057f3528_1997_articles__s__not_necessarily_contiguous_
[Date & reference] 1997-06-21 Electronic Telegraph Absent fathers targeted in CSA shake-up By Joy Copley, Political Staff
STRICT new targets for the Child Support Agency were announced by the Government yesterday to clear an enormous backlog of cases and chase up absent fathers. Harriet Harman, the Social Security Secretary, said she wanted to see an extra 500,000 maintenance assessments completed by the end of the year. The Government also wanted to see more accurate assessment of cases after many were found to be wrong. Extra telephone lines would be established because people who rang the CSA often had to make eight calls before they got through, she said. Mrs Harman told the Commons that she was looking for "substantial and sustained improvements" in the agency's performance. Some absent fathers had used the CSA's administrative failings since it was set up by the previous government as a justification for their determination not to pay up, she said. But Labour was determined to ensure that they paid their fair share through an efficient CSA. Mrs Harman insisted that there was no question of the agency being scrapped.
1997 articles
Extracts (not necessarily contiguous)