DEPARTMENT FOR WORK
AND PENSIONS News Release (Reference: HSC - 024) issued by The
Government News Network on 15 May 2007
The Department for
Work and Pensions has today published its response to the
consultation on the Child Maintenance White Paper, 'A New
System of Child Maintenance', which was published last year.
The White Paper put forward proposals for a fresh start for child
maintenance and would replace the Child Support Agency (CSA) with
a tougher non-departmental body led by a new Commissioner for
Child Maintenance.
The new Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission (C-MEC)
would provide a new information and support service to ensure
parents get additional help to make their own maintenance
arrangements where they can, or use the new body to quickly
establish and enforce payments where they cannot.
Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, John Hutton, said:
"Parents have an absolute moral and financial duty to
support their children. Our proposals firmly place this
responsibility with parents, and support them to make private
arrangements which put their kids first.
"However, there will always be individuals who try to escape
their obligations and the new commission will have the powers to
come down hard and fast on those who force the state to intervene."
The consultation received around 200 responses and a high level
of support for proposals that establish and enforce clear rights
and responsibilities.
Proposals being taken forward include:
* The introduction of an information and support service, open to
all parents who need help and support to establish and maintain
private arrangements;
* Removing the requirement to apply to the courts before
proceeding with enforcement action and replacing it with a swifter
and more effective administrative process;
* Make much more use of information drawn from financial
institutions and credit reference agencies in order to trace
non-resident parents and collect and enforce maintenance;
* Seek new powers that would allow C-MEC to take money out of
people's bank accounts;
* Enforce the surrender of a non-resident parent's passport
or impose a curfew on them if they fail to pay maintenance;
* Publish, in suitable cases, the names of non-resident parents
who are successfully prosecuted or who have a successful
application made against them in court;
The department is also publishing today its response to the
conclusions and recommendations of The Work and Pensions Select
Committee report 'Child Support Reform' which was
published earlier this year.
Notes to editors
1) The reports are available at http://www.dwp.gov.uk/childmaintenance
2) On December 13 2006 the DWP published the Child Maintenance
White Paper: 'A new system of child maintenance' which
can be found at http://www.dwp.gov.uk/childmaintenance
Website http://www.dwp.gov.uk