire until February 2000. Any announcements about this will be made to Parliament in the normal way.

The ICE acts as an impartial referee and conducts investigations into cases where CSA customers feel that they have been badly treated by the Agency. The ICE makes recommendations on redress, whether that takes the form of an apology, or financial compensation, and also makes recommendations on how the Agency might improve its administrative systems for the benefit of customers. The ICE role does not extend to investigating complaints relating to Child Support legislation, or those which have undergone, or are undergoing, investigation by the PCA.

There are also certain criteria that need to be satisfied for a complainant to obtain the services of the ICE. The ICE will only take on a case if the Agency's own complaints procedures have been exhausted, and the complainant has received a letter from, or on behalf of, myself in response to their complaint, within the last 6 months.

I hope you find this helpful.

Table 1: Number of staff employed by ICE

Year	Investigation staff	Support staff	Total
1996-97	35	5	40
1997-98	36	5	41
1998-99	34	4	38

Table 2: Intake of cases

	1997-98	1998-99
Number at start of year	0	267
New cases	1,087	1,536
Total	1,087	1,803
Dealt with:
Rejected	616	832
Investigated	204	474
Total dealt with	820	1,306
Carried forward	267	497

Table 3: Average time for investigation and reportweeks

Year	Early resolution	Full report
1997-98	--	17.4
1998-99	17.2	33.6

Note:

These figures should be viewed in conjunction with Table 2 showing increased intake and outputs

24 Jun 1999 : Column: 433

Stakeholder Pensions Advisory Group

Kali Mountford: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what progress he has made in setting up his stakeholder pensions advisory group. [88722]

Mr. Darling: The new stakeholder pensions advisory group will complement the formal consultation process for stakeholder pensions. It will draw on the experience of people with day-to-day experience of pensions--including employers and the pensions industry--to help make sure that the detail of stakeholders pensions is right, and that costs for the pensions industry and employers are kept to a minimum.

Members of the group will be: Chair: Tom Ross (Aon Consulting and Scottish Life); large employer: Mark Hodgkinson (Barclays Bank); medium-sized employer: Judy Lever (Blooming Marvellous Ltd.); small employer: Ken Lewis (Dutton Engineering); insurance industry: Adrian Boulding (Legal & General); occupational pension scheme: David Morgan (CMT); independent financial adviser: Terry Bennet (PIFC); union fund: Joanne Segars (TUC); trust manager: Dugald Eadie (Hendersons).

Housing Benefit Claimants (Rent)

Mr. Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security for how many current recipients of housing benefit their eligible rent is below the actual rent which they pay because of (i) the single room rent rules, (ii) the average reference rent rules and (iii) either of the above; and, in each case, what is the average amount by which the eligible rent falls short of the actual rent paid. [87778]

Angela Eagle: The information is not available in the format requested. We do not centrally collect information of individuals' contractual rent because it will commonly include items not eligible for Housing Benefit.

The measures which limit the rent for Housing Benefit purposes are:

certain service charges included in the contractual rent which are not generally eligible for Housing Benefit, for example, charges for cleaning, laundry, fuel, meals and personal care and nursing;

the range of determinations, including determinations of single room rents, made by rent officers in respect of most claims from tenants living in the private rented sector; and

where local authorities consider that the rent is unreasonably high or the accommodation overlarge or the eligible rent is nonetheless too high in respect of a particular case.

---