§ Ms GordonTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what arrangements he has made to exempt women resident in refuges for battered women from having to go through Child Support Act 1991 procedures in order to give evidence that harm and undue distress may result from the fathers of their children being pursued for maintenance.
§ Mr. BurtWhere a parent with care is in a women's refuge, this in itself will be sufficient to demonstrate that she has good cause to fear that she or her children may be harmed. However, it would be wrong to have a blanket exemption from the procedures of the Act for particular groups since some mothers may wish to pursue maintenance notwithstanding the circumstances surrounding the breakdown of their relationship. Each case will therefore be dealt with individually, but staff will be sensitive to the concerns of the parent with care and in no circumstances would her whereabouts be revealed to the father.