Office of the Leader of the House of Commons

Child Maintenance and Other Payments Act

Key Benefits The Bill would abolish the requirement that parents with care in receipt of certain benefits be treated as having applied for a statutory maintenance arrangement, establish the new Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission (CMEC), and put in place improved arrangements for the assessment, collection and enforcement of child maintenance liabilities; It also includes provisions extending the categories of person diagnosed with mesothelioma (an industrial asbestos related disease) to whom a lump sum payment can be made. The Bill would abolish the requirement that parents with care in receipt of certain relevant benefits be treated as if they have applied for maintenance, allowing all parents the choice to make a maintenance agreement that is right for them personally. The Bill would establish a new non-departmental public body, the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission (C-MEC), which will administer the statutory child maintenance system and provide information and support to separated parents. The Bill would simplify the process by which child maintenance is assessed and strengthen the powers available to enforce child maintenance liabilities in the event of non-compliance, ensuring that more money is collected and passed on to more children. The Bill would extend the categories of person to whom lump sum payments for mesothelioma can be made, to provide quick, up-front financial support to people who were previously not eligible for payment under the 1979 Pneumoconiosis etc. (Workers' Compensation) Act. The Bill would introduce a compensation recovery process, allowing lump sum payments to be recovered from any subsequent civil compensation claim made in respect of the same person. Recovered funds will be used to fund the extension of mesothelioma lump sum payments.

Act of Parliament

Explanatory Notes

Theme
Economic Stability

The Bill also applies to Scotland, and the following provisions will also apply to Northern Ireland: Sections 50 (Regulations: general), 54(7) (Transition: transitional provisions and savings), 56 (Extent), 57 (Commencement) and 58 (Citation), and Schedule 6 paragraphs 4 to 6 and section 39 so far as it relates to these paragraphs.

Related Documents

A new system of child maintenance: summary of responses to the consultation, May 2007
A new system of child maintenance, Child Maintenance White Paper, December 2006
A fresh start: child support redesign - the Government's response to Sir David Henshaw, July 2006
Recovering child support: routes to responsibility, Sir David Henshaw's report to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, July 2006

Existing Legislation

Child Support, Pensions and Social Security Act 2000
Child Support Act 1995
Child Support Act 1991
Social Security (Recovery of Benefits) Act 1997
Pneumoconiosis etc. (Workers' Compensation) Act 1979

Comments

If you have any comments on the Bill you can email them to:

Adelphi.Childmaintenancebillteam@dwp.gsi.gov.uk