CSA chief still in his job
The chief executive of the embattled Child Support Agency, Doug Smith, is still in his post despite ‘resigning’ last year.
Work and Pensions Secretary Alan Johnson told a committee of MPs on November 17 that Mr Smith had decided the time had come to stand aside.
But it has emerged today that Mr Smith is yet to stand down, exactly three months on from the date he ‘resigned’.
The news has drawn criticism from Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary David Willetts. He said: “When is a resignation not a resignation? When it’s announced by a Labour minister. We’ve got David Blunkett still in his grace and favour residence, Alastair Campbell managing Labour’s election campaign and Doug Smith still running the CSA.
“All we need now is for Labour to re-announce this resignation and tell us it is an important new development. The CSA’s failings have caused great distress to hundreds of thousands of families. Having been told the man who ministers blame for this shambles would be going, they will wonder why he still appears to be in his job three months later.”
Steve Webb, Liberal Democrat work and pensions spokesman repeated his calls for the CSA to be scrapped: “The Work and Pensions Select Committee called for rapid and radical action in its report last month. But nothing appears to have happened despite the Committee’s damning assessment of senior management.
“Enough is enough. The CSA should be scrapped and its initial assessment and enforcement functions passed to the Inland Revenue.
“Those losing out most are mums waiting for maintenance decisions to be enforced; mums on income support who are waiting to be transferred to the new system where they could receive a £10 a week premium; and, dads, the majority of whom would pay less under the new system.”
The CSA has been strongly criticised, particularly over the installation of a £456 million IT system, which was supposed to improve performance.
The agency is supposed to collect and pay child support maintenance, to ensure that absent parents meet their financial responsibilities, but thousands of single mothers and fathers are still not receiving payment from absent parents.
