Children benefiting from child maintenance now over 800,000
Latest quarterly figures show increase on previous quarter
The number of children benefiting from child maintenance through the Child Support Agency (CSA) has exceeded 800,000 for the first time. By the end of December 2009, parents with the care of 809,800 children were receiving maintenance collected or arranged via the Child Support Agency. This represents an increase of 10,500 children from September 2009.
The latest figures also show:
- Of £1,135m collected or arranged by the CSA in the year to December 2009, £150 million was arrears.
- In the quarter ending December 2009, 74.5% of non-resident parents who had a liability to pay maintenance, did make a payment.
- In the 12 months to October 2009, 119,445 new actions were taken including 65,535 new Deduction from Earnings Orders.
Child Maintenance Commissioner, Stephen Geraghty, said:
“The CSA continues to make steady progress in ensuring children receive the money they are entitled to, and for the first time over 800,000 children are benefiting from maintenance.
Through better case management and firm but fair use of its growing armoury of enforcement powers, the Agency is steadily reducing the number of cases in which no maintenance is being paid.”
The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission is developing an entirely new statutory maintenance scheme that will replace the two schemes currently provided by the CSA from 2011. The Child Support Agency will remain in use until all of its cases have been closed and parents have been invited to apply to the new scheme and this process will take until 2014 to complete.
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- Keywords:
- child maintenance