Saturday 28 January 2012

Child support


After the BBC News interview with Work & Pensions Minister, Maria Miller, this morning about reform of the Child Support Agency there were some viewers’ texts.

One from a single mother asked whether anybody really expected her to pay £100 to the CSA to enforce payment of the £2.50 per week that the child’s father was liable to contribute.

Let me answer that one.

No, I don’t expect you or anybody else – taxpayer included – to spend that or indeed any money trying to recover £2.50 a week from the father.

I would prefer to spend money on trying to understand and change all the circumstances that create the expectation that anyone would.

More than that I look forward to the time that a clear understanding that nobody will pay is a major influence on decisions, actions and attitudes that generate many (not all) of these problems.