You are here: Parliament home page > Parliamentary business > Publications and Records > Hansard > Commons Debates > Commons Debates by date > Commons Debates - previous sessions > Bound Volume Hansard - Written Answers
Previous Section Index Home Page

Mill Hill County High School

Sir John Gorst: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what decision has been reached on the proposals by Mill Hill county high school for partial selective entry commencing in September. [12544]

Mrs. Gillan: The proposals from Mill Hill county high grant-maintained school for partial selection in technology were approved on 1 February 1996.

Administration and Education Spending

Mr. Hawkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if she will list (a) outturn spending on management and administration, (b) outturn spending on education, excluding further education, (c) (a) as a percentage of (b) for each year, (d) number of pupils, (e) (a) divided by (d), (f) (b) divided by (f) and (g) (e) as a percentage of (f) for each year for each local education authority for the last two years for which figures are available. [12639]

Mr. Robin Squire: The tables, which I have placed in the Library, show for 1992-93 and 1993-94, the latest years for which figures are available for all local education authorities, (a) total management and administration expenditure; (b) total education expenditure excluding further education colleges; (c) the percentage of management and administration within total education expenditure; (d) total pupil numbers of pre-primary and primary, secondary and special schools at January 1993 and January 1994; (e) management and

2 Feb 1996 : Column: 984

administration expenditure per pupil; (f) total education expenditure (excluding further education colleges) per pupil and (g) (e) as a percentage of (f).

Teachers (Early Retirement)

Mr. Byers: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment (1) what was the first-year cost to the teachers' superannuation scheme of early retirements on the grounds of (a) infirmity and (b) premature retirement in 1994-95; and what was the amount of expenditure borne by local education authorities for early retirements among teachers in 1994-95. [13387]

Mr. Robin Squire: The first-year costs to the teachers' superannuation scheme of early retirements on the grounds of (a) infirmity and (b) premature retirement in 1994-95 were £83.8 million and £49.8 million respectively. Information on the amount of expenditure borne by local education authorities for teachers' early retirements in 1994-95 is not yet available.

The total number of teachers who were granted early retirement in 1994-95 in England and Wales was 16,682. Of these, 6,075 were on the grounds of infirmity and 10,608 on the grounds of premature retirement.

Jobseekers (Project Work Scheme)

Mr. Ian McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment, pursuant to her answer of 29 January, Official Report, column 560, if she will identify the labour market data and pre-existing documents; and if this information is available to hon. Members in the Library. [13357]

Mr. Forth: My reply of 29 January explained the considerations that were taken into account when selecting the pilot areas. Information on claimant unemployment rates for travel-to-work areas is published in the Employment Gazette. Other information on claimant unemployment, such as small area statistics by duration, is available on the NOMIS database, to which the Library has access.

Mr. McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment, pursuant to her answer of 29 January, Official Report, column 560, if she will identify by name the other travel-to-work areas which were considered for the project work scheme; and what are the respective rates of unemployment and very long-term unemployment in these travel-to-work areas. [13358]

Mr. Forth: Officials considered all travel-to-work areas, according to the criteria explained in my reply of 29 January. The following list shows the travel-to-work areas which were under consideration as at October 1995, and from which the final two were chosen.


2 Feb 1996 : Column: 985

Information on claimant unemployment rates for travel-to-work areas is published in the Employment Gazette. Other information on claimant unemployment, such as small area statistics by duration, is available on the NOMIS database, to which the Library has access.

Mr. McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment, pursuant to her answer of 29 January, Official Report, column 610, if she will publish details of correspondence and telephone calls received in support of the Medway and Hull travel-to-work areas being chosen to pilot the project work scheme. [13359]

Mr. Forth: There were none.

2 Feb 1996 : Column: 986

SOCIAL SECURITY

Child Support Agency

Mr. Wicks: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) what factors underlie the decline in the current year in respect of the success rate for parents with care seeking exemption from the requirement to co-operate with the Child Support Agency on the grounds of harm or undue distress in the current year; [12782]

2 Feb 1996 : Column: 987

Mr. Andrew Mitchell: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the chief executive, Miss Ann Chant. She will write to the hon. Member.

Letter from Miss Ann Chant to Mr. Malcolm Wicks, dated 1 February 1996:


2 Feb 1996 : Column: 988

Letter from Miss Ann Chant to Mr. Malcolm Wicks, dated 1 February 1996:



    (2) I am replying to your Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security about the success rate of specialist tracing of absent parents by the Child Support Agency.
    In 1993/94 the success rate was 85%; in 1994/95 it was 66% and at the end of November 1995 the success rate was 63%.
    Although the success rate is diminishing the actual number of absents parents that have been traced is increasing. In 1993/94 28,240 cases resulted in a successful trace, in 1994/95 this increased to 49,632 and in the first eight months of 1995/96 the Agency has been successful in 35,084 cases.
    Since August 1994 to the end of November 1995 23,420 cases have been abandoned/withdrawn by the Agency. Information is not available for the period prior to August 1994.
    At the end of November 1995 there were 17,145 cases that remained outstanding.
    You may be interested to know that information on specialist tracing action is included in the Child Support Agency Statistical Information that is placed in the House of Commons Library every month.
    I hope this is helpful.

Letter from Miss Ann Chant to Mr. Malcolm Wicks, dated 1 February 1996:



    (3) I am replying to your parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security on the percentage of cases cleared by individual Child Support Agency centres.
    At the end of September 1995 159,041 cases had been cleared by the Agency. The percentage of these cases cleared by individual CSA centres during the first half of 1995/96 is shown in the table below for each of the categories required.

    Per cent.

    Clearances
    CSAC(a) under 13 weeks(b) between 13 and 26 weeks(c) in over 26 weeks
    Dudley4.153.638.98
    Hastings5.414.068.76
    Falkirk3.352.527.56
    Plymouth4.413.8410.38
    Birkenhead6.453.807.48
    Belfast3.933.757.55
    Agency27.7021.6050.71

    Figures do not sum to 100 per cent due to rounding.

    I hope this is helpful.

Letter from Miss Ann Chant to Mr. Malcolm Wicks, dated 1 February 1996:


2 Feb 1996 : Column: 989


    Maintenance assessments were accurate in 71% of cases checked during November.


    "Where a client is dissatisfied with a Child Support Officer's decision and requests a review, 50% to be cleared within 13 weeks; 80% within 26 weeks; and no more than 20% to be older than 26 weeks at 31 March 1996."


    --52% of second tier reviews were cleared within 13 weeks.


    --68% were cleared within 26 weeks.


    --23% were outstanding for more than 26 weeks.


    "60% of new maintenance applications to be cleared within 26 weeks, and as at 31 March 1996 no more than 10% of all maintenance applications received by the Agency to be over 52 weeks old."


    --The year-to-date figure at the end of November was 39%.


    --Applications awaiting assessment for over 52 weeks stood at 14%.


    "To manage the Agency's resources to deliver its Business Plan within the gross vote (cash) budget allocation."


    The forecast outturn to the end of March 1996 continued to be in line with the budget.


    I hope this is helpful for the moment, I will update the figures when the December information is published very shortly.

Letter from Miss Ann Chant to Mr. Malcolm Wicks, dated 1 February 1996:


Letter from Miss Ann Chant to Mr. Malcolm Wicks, dated 1 February 1996:


2 Feb 1996 : Column: 990

Letter from Miss Ann Chant to Mr. Malcolm Wicks, dated 1 February 1996:



    (7) I am replying to your Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security about Deduction of Earnings orders (DEOs).
    A scan of the Child Support Computer System which took place in January 1996 showed that there are just under 40,000 DEOs currently in force on regular payment accounts.
    Information is not available on the number of DEOs that have been challenged in court, or the number of such challenges that have been successful.
    I hope this is helpful.

Letter from Miss Ann Chant to Mr. Malcolm Wicks, dated 1 February 1996:



    (8) I am replying to your Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security about absent parents who are self-employed.
    In August 1995 a computer scan of 5% of live cases on the Child Support Computer System showed that 3.9% of absent parents who have a full maintenance assessment were self-employed. I am unclear as to what is being referred to as "a dispute between the parents" and the Agency has no requirement to differentiate between the employed and self-employed until an assessment is calculated. Even if this phrase is taken to mean one or other parent has asked for a review or has appealed, we do not keep separate statistics on this basis.
    Records show that 5 category C interim maintenance assessments have been issued since April 1995.
    Finally, information is not held as to how many Category A and D interim maintenance assessments relate to self employed absent parents or the proportion of liability orders relating to self-employed absent parents. But in this last case, I can tell you that the great majority of liability orders relate to self-employed absent parents because the alternative of Deduction from Earnings Order would nearly always be appropriate for employees.
    I hope this is helpful.

Letter from Miss Ann Chant to Mr. Malcolm Wicks, dated 1 February 1996:


2 Feb 1996 : Column: 991

Letter from Miss Ann Chant to Mr. Malcolm Wicks, dated 1 February 1996:



    (10) I am replying to your Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security about Child Support Agency maintenance.
    You asked about parents with care using the Agency collection service. Information is not available in the exact form you requested but it is hoped that the following may be of use to you. Figures on the attached table are based on a scan of the live cases on the Child Support Computer System which took place in November 1995.
    A breakdown of the proportions of each parent with care type using the collection service is not available.
    There are no precise figures available for these groups relating to a request for collection via the Agency being refused, but a refusal would be extremely rare.
    I hope this is helpful.

    Parents with Care

    Number
    Maintenance assessments
    Total number of assessments427,314
    Number of parents with care on Income Support347,337
    Number of parents with care on Family Credit49,582
    Assessment, collection and enforcement service
    Number of cases of all types where an account has been set up using the assessment, collection and enforcement service257,842

Letter from Miss Ann Chant to Mr. Malcolm Wicks, dated 1 February 1996:



    (11) I am replying to your Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security on how much child support maintenance has been paid through the Child Support Agency.
    The table below gives a breakdown of maintenance paid through the CSA for each quarter, since information first became available.

    Maintenance £ Millions
    1993-94
    Q20.31
    Q31.47
    Q46.94
    1994-95
    Q19.09
    Q216.61
    Q319.39
    Q430.67
    1995-96
    Q126.46
    Q228.56

    I hope this is helpful.

Letter from Miss Ann Chant to Mr. Malcolm Wicks, dated 1 February 1996:


2 Feb 1996 : Column: 992

Letter from Miss Ann Chant to Mr. Malcolm Wicks, dated 1 February 1996:



    (13) I am replying to your Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security about DNA tests.
    The discounted DNA scheme was introduced in July 1995. Normally there are three separate tests involved for each case ie the parent with care, the alleged absent parent and the child. The total cost for discounted DNA testing is £426.92. This figure is inclusive of VAT and doctors fees. One of the advantages of the scheme was that it would effectively eliminate the need for cases of disputed paternity to go through the court system. Up to the end of November 1995 we have completed 904 discounted DNA tests; I am not aware that any of these cases have been referred for court action.
    I hope this is helpful.

Letter from Miss Ann Chant to Mr. Malcolm Wicks, dated 1 February 1996:



    (14) I am replying to your Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security about Child Support Agency operations.
    You asked about absent parents (APs) maintenance and benefit status for 1995/96. The information is not available in exactly the form you requested but I hope the information contained within the attached table is helpful. The table does not show the number of APs with minimum assessments at 31/8/95, however 67,700 APs were paying between £0.01 and the current minimum amount of £2.35.
    Figures are based on a 5% scan of live cases on the Child Support Computer System on 31 August 1995. All figures relate to live fully assessed cases at that date.

    Details of absent parents as at 31 August 1995

    Number
    Absent parents on Income Support whose cases have been taken on by CSA96,300
    Absent parents on Income Support where the minimum amount (currently £2.35) is deducted37.,500
    Absent parents not on Income Support paying between £0.01 and the minimum amount (currently £2.35)30,200
    Absent parents not on Income Support paying NIL27,300

Letter from Miss Ann Chant to Mr. Malcolm Wicks, dated 1 February 1996:



    (15) I am replying to your Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security about the effect of the April policy changes on child maintenance assessments.
    In April 1995 an exercise took place to consider all live cases on the Child Support Computer System and re-assess where applicable. Of the live cases re-assessed automatically by computer 33,000 resulted in a reduced maintenance liability averaging £8.33; of the cases requiring clerical re-assessment a further 7,000 saw a reduction in maintenance liability, but no information is held regarding the average reduced maintenance liability.
    In addition, just under 4,500 absent parents have benefitted from either the award of allowances for property and capital settlements or from the award of an allowance for travel to work costs.
    Figures relating to the impact of the April policy changes on benefit savings for 1995/96 are not yet available.
    I hope this is helpful.

Letter from Miss Ann Chant to Mr. Malcolm Wicks, dated 1 February 1996:


2 Feb 1996 : Column: 993

Letter from Miss Ann Chant to Mr. Malcolm Wicks, dated 1 February 1996:



    (17) I am replying to your Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security asking how many persons with care sent maintenance application forms by the Child Support Agency to date during 1995/96 were (a) Income Support claimants, (b) Family Credit claimants, (c) private clients.
    At the end of November 1995 the Agency had issued the following Maintenance Assessments Forms (MAFs) for each of the above categories:
    (a) 155,442 MAFs were issued to Income Support claimants
    (b) 43,424 MAFs were issued to Family Credit claimants
    (c) 13,147 MAFs were issued to private clients
    I hope this is helpful.

Letter from Miss Ann Chant to Mr. Malcolm Wicks, dated 1 February 1996:



    (18) I am replying to your Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security about Child Support Agency applications.
    The factors that led to the current level of outstanding maintenance applications have been well documented, and include the combination of new legislation, new systems and new staff at the outset of the Child Support Agency.
    You asked when the Agency expects to reach a level of 200,000 outstanding applications. The Agency estimates that a normal head of work would be in the region of 200,000 to 250,000 cases in the process of maintenance assessment. The Agency currently has 392,000 cases at various stages in this process.
    I am unable to state categorically when we will reach a steady state of 200,000 to 250,000 cases, but we are progressing towards this. The Agency has not yet agreed with the Secretary of State the priorities and performance targets for 1996/97.
    I hope this is helpful.

Letter from Miss Ann Chant to Mr. Malcolm Wicks, dated 1 February 1996:



    (19) I am replying to your Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security about cases cleared by the Agency.
    You asked for a breakdown of cases cleared in the current financial year without a maintenance assessment. I have based the reply on the first 8 months of the financial year, the period ending 30 November 1995.
    During this period, out of 219,596 which were cleared, 130,228 cases were cleared without an assessment. As we have no business need to record a more specific reason for such clearances, I cannot provide a more detailed breakdown of these cases.
    I hope this is helpful.

Letter from Miss Ann Chant to Mr. Malcolm Wicks, dated 1 February 1996:


2 Feb 1996 : Column: 994

Next Section Index Home Page