A report published yesterday calling for the implementation of reforms to how child maintenance payments are collected and enforced is, on the face of it, both welcome and overdue. The report, published by the Department of Justice, calls for considerably increased powers on behalf of the state to compel the payment of maintenance to children by the departed parent (usually, though not always, the father) to the parent in a single-parent family. These powers would include the power to put an attachment order onto a PPS number, meaning that maintenance payments could always be deducted at source by the revenue commissioners from a person’s payslip. They also include punishments for evasion, similar to those in place for tax evasion, which would see a negligent parent made liable for the costs of forcing them to pay up. Helen McEntee is quoted taking a firm stance:
“Non-payment of child maintenance is a common problem and the current enforcement options available are limited in scope and impact.
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