Announcing the closure of the Child Support Agency (CSA) in the Commons in July 2006, former work and pensions secretary John Hutton said: “…the overall performance of the CSA has fallen well short of expectations. When we came to office the agency cost more to run than it collected in maintenance. And it has been taking longer to process claims than the court arrangements it replaced.” The redesign of the child support system, following Sir David Henshaw’s report, would be enshrined in legislation to push improvements in policy and delivery. 

The Bill would remove the requirement that parents with care responsibilities and who claim state benefits to submit a claim to receive child maintenance, and provide further enforcement powers to deal with parents who fail to pay maintenance. Proposals include suspending passports and imposing curfews. 

The Bill would also increase the amount of maintenance that parents on benefits can keep, and improve collection of maintenance.

The Bill would also establish the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission to replace the much-blighted Child Support Agency. The objectives of the Commission, according to the Bill, would be to “maximise the number of those children who live apart from one or both of their parents for whom effective maintenance arrangements are in place.”

The Commission’s priorities will be to: take responsibility for existing Child Support Agency operations and start the procurement of new services; use the new powers for enforcement and collection to ensure more non-resident parents pay maintenance - delivering more money for more children; put in place new information and guidance services to support parents in making an informed choice; help parents to make an active choice by removing the requirement that parents with care who claim benefits be treated as applying for child maintenance. Also ensuring, with Jobcentre Plus, that all parents with care can take advantage of the £10 a week benefit disregard where maintenance is being paid, by extending this to cases on the original maintenance scheme.

2006/07 Session

House of Commons

First reading: June 5 2007 [HC Bill 118]

Second reading: July 4 2007

Child Maintenance and Other Payments Bill Committee:

• 1st sitting: July 17 2007 (am)
• 2nd sitting: July 17 2007 (pm)
• 3rd sitting: July 19 2007 (am)
• 4th sitting: July 19 2007 (pm)
• 5th sitting: July 24 2007 (am)
• 6th sitting: July 24 2007 (pm)
• 7th sitting: October 9 2007 (am)
• 8th sitting: October 9 2007 (pm)
• 9th sitting: October 11 2007 (am)
• 10th sitting: October 11 2007 (pm)
• 11th sitting: October 16 2007 (am)
• 12th sitting: October 16 2007 (pm)
• Bill as amended: HC Bill 156

2007/08 Session

Re-introduction and First reading: November 7 2007 [HC Bill 3]

Second reading: November 7 2007

Remaining stages: December 3 2007

House of Lords

First reading: December 4 2007 [HL Bill 12]

Second reading: December 18 2007

Grand committee:

• 1st day: January 29 2008
• 2nd day: January 31 2008
• 3rd day: February 5 2008
• 4th day: February 7 2008
• 5th day: February 20 2008
• Bill as amended: HL Bill 35

Report stage: May 7 2008