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Child Support Agency: Payments

Volume 474: debated on Wednesday 26 March 2008

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many individuals received consolatory payments from (a) his Department, (b) the Child Support Agency, (c) Jobcentre or Jobcentre Plus, (d) the Disability and Carers Service, (e) the Pension Service, (f) the Rent Service and (g) the Debt Management Service in each year since 1997; what the average value of payments made in each year was; and how much was paid in consolatory payments in each year in each case. (185931)

The information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is in the tables.

Consolatory payments made by DWP

Total value of payments (rounded to nearest £000)

Number of individual awards made1

2006-07

850,000

11,389

2005-06

822,000

11,435

2004-05

752,000

10,946

2003-04

557,000

7,248

2002-03

773,000

9,725

2001-02

835,000

9,811

2000-01

758,000

7,553

1999-2000

575,000

5,211

1998-99

664,000

4,645

Consolatory payments made by DWP agencies

Total value of payments (rounded to nearest £000)

Number of individual awards made1

2006-07

TPS

43,000

509

JCP

109,000

1265

DCS

25,000

272

CSA

666,000

9,194

2005-06

TPS

38,000

414

JCP

125,000

1,294

DCS

35,000

323

CSA

608,000

9,208

2004-05

TPS

38,000

511

JCP

96,000

993

DCS

29,000

322

CSA

582,000

8,998

2003-04

TPS

23,000

304

JCP

90,000

932

DCS

24,000

289

CSA

407,000

5,561

2002-03

TPS

14,000

150

JCP

60,000

667

DCS

33,000

377

CSA

661,000

8,443

2001-02

BA

83,000

849

CSA

696,000

8,320

2000-01

BA

72,000

737

CSA

654,000

6,336

1999-2000

BA

82,000

682

CSA

485,000

4,469

1998-99

BA

80,000

300

CSA

565,000

4,235

1 Notes:

1. The Department has three main categories of consolatory payments. Where a person is found to have suffered gross inconvenience, embarrassment or severe distress as a result of maladministration a consolatory payment is made. Each case is judged on its individual merits and an award is made, as applicable, for each of these categories.

2. The Department does not retain details of the number of individuals who receive consolatory payments. Records are retained of the number of awards made under each of the above categories. Where, for example, a customer receives an initial award based on an early examination of a complaint he may later receive additional awards as a result of further investigation or under one of the other categories. The number of awards made therefore exceeds the number of individuals concerned.

3. The first table shows the entire sum awarded as consolatory payments by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and its predecessor, the Department of Social Security (DSS). The figures include those paid by agencies that were part of the Department at the relevant time.

4. The Pension Service, Jobcentre Plus and the Disability and Carers Service were formed in 2002, prior to this they were part of the Benefits Agency (BA).

5. Debt Management is not an Executive agency of DWP. A consolatory payment awarded because of maladministration by Debt Management is awarded by Jobcentre Plus.

6. The Rent Service (TRS) was formed in October 1999 as an Executive agency of the Department of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister. TRS became an executive agency of the Department for Work and Pensions in June 2001. The Rent Service has not made any consolatory payments.