WIREDGOV

Work and Pensions Minister Patricia Hollis today welcomed the publication of the Independent Case Examiner's (ICE) annual report (2002/03) on the Child Support Agency.

"The Child Support Agency has again made real improvements to the service it offers its customers," Patricia Hollis said. "I am pleased to see that the number of complaints to the ICE has fallen again this year. This is particularly commendable in a year when the Agency has been implementing a programme of reform.

"What's more, the Agency has made further improvements in the way it handles complaints from customers since this report was written.

"Clearly any complaint referred to ICE is a complaint too many, but I welcome the very real and positive steps the Agency has taken to ensure that it offers customers a modern and professional service."

The report shows a five per cent reduction in the number of complaints referred to ICE over the past year and praises the Agency for its clear and timely communications with clients about child support reform.

Doug Smith, Chief Executive of the Child Support Agency said:

"The Agency has worked closely with the Independent Case Examiner over the past year and the success of this relationship is acknowledged in this year's report. The Agency is making significant improvements in its performance. We will continue to work to provide a professional, efficient and sensitive service for all our clients."

Notes for Editors

Jodi Berg is the Independent Case Examiner for the Child Support Agency and the Northern Ireland Social Security Agency.

The Independent Case Examiner provides an independent complaints review service for the Child Support Agency. The Examiner will only investigate cases after all internal complaints handling procedures have been exhausted.

In 2002/03 ICE received 1,419 complaints, of which 702 were accepted for investigation. Set against over a million cases being handled by the Child Support Agency, complaints to ICE represented 0.14% of the total caseload.

Complaints received by ICE fell by five per cent over the year, whilst the Child Support Agency caseload fell by only half that amount.

The Child Support Agency was one of the first to introduce an independent element to its complaint handling processes - this example has been followed by other government agencies in order to provide a high level of customer service. The Agency is committed to working closely with ICE.

Members of the public can obtain copies of the ICE report by calling 0151 801 8800 or from the ICE website at www.ind-case-exam.org.uk from Tuesday 1 July 2003.

Public enquiries 020 7712 2171
Website www.dwp.gov.uk