§ Mr. SheermanTo ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what powers exist to retrieve child maintenance from British citizens who leave the country and go to live in another EU member state. [166727]
653W
§ Mr. LammyA number of international conventions and agreements exist that either provide for an existing maintenance order to be registered and enforced in the country which a parent has moved, or for an order for child support to be made and enforced in that country. These are the United Nations Convention on the Recovery Abroad of Maintenance 20 June 1956, the Hague Convention on the Recognition and Enforcement of Decisions Relating to Maintenance Obligations 2 October 1973, the Brussels &s Lugano Conventions 1968 and 1988 (now Council Regulation (EC) 1348/2000 of 29 May 2000—Service of Judicial and Extra-Judicial Documents in Civil and Commercial Matters) and the Republic of Ireland Agreement. These reciprocal arrangements apply where the EU country and the United Kingdom are signatories to the treaties. The primary legislation governing these international arrangements are the Maintenance Orders (Reciprocal Enforcement) Act 1972 Parts 1 & II, the Reciprocal Enforcement of Maintenance Orders (Hague Convention Countries) Order 1993, the Civil jurisdiction and Judgements Act 1982 and the Reciprocal Enforcement of Maintenance Orders (Republic of Ireland) Order 1993.