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25 Jun 2007 : Column 426W—continued

Table 1: Civil court proceedings
February 2006 to January 2007

Total Civil Proceedings undertaken

34,015

England and Wales

Liability Orders

12,490

Distress Actions

12,985

County Court Judgments

1,840

3(rd) Party Debt Orders

1,995

Charging Orders

1,685

Scotland

Liability Orders Granted

845

Attachments

255

Arrestments

615

Bills of Inhibition

850

England, Wales and Scotland

Suspended committal sentences

385

Committal Sentences

40

Suspended driving licence disqualifications sentences

30

Driving licence disqualification sentences

5

Notes:
1 The table details the number of civil proceedings undertaken and not the number of Child Support Agency cases resulting in court proceedings.
2. A liability order is a document obtained from the court showing that they legally recognise that the debt is owing. This is the same in both England and Wales and Scotland. This is required before the Agency can use litigation powers (Diligence in Scotland).
3. Distress actions refers to bailiff actions in England and Wales. This is where, once the debt has been legally recognised, the Agency has passed the debt to a bailiff company for collection (or equivalent).
4. County court judgment orders apply only to England and Wales. Registers the person with a county court judgment order, which remains on their credit record for six years.
5. Third party debt orders in England and Wales instruct a third party to pay any funds owed to, or held on behalf of, the non-resident parent to the Agency instead. In practice, this is typically used for banks and building societies.
6. Charging orders in England and Wales are where a county court order for the legally recognised debt is attached to the equity in the non-resident parent’s property. They are then unable to re-mortgage or sell the property without satisfying the debt. If they satisfy the debt by other means, the charge is removed.
7. Attachments refer to actions taken by sheriff officers in Scotland on the Agency’s instruction to attach certain goods and remove for auction if the debt is not settled.
8. Arrestments refer to actions taken by sheriff officers in Scotland on the Agency’s instruction to serve an arrestment on a third party holding funds owed to, or held on behalf of, the non-resident parent to pay to the Agency instead. In practice this is typically used for banks and building societies.
9. Bills of Inhibition in Scotland do not attach directly to the non-resident parent’s property, but are a personal prohibition preventing heritable property being transferred, alienated or disposed of by the non-resident parent.
10. Note that the figures for the most recent months are provisional, and may be subject to retrospective revisions.
11. Figures are rounded to the nearest five.
12. The figures included in this table do not themselves have National Statistics status, but are included in this publication in order to give a fuller picture of the Agency’s performance.

25 Jun 2007 : Column 427W

Table 2: Criminal court proceedings
Number taken to court 12 months to March 2007

Total Criminal Proceedings

498

Failure to provide information

490

Knowingly providing false information

4

Failure to implement a deduction from earnings order

2

Obstructing an Inspector

2

Notes:
1. Criminal proceedings are undertaken when a non-resident parent either fails to comply with a request for information; knowingly makes a false statement, or provides information they know to be false.
2. Criminal proceedings can also be made against employers for failing to apply a deduction of earnings order when asked or for obstructing a child support inspector in the course of their duties or for failing to co-operate with the inspector.

Child Support Agency

Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the total caseload of the Child Support Agency was in each (a) quarter and (b) year since 2003; what he estimates the caseload of the Agency and its successor will be in each (i) quarter and (ii) year to 2014; and if he will make a statement. [145371]

Mr. Plaskitt: I refer the hon. Member for Yeovil to parliamentary question 141939 answered today.


25 Jun 2007 : Column 428W

Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many (a) third party debt orders and (b) charging orders were (i) sought by and (ii) granted to the Child Support Agency in each (A) quarter and (B) year since 1997; and if he will make a statement. [145373]

Mr. Plaskitt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the chief executive. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.

Letter from Stephen Geraghty, dated 25 June 2007:

Table 1: numbers of charging orders and third party debt orders granted in each year from April 1998 to January 2007
April 1998—March 1999 April 1999—March 2000 April 2000—March 2001 April 2001—March 2002 April 2002—March 2003 April 2003—March 2004 April 2004—March 2005 April 2005—March 2006 February 2006—January 2007

Charging orders applied for

204

130

254

314

751

1,395

*1,235

*1,710

*1,995

Third party debt orders applied for

62

69

224

326

750

922

*845

*1,335

*1,685

Notes:
1. Third Party Debt orders in England and Wales instruct a third party to pay any funds owed to, or held on behalf of, the non-resident parent to the Agency instead. In practice this is typically used for banks and building societies.
2. Charging orders in England and Wales are where a County Court Order for the legally recognised debt is attached to the equity in the non-resident parent’s property. They are then unable to re-mortgage or sell the property without satisfying the debt. If they satisfy the debt by other means the charge is removed.
3. The figures marked with an asterix are sourced from the Agency’s Quarterly Summary Statistics. Prior to April 2004, the figures given were clerically collated and are actual figures, not subject to rounding.
4. Figures sourced from the Agency’s Quarterly Summary Statistics are rounded to the nearest five.
5. The figures for 2006-07 are from February 2006 to January 2007 and these are the latest figures published available.

Children: Maintenance

Mrs. Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how long, on average, parents with care in receipt of benefits awaited payment in (a) old scheme and (b) new scheme Child Support Agency cases in each month since January 2003. [122890]

Mr. Plaskitt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is the matter for the Chief Executive.

He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.

Letter from Stephen Geraghty, dated 25 June 2007:

Table 1: The number of months that cases with a positive maintenance liability have been awaiting payment from the non resident parent, and the median average wait where the parent with care was in receipt of benefit, May 2003 to August 2006, by scheme
Cases paying in month Cases waiting less than 3 months Cases waiting 3 to 6 months Cases waiting 6 to 12 months Cases waiting 1 to 2 years Cases waiting Over 2 years Time bands of Median average wait for maintenance for all PWC’s on benefit

New Scheme

May 2003

-

4,000

-

-

-

-

0-3 months

August 2003

1,000

9,000

3,000

-

-

.

0-3 months

November 2003

4,000

16,000

6,000

2,000

-

-

0-3 months

February 2004

8,000

14,000

11,000

7,000

-

-

0-3 months

May 2004

13,000

14,000

9,000

12,000

1,000

-

0-3 months

August 2004

18,000

13,000

9,000

14,000

5,000

-

0-3 months

November 2004

23,000

13,000

8,000

12,000

9,000

-

0-3 months

February 2005

28,000

14,000

8,000

11,000

12,000

-

0-3 months

May 2005

35,000

16,000

8,000

11,000

14,000

1,000

0-3 months

August 2005

42,000

17,000

9,000

11,000

14,000

3,000

0-3 months

November 2005

48,000

20,000

10,000

12,000

13,000

5,000

0-3 months

February 2006

56,000

22,000

11,000

13,000

13,000

7,000

0-3 months

May 206

68,000

21,000

11,000

14,000

13,000

9,000

In Payment

August 2006

75,000

22,000

11,000

14,000

14,000

10,000

In Payment

Old Scheme

May 2003

85,000

25,000

6,000

8,000

8,000

23,000

In Payment

August 2003

78,000

20,000

14,000

9,000

9,000

21,000

In Payment

November 2003

71,000

16,000

9,000

14,000

9,000

19,000

In Payment

February 2004

65,000

15,000

7,000

14,000

10,000

20,000

0-3 months

May 2004

62,000

12,000

6,000

10,000

13,000

19,000

In Payment

August 2004

60,000

11,000

5,000

9,000

14,000

19,000

In Payment

November 2004

56,000

13,000

5,000

8,000

18,000

21,000

0-3 months

February 2005

51,000

8,000

8,000

7,000

17,000

21,000

0-3 months

May 2005

49,000

8,000

3,000

10,000

14,000

26,000

0-3 months

August 2005

48,000

6,000

3,000

9,000

12,000

28,000

0-3 months

November 2005

46,000

5,000

3,000

5,000

13,000

29,000

0-3 months

February 2006

43,000

7,000

2,000

5,000

11,000

29,000

3-6 months

May 2006

44,000

5,000

2,000

4,000

10,000

28,000

0-3 months

August 2006

42,000

6,000

2,000

3,000

9,000

28,000

0-3 months

Total - Both Schemes

May 2003

85,000

28,000

6,000

8,000

8,000

23,000

In Payment

August 2003

78,000

29,000

17,000

9,000

9,000

21,000

0-3 months

November 2003

75,000

31,000

15,000

16,000

9,000

19,000

0-3 months

February 2004

73,000

29,000

18,000

20,000

10,000

20,000

0-3 months

May 2004

75,000

26,000

15,000

23,000

15,000

19,000

0-3 months

August 2004

78,000

24,000

14,000

23,000

19,000

19,000

0-3 months

November 2004

79,000

26,000

12,000

20,000

27,000

21,000

0-3 months

February 2005

79,000

22,000

16,000

18,000

29,000

21,000

0-3 months

May 2005

84,000

24,000

11,000

21,000

28,000

26,000

0-3 months

August 2005

90,000

24,000

13,000

20,000

26,000

30,000

0-3 months

November 2005

95,000

25,000

13,000

17,000

27,000

34,000

0-3 months

February 2006

99,000

28,000

14,000

18,000

24,000

36,000

0-3 months

May 2006

112,000

27,000

13,000

18,000

23,000

37,000

0-3 months

August 2006

116,000

28,000

13,000

18,000

22,000

38,000

0-3 months

Notes to table:
1. Due to limitations with available management information, it is not possible to calculate the mean average time that cases have been waiting for a payment; hence the table shows the median average time band (in months) either since a payment was received on the case or since the case was calculated as having a positive liability.
2. The table shows cases where the parent with care was on benefit at the end of the month shown. This does not necessarily mean that the parent with care has been on benefit for the entire duration of the CSA claim.
3. Cases are classed as waiting if they are currently open, either non-compliant or have a calculation/assessment but no active charging schedule in place, and no maintenance has been received in the quarter ending with the month shown.
4. The table includes both old scheme cases on the old computer system and old scheme cases, which have been migrated onto the new computer system.
5. The table starts from May 2003, as this is the first month it is possible to provide comparable data across both the new and old schemes.
6. Numbers are rounded to the nearest thousand. ‘-’ Indicates a figure less than 500.

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