Select committee reports on child maintenance reform

The Work and Pensions select committee has issued their report on the Government's proposals for reform of child maintenance. 

Families Need Fathers is concerned that the Work and Pensions Committee’s recommendations would risk demonizing parents paying child maintenance. The report seems to presume that where there are difficulties with the arrangement and collection of maintenance payments, the responsibility for this will lay solely with the parent living apart from the children. (FNF response to the committee report.)

The original proposals completely ignored Scottish aspects of child maintenance.  The select committee report includes written evidence from John Fotheringham of Fyfe Ireland Solicitors regarding the lack of Scottish input into the Green Paper, raising questions about how the proposed gateway would work in Scotland and suggesting that the 12 month rule regarding registered minutes of agreement should be extended to five years.