Asked by: Pamela Nash (Labour - Airdrie and Shotts)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, in how many live Child Support Agency cases with maintenance arrears there is an arrears charging schedule in place; and in how many such cases arrears repayments are being made in (a) the UK, (b) Scotland, (c) England, (d) Wales and (e) Northern Ireland.
Answered by Steve Webb
The table below shows the number of Child Support Agency cases with an arrears liability and the number of those cases paying towards arrears in the quarter ending September 2014:
| Number of Cases with an Arrears Liability | Paying Towards Arrears |
Scotland | 105,600 | 19,100 |
England | 1,026,400 | 199,100 |
Wales | 73,200 | 14,300 |
Northern Ireland4 | 2,700 | 600 |
Other5 | 50,500 | 1,400 |
Great Britain | 1,258,400 | 234,600 |
Notes
1. In January 2012 new methodology was introduced to provide a more accurate view of the number of cases contributing towards arrears. Previously, arrears collected figures included arrears of maintenance that have been linked to an arrears collection schedule. In the new methodology, payments above the current liability are counted as receipts towards arrears.
2. The latest Child Support Agency Quarterly Summary of Statistics contains data up to September 2014. Table 10: Cases Contributing Towards Arrears, shows the number of cases with an arrears liability and also the number of cases paying towards arrears.
3. Figures rounded to the nearest 100 and may not sum due to rounding.
4. Northern Ireland cases include cases managed by the CSA in Great Britain where the Parent with Care lives in Northern Ireland. This does not include cases managed by the Northern Ireland Child Maintenance Enforcement Division (CMED).
5. Cases included in the ‘Other’ category are cases where either the Parent with Care has moved abroad, or where the area of the Parent with Care is Unknown.
Asked by: Pamela Nash (Labour - Airdrie and Shotts)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, in respect of Child Support Agency child maintenance owed to parents with care, how many arrears-only cases there are (a) where money is flowing and (b) where no money is flowing.
Answered by Steve Webb
At March 2014 there were 532,500 Child Support Agency cases which had arrears with no ongoing liability. Of those, there were 37,000 cases where money was flowing and 495,500 cases where no money was flowing.
Note: This includes cases administered on the 1993 and 2003 Schemes only.
Asked by: Pamela Nash (Labour - Airdrie and Shotts)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what average time was taken between an application being made and benefit paid for (a) attendance allowance, (b) bereavement benefits, (c) carer's allowance, (d) disability living allowance, (e) employment and support allowance, (f) jobseeker's allowance, (g) maternity benefits, (h) housing benefit, (i) council tax benefit and (j) pension credit in (i) Airdrie and Shotts constituency, (ii) England, (iii) Scotland, (iv) Wales and (v) Northern Ireland in each of the last four years including the most recent period for which figures are available.
Answered by Mike Penning
The information regarding when a benefit is paid is not available as this can vary from each claim depending on circumstances, payment type and frequency of payment.
Asked by: Pamela Nash (Labour - Airdrie and Shotts)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many Child Support Agency cases there are in each revised order of case closure; and when the estimated closure time is for each grouping.
Answered by Steve Webb
The table below shows an estimate of when the 800,000 Child Support Agency cases with an ongoing child maintenance liability will close.
Segment and Description | Volume | Start | End |
Segment 1 - No child maintenance is liable for payment | 156,000 | January 2015 | February 2016 |
Segment 2 - Paying parent is currently not paying maintenance | 89,000 | August 2015 | June 2016 |
Segment 3 - Cases that are currently being managed outside of the two legacy systems | 46,000 | November 2015 | March 2016 |
Segment 4 - Remaining legacy cases with no enforcement action | 380,000 | November 2015 | September 2017 |
Segment 5 - Enforcement action is under way | 129,000 | July 2017 | May 2018 |
Asked by: Pamela Nash (Labour - Airdrie and Shotts)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when he expects his Department to have closed all outstanding Child Support Agency cases.
Answered by Steve Webb
The process of closing Child Support Agency cases begins in 2014 and the current planning assumption is that it will take around three years to complete.
Asked by: Pamela Nash (Labour - Airdrie and Shotts)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what average time was taken between an application for personal independence payment being made and receipt of payment for claims made in each (a) parliamentary constituency and (b) local authority area in each year since introduction of personal independence payment.
Answered by Mike Penning
The information you have requested is not currently available. Statistics on clearance times are intended for future publication but releasing them at this stage would give an incorrect representation of the process since the system has not yet reached maturity, and further quality assurance of the data is required.
Information regarding Northern Ireland is a matter for the Northern Ireland Office.
Asked by: Pamela Nash (Labour - Airdrie and Shotts)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many personal independence payment applicants are awaiting an assessment centre appointment in (a) Airdrie and Shotts constituency, (b) Scotland, (c) Wales, (d) Northern Ireland and (e) England; and what the average waiting time for such appointments is.
Answered by Mike Penning
The information you have requested is not available
Information regarding Northern Ireland is a matter for the Northern Ireland Office
Asked by: Pamela Nash (Labour - Airdrie and Shotts)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what average time was taken between an application for personal independence payment being made and receipt of payment for claims made in (a) Scotland, (b) Wales, (c) Northern Ireland and (d) England in each year since introduction of personal independence payment.
Answered by Mike Penning
The information you have requested is not currently available. Statistics on clearance times are intended for future publication but releasing them at this stage would give an incorrect representation of the process since the system has not yet reached maturity, and further quality assurance of the data is required.
Information regarding Northern Ireland is a matter for the Northern Ireland Office.
Asked by: Pamela Nash (Labour - Airdrie and Shotts)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what arrears validation processes are carried out on Child Support Agency cases which do not form part of the caseload before those arrears are transferred to the Child Maintenance Service for collection.
Answered by Steve Webb
The Department is prioritising the closure over the next three years of cases with an ongoing child maintenance liability, and taking steps to minimise disruption as far as possible for parents who wish the statutory service to continue collecting maintenance on their behalf. Plans for handling cases where there is no ongoing liability, but arrears are owed, are still under consideration. Where there is a link between one of these arrears only cases, and an application to the 2012 scheme, action will be taken to bring that arrears only case up-to-date, before moving it across to the Child Maintenance Service.
Asked by: Pamela Nash (Labour - Airdrie and Shotts)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, in how many Child Support Agency cases there are (a) non-resident parents with a nil liability at present but at least one child of qualifying age and (b) non-resident parents with a zero assessment because a case has been cancelled or withdrawn or there are no children of qualifying age remaining on the case in (i) Scotland, (ii) England, (iii) Wales and (iv) Northern Ireland.
Answered by Steve Webb
The Child Support Agency (CSA) administers the 1993 and 2003 Statutory Child Maintenance Schemes in Great Britain.
Of the total CSA Caseload, the number of cases in which the non-resident parent has either a nil liability at present but at least one child of qualifying age (No Current Liability) or a zero assessment because a case has been cancelled or withdrawn or there are no children of qualifying age remaining on the case (No Ongoing Liability) is shown in the table below, as at March 2014:
| (a) No Current Liability
| (b) No Ongoing Liability
|
Scotland | 32,200 | 88,200 |
England | 287,300 | 822,100 |
Wales | 22,200 | 61,000 |
Northern Ireland1 | 900 | 1,900 |
Other2 | 1,200 | 186,400 |
Overall | 343,800 | 1,159,500 |
Notes: