Child support

The much discredited Child Support Agency is no longer, having been replaced by a new body known as the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission (C-MEC).

The primary function of C-MEC will be to ensure that appropriate provision for children is made by an absent parent. But, assessment of the absent parent's financial resources is now to be made by reference to the income records held by HM Revenue & Customs. Leaving aside the inability of the Revenue to administer competently anything but the core tax system (if that), the Department of Work and Pensions, which is responsible for the advent and remit of C-MEC, has failed to appreciate that, in a great many instances, the Revenue will simply not be in possession of the information needed by C-MEC in order that C-MEC can determine the income of the absent parent. Even where the Revenue is in possession of the relevant information, there cannot be much realistic prospect of the Revenue dealing with it correctly.

As things stand, those absent parents who are prepared to meet their child support obligations can expect a battle to correct inaccurate information generated for C-MEC by the Revenue. Those parents who are not disposed towards complying with their obligations will most likely be able to use the inefficiency of the Revenue to their advantage. One way, or another, the ability of C-MEC to achieve its objectives looks to be hamstrung from the outset.

With the ongoing tax credits fiasco having so resoundingly proven that the culture of the Revenue is not suited to the administration of welfare and benefits, it must surely now be time to look towards a stripping of the Revenue of these ancillary functions, leaving the Revenue only to concentrate on making a better job of its responsibility for taxes management.