The CSA and Statute-barring

[arthur123]

Hi

 

Not sure if I'm posting this in the right place, but some advice is needed please. (NB - I live in Scotland, where different laws may apply)

 

I have received a letter purporting to be from the CSA in Hastings (but in fact postmarked Belfast). I am told that I owe the CSA over £15,000. This dates back to an error-strewn assessment they made in 1994, and I have always queried it's accuracy, and have never acknowledged the debt. I have had no demands from the CSA, nor any contact with them, since 1999. Is this debt statute-barred? What limitiations apply? Is the CSA simply mass-mailing these letters, shaking the tree to see what falls out? Have they sold the debt to a collection agency which is using CSA letterheads? My local Citizens' Advice Bureau tells me the debt is statute-barred and that I should ignore all future correspondence, but I'm not sure. I'm self-employed, so I don't need to worry about a deduction from earnings order, but the letter states that the CSA might:-

 

Freeze my bank accounts (NB - can they do this to a joint account?)

Cancel my passport and driving licence

Force the sale of my property

Send bailiffs to my house to seize goods

Put me in prison

 

How seriously should I take all this? I've read different views about the CSA and statute-barred debt, I've heard stuff about how they can't touch you of the debt pre-dates July 2000, I've heard all sorts of rumours about how they can only enforce the last 26 weeks of the debt.

 

This is bad news and really old (the children to whom it relates are 30 and 29 now) Any advice on how I should proceed would be welcome. Thanks in advance.

[craigers]

Being a government dept, I doubt it can be statute barred.

[dx100uk]

no quite correct

sadly it is not covered by statute barring laws

 

dx

[going_mad]

as a mum waiting to hear hopefully that theyve finally pulled their fingers out and sorted my claim out yeah the new special claims unit is based in belfast their the ones dealing with my claim theyre a new set up to deal with sorting out mislaid and troublesome claims, and whereby there have been complaints raised against theyre ability to do their job properly and as far as im aware you could be 60 and still entitled to pay backdated for any children. basically they deal with backdating claims back to the original application dates and or the original date they notified you of a claim against you. they are from what i gather the team that have the power to put in place the arrestments of wages passports etc *(i belive without a court order). and the only way to avoid them is to pay up or go for a dna test if parentage is disputed if they cant assess you exact earnings from previous years they can assess based on the minimum amount which i think equates to 5 per week per child.

Edited May 28, 2009 by going_mad
missed out information