§ 12. Mr. ArbuthnotTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the average maintenance assessment under the current system; and what is the average cost of supporting a mother and child through the benefit system.
§ 13. Sir Hal MillerTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the average maintenance assessment under the current system; and what is the average cost of supporting a mother and child through the benefit system.
§ Mr. JackI refer my hon. Friends to my earlier answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Chelmsford (Mr. Burns).
§ 15. Mr. SternTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will define the criteria which will be applied to cases where maintenance cannot be recovered from the father because of threatened violence.
§ Mr. NewtonOur intention is that where a caring parent declines to co-operate in establishing liability for maintenance for the children, trained and experienced senior officers should consider whether in the circumstances there is good cause for the refusal. We shall be giving careful consideration to the guidance they will be given, but it would clearly not be right to create a position in which a threat of violence could be seen as a way of escaping maintenance.
§ 24. Mr. HarrisTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if the new Child Support Agency will have powers periodically to reassess maintenance orders.
§ Mr. JackLiability to maintain a child can last for many years. Much can change in that period. The Child Support Agency will be required to review maintenance payable every year so that those changes can be taken into account in an orderly way. These annual reviews will be automatic, removing the burden of initiating action from the caring parent.