To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much Child Support Agency arrears have been contracted out for private sector collection in each month from January 2005 to June 2007; and if he will make a statement. (146147)

The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.

Letter from Stephen Geraghty, dated 20 July 2007:

In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.

You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much Child Support Agency arrears have been contracted out for private sector collection in each month from January 2005 to June 2007; and if he will make a statement.

The Child Support Agency conducted a pilot between August 2005 and December 2005 with two private debt collection agencies to assess the feasibility of involving the private sector in recovering child support maintenance debt. The Agency referred cases with a debt value of £30 million to the debt collection agencies involved in the pilot.

Following the pilot and a procurement exercise, the Agency signed contracts with two debt collection agencies on 7 July 2006. The amount of child support maintenance debt exported to the debt collection agencies each month is included in the attached table.

I hope you find this answer helpful.