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25 Oct 2005 : Column 276W—continued
Carer's Allowance
Mr. Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the total cost of the carer's allowance was in each of the past 10 years; how many people received the carer's allowance in each year; and what the average received was. [16282]
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Mrs. McGuire: The information is in the following tables.
(21) Case load includes suspended cases, cases that are not in receipt of payment because their entitlement is under investigation.
| Expenditure (£ million) | Case load(22) (Thousand) | Average weekly amount (£) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002–03 | 995 | 397,000 | 45.1 |
| 2003–04 | 1,051 | 416,000 | 45.6 |
| 2004–05 | 1,102 | 432,000 | 45.9 |
(22) Case load excludes suspended cases. Case load estimates on this basis are not available prior to 2002–03.
Notes:
1. The average weekly amount is rounded to the nearest ten pence.
2. The case load estimates and average weekly amounts are financial year averages and derived from quarterly statistical data extracts. Figures for the years 1999–2000 and 2000–01 are estimated due to lack of suitable information.
3. The case load estimates exclude cases where an allowance is not paid despite entitlement due to the overlapping benefit rules.
4. The expenditure figures until 2003–04 are out-turn while the figure for 2004–05 is estimated out-turn. The expenditure figures are based on data from the departmental accounting systems.
5. The case load and average weekly amounts, when grossed up to annual totals do not precisely match the expenditure. This is because the statistical data have only five snapshots" which are used to estimate annual averages. Furthermore, these snapshots fail to capture a number of new cases that are in process at any point time.
6. The figures quoted are marginally different to those previously published due to methodological changes and some minor adjustments.
Child Maintenance
Mr. Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many families received child maintenance payments in Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk constituency in (a) 2002–03, (b) 2003–04 and (c) 2004–05; and if he will make a statement. [15888]
Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many families received child maintenance payments in Hornsey and Wood Green constituency in (a) 2002–03, (b) 2003–04 and (c) 2004–05; and if he will make a statement. [16990]
Mr. Plaskitt: The information requested is not available at constituency level.
Child Support Agency
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his estimate is of the compliance rate for Child Support Agency cases for each quarter from 2000–01 to 2005–06; and if he will make a statement. [988]
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Mr. Plaskitt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive, Mr. Stephen Geraghty. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
Letter from Stephen Geraghty to Mr. David Laws, dated 25 October 2005:
In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what his estimate is of the compliance rate for Child Support Agency cases for each quarter from 2000–01 to 2005–06; and if he will make a statement.
The Agency has two measures of compliance. The case compliance rate is the percentage of cases for which a payment has been received, out of all of the cases for which a payment was due in a given period. The cash compliance rate is the percentage of the total amount of maintenance due to be paid in a given period which has actually been paid.
Information regarding the case and cash compliance rates is in the tables which I have enclosed with this letter.
(23) The new scheme has been in operation since March 2003, so data prior to this date is purely old scheme information and therefore overall Agency compliance by virtue of being the sole source of data.
(24) New scheme data, and that for old scheme on the new IT system, for the period March 2003 to March 2004 is not robust therefore it has been excluded. It is hoped that this will be available in the near future.
n/a = not available.
Notes:
1. Case compliance is measured on a rolling-last-quarter basis for both schemes as this best demonstrates performance.
2. Cash compliance is measured on a three-month rolling average basis as this best demonstrates performance.
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Mr. Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his latest estimate is of the backlog of uncleared Child Support Agency cases for each quarter from March 2001 to July 2005 in (a) Scotland and (b) the Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk constituency; and if he will make a statement. [15887]
Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his latest estimate is of the backlog of uncleared Child Support Agency cases for each quarter from March 2001 to August 2005 in Hornsey and Wood Green constituency; and if he will make a statement. [16994]
Mr. Plaskitt: The information requested is not available for Scotland or at constituency level.
Mr. Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many complaints originating from Scotland have been received by the Child Support Agency in each year since 1997; how many went forward for adjudication; how many have been (a) fully and (b) partially upheld; and if he will make a statement. [15889]
Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many complaints have been received by the Child Support Agency in each year since 1999, broken down by originating London borough; how many went forward for adjudication; how many have been (a) fully and (b) partially upheld; and if he will make a statement. [16941]
Mr. Plaskitt:
The information requested is not available for Scotland or at London borough or constituency level.
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Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the impact of IR591 on the levels of child maintenance being paid through the Child Support Agency by non-resident parents whose main source of income is from self-employment. [18785]
Mr. Plaskitt: No assessment has been made on the impact of IR591 for child support maintenance purposes.
This is because IR591 partly relates to the Corporation Tax liability of limited companies who distribute some of their profits to shareholders instead of reinvesting it in the business. A non-resident parent who works for their own limited company will be an employee of that company (usually a director) and will not be self-employed. Child Support will only be interested in the earned income of that non-resident parent, and not in the profits (and associated Corporation Tax liability) made by that company.
Mr. Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many former Child Support Agency employees were awarded compensation from employment tribunals in (a) 2002–03, (b) 2003–04, (c) 2004–05 and (d) 2005–06. [21227]
Mr. Plaskitt [holding answer 24 October 2005]: The Child Support Agency's human resource records on employment tribunals only go as far as the third quarter of the operational year 2003–04 (beginning 1 October 2003) and extends to the second quarter of the current year (ending 30 September 2005).
According to the Agency's records during this period 1 October 2004 to 30 September 2005 only one former employee of the Agency has been awarded compensation as a direct result of an employment tribunal.
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