More statistics, same old fog
Single parent organisation Gingerbread’s latest broadside against the Child Maintenance Commission and (so-called) non resident parents has seen press releases in every constituency in the UK highlighting, what it claims to be, the amount of maintenance owed to parents. It claims that, nationally, £3,761 million was owed in child maintenance arrears as of March 2010.
But, the figures put forward by Gingerbread are both irresponsible and misleading. Around half of the total figure cited is owed to the `Secretary of State´ (i.e. the government) and represents income related benefits paid to, what the CSA classes as, ‘parents with care’ before child maintenance was disconnected from the benefits system; it is not ‘owed’ to parents. It also includes a substantial element of estimated arrears.
However, Adrian Sanders, Liberal Democrat MP for Torbay has, like many others, fallen for it hook line and sinker and claims that he and his party are “proposing the scrapping of CMEC, transferring responsibility to Revenue and Customs so that absent (sic) parents tax records can be matched to their cases. For those who do not pay regular maintenance, arrears can then be automatically deducted via the tax system.”
He doesn’t appear to understand that the Child Maintenance Commission does not exist simply to operate the statutory maintenance system – which it currently does through the CSA – but also to help parents make their own private arrangements, something that the Henshaw Report, which preceded the Child Maintenance and Other Payments Act 2008, demonstrated tended “to result in higher satisfaction and compliance and allow individual circumstances to be reflected.”
Contrary to the campaigning of single parent organisations, family separation and child maintenance are complex areas. A failure to understand this and an over-reliance on myths and stereotypes has, in the past, led to poor legislation. It is to be hoped that the Coalition will take the time and effort to understand the issues more clearly.
Like this:
Be the first to like this post.
About Admin
More statistics, same old fog
26/07/2010 Leave a comment
Single parent organisation Gingerbread’s latest broadside against the Child Maintenance Commission and (so-called) non resident parents has seen press releases in every constituency in the UK highlighting, what it claims to be, the amount of maintenance owed to parents. It claims that, nationally, £3,761 million was owed in child maintenance arrears as of March 2010.
But, the figures put forward by Gingerbread are both irresponsible and misleading. Around half of the total figure cited is owed to the `Secretary of State´ (i.e. the government) and represents income related benefits paid to, what the CSA classes as, ‘parents with care’ before child maintenance was disconnected from the benefits system; it is not ‘owed’ to parents. It also includes a substantial element of estimated arrears.
However, Adrian Sanders, Liberal Democrat MP for Torbay has, like many others, fallen for it hook line and sinker and claims that he and his party are “proposing the scrapping of CMEC, transferring responsibility to Revenue and Customs so that absent (sic) parents tax records can be matched to their cases. For those who do not pay regular maintenance, arrears can then be automatically deducted via the tax system.”
He doesn’t appear to understand that the Child Maintenance Commission does not exist simply to operate the statutory maintenance system – which it currently does through the CSA – but also to help parents make their own private arrangements, something that the Henshaw Report, which preceded the Child Maintenance and Other Payments Act 2008, demonstrated tended “to result in higher satisfaction and compliance and allow individual circumstances to be reflected.”
Contrary to the campaigning of single parent organisations, family separation and child maintenance are complex areas. A failure to understand this and an over-reliance on myths and stereotypes has, in the past, led to poor legislation. It is to be hoped that the Coalition will take the time and effort to understand the issues more clearly.
Like this:
Filed under Comment