Call to deduct money from absent parents

ABSENT parents should be forced to pay child maintenance by direct deductions from their salaries or bank accounts, to stop them ducking their responsibilities, according to an MPs' report.

The proposal came from the House of Commons Work and Pensions Committee in a report urging ministers to establish a more effective way of administering the statutory maintenance system.

In 2009-10, it cost the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission 572 million to collect payments from absent parents, while 1.1 billion was passed on to children - a cost of 50p for every 1 collected.

Direct deductions could save the taxpayer money and would provide more reliable support for the parent who is looking after the children from a failed relationship, argued the cross-party committee.

Committee chairwoman Anne Begg, Labour MP for Aberdeen South, said: "The current system leaves many separated parents without adequate child maintenance arrangements, and many parents with care do not receive payments on a regular basis or receive no payments at all.

"Our report recommends a requirement for all non-resident parents to pay child maintenance through direct deductions from salaries or bank accounts. This would increase the number of families who receive payments in full and on time."

Today's report warned that government plans to levy charges on parents who use the statutory scheme - rather than sorting out maintenance payments between themselves - will put too much of a burden on parents looking after children.

The committee called for any fees to be charged to the absent parent.