DEPARTMENT FOR WORK
AND PENSIONS News Release (DRC 107) issued by COI News Distribution
Service. 29 October 2008
The Child Support
Agency (CSA) delivered another record performance in the third
quarter of 2008. More children than ever before benefited from
maintenance as the Agency collected or arranged payments totalling
almost £1.1 billion in the year to the end of September.
£149 million was collected in maintenance arrears in the same
period- up by £43 million on the previous year. Nationally over
778,200 children are now benefiting from maintenance paid under
the two statutory schemes.
DWP Minister, Kitty Ussher said:
"It is good news that over £1.1 billion has been collected
for over 778,000 children. This improvement in performance is a
strong foundation for the Child Maintenance and Enforcement
Commission to build on, when it takes over responsibility for the
CSA next week.
A good, effective child maintenance system is important for
lifting children out of poverty, which is why we have reformed the
way maintenance is taken into account when benefits are
calculated. By April 2010, all parents caring for children will be
able to keep all their child maintenance without it affecting
their benefits. This full disregard, combined with existing
reforms to the child maintenance system and to help lone parents
with older children into work will lift up to 200,000 children out
of poverty."
CSA Chief Executive Stephen Geraghty said:
"The figures reflect the sustained progress we have made
since launching the CSA's Operational Improvement Plan in
2006. We are now well on course to meet - and in some cases
comfortably exceed - the March 09 targets set for us by the
Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when the plan was
launched. More importantly we are making more difference for more
children. We are confident that the CSA's performance will
continue to improve after it comes under the remit of the Child
Maintenance and Enforcement Commission next month".
The Quarterly Summary of Statistics shows:
* At the end of September 2008 the number of children benefiting
from maintenance stood at 778,200, an improvement of 28,900 on
March 2008 and up from 561,100 in March 2005.
* The Agency has collected/arranged more maintenance: a total of
£1,088m since the end of September 2007; this is an increase of
£147m on 12 months earlier and up from £798 million in March 2005.
* £149m arrears have been collected since the end of September
2007, an increase of £43m on the previous year.
* There are 75,700 uncleared applications on the current scheme
in September 2008, compared to 106,100 in March 2008- a reduction
of 30,400 and down from 225,300 in March 2008. The Agency has
already exceeded the Secretary of State's target for March 2009
* The Agency is clearing new cases quicker, 85 per cent of the
June 2008 intake was cleared within 12 weeks, up from 32 per cent
in March 2005. 90 per cent of the April 2008 intake was cleared
within 18 weeks.
* In the six months to the end of September 2008 the Agency had
answered 99 per cent of telephone calls available to answer, with
an average waiting time of 18 seconds
These are the last quarterly figures recorded before the removal
of compulsion on parents with care who are claiming benefits to
use the CSA to collect or arrange maintenance payments. The
change, which came into force on October 27th 2008, affects around
400,000 CSA clients who are now free to make private maintenance
arrangements with the non-resident parent.
The statutory service provided by the CSA will remain available
to all parents who are unable to agree private arrangements.
Notes to Editors
* A summary of the QSS is available on the news section at http://www.csa.gov.uk
* The Agency has significantly increased enforcement action in
the last year from 99,800 new actions in the 12 months to July
2007 to 120,500 in the 12 months to July 2008. This includes
75,000 new Deduction from Earnings Orders.
* The Operational Improvement Plan was developed from an April
2005 baseline, which was a low point in the Agency's
performance and built on achievements already made in the 2005/06
year. Figures are given from this baseline up to September 2008
for comparison. The OIP is now in its third and final year.
DWP Press Office 0203 267 5144
Website http://www.dwp.gov.uk