CSA delivers best ever performance figures

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

A summary of the QSS is available on the news section at 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.

Media Enquiries: 0203 267 5126
DWP Press Office: 0203 267 5144
Out of hours: 07659 108 883
Website: www.dwp.gov.uk

IRRV Alert November 1 2008

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CSA delivers best ever performance figures

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