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15 Oct 2009 : Column 1021W—continued
Information on the number of parents who have child maintenance arrears outstanding is only available for cases on the current child maintenance scheme, introduced in 2003. The Commission estimates that at the end of June 2009 there were a total of 1,020 non-resident parents in Bassetlaw parliamentary constituency with six months or more child maintenance arrears outstanding.
I hope you find this answer helpful.
Children: Maintenance
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many widows unsuccessfully applied to the Child Maintenance Enforcement Commission for fresh assessments of maintenance following the death of their husband. [292040]
Helen Goodman: The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission is responsible for the child maintenance system. I have asked the Child Maintenance Commissioner to write to the hon. Member with the information requested and I have seen the response.
In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Child Maintenance Commissioner.
You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many widows unsuccessfully applied to the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission for fresh assessments of maintenance following the death of their husband. [292040]
The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission does not collate information on the marital status of its clients and is therefore not able to provide an answer to your question. It may be helpful if I explain that for the current statutory scheme the assessment of child maintenance due is based solely on the non-resident parent's income for each of the children that he or she is responsible for.
The circumstances of the parent with care are not taken into account when assessing the amount of maintenance due, therefore any changes in the parent with care's circumstances, including bereavement will not require a change in the maintenance assessment.
I should probably also make clear that in any case where the non-resident parent dies, the Commission will close the case. The Child Maintenance and Other Payments Act 2008 included provision to allow the Commission to recover arrears of maintenance accrued from the non-resident parent's estate, however this provision has yet to be commenced. It is currently intended to bring forward regulations on recovery from deceased estates in 2010.
I hope that you find this answer helpful.
Departmental Internet
Mr. Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 13 July 2009, Official Report, column 59W, on departmental internet, what the (a) names and (b) versions are of the web browsers used on the (i) desktop machines and (ii) laptop computers used by her Department's (A) Permanent Secretary, (B) chief information officer, (C) head of communications and (D) head of finance. [288997]
Jim Knight: The Department uses Microsoft Internet Explorer 6 (6.0.2900.2180xpsp_sp2_gdr.080814-1233) on all of its desktop and laptop computers including those of the Permanent Secretary, Chief Information Officer, Head of Communications and Head of Finance.
Electronic Government
Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many individual visitors accessed the Directgov service via (a) Sky, (b) Virgin Media, (c) NTL, (d) Telewest, (e) Freeview and (f) mobile telephones in each year for which figures are available. [292022]
Jim Knight: Directgov does not report against unique visitor numbers but instead uses visits. This is a more accurate metric to use over a period of time. Unique visitors are identified by cookies placed on a user's PC when they first arrive at the site and there is strong evidence to suggest that a large number of people periodically delete cookies. This will mean that they are identified as a separate unique user when they next return.
The following table represent the number of individual visitors to the Directgov service by each of the methods requested. Analogue TV figures have also been included, but please note that visitor figures for both Analogue TV and Freeview are approximate because these services are broadcasted rather than being accessed.
| Visits | |
| (1) Telewest and ntl merged to form Virgin Media in 2006. (2) Launched 22 January 2009. (3) Launched 16 January 2009. | |
Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the set up cost of making Directgov available via (a) Sky, (b) Virgin Media, (c) NTL, (d) Telewest, (e) Freeview and (f) mobile telephones was; and what the running costs of provision of the service via each platform has been in each year for which figures are available. [292023]
Jim Knight: The set-up and running costs for each individual platform are commercially sensitive, however, the annual running costs for these platforms are shown in the following table.
| £ | |||||
| 2004-05 | 2005-06 | 2006-07 | 2007-08 | 2008-09 | |
Jobcentre Plus
Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average cost of employing a member of staff of each job title at Jobcentre Plus was in the latest period for which figures are available. [291216]
Jim Knight [holding answer 16 September 2009]: The information is not available in the format requested and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Mrs. May:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many complaints her Department
has received from Jobcentre Plus staff on (a) working conditions and (b) other matters in each month in the last two years. [291220]
Jim Knight [holding answer 16 September 2009]: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the acting chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Mel Groves. I have asked him to provide the right hon. Member with the information requested.
The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question asking how many complaints her Department has received from Jobcentre Plus staff about (a) their working conditions and (b) other matters in each month in the last two years. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to Mel Groves as acting Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus. As Mel Groves is currently on annual leave, I am replying in his absence.
The table summarises the available information which concerns correspondence from existing or former members of staff where enquiries are addressed to or delegated to either the Permanent Secretary, the Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus or Jobcentre Plus Board members.
| Total | Working conditions | Other | |
| Source: Jobcentre Plus clerical records of complaints either addressed or delegated to the Permanent Secretary, the Chief Executive or other Jobcentre Plus Board members. As this is clerical information full details may not be available. | |||
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