Thanks to a member for this description :
BACKGROUND
The Child Support Agency is the most administratively incompetent government agency in living memory.
The Child Support Agency is directly linked to 56 deaths, most are suicides; all are supported by the sworn testimonies of family and friends at inquests. The Child Support Agency employs around 10,000 staff and costing �250 million of taxpayer's money to run every year the Child Support Agency delivers only �5 maintenance per child and of this the Treasury takes a third.
The Child Support Agency is currently owed or has written off over �1 billion with 20 per cent of cases taking longer than a year to process. It continues to run at a loss to the taxpayer because of the inability of Doug Smith, the chief executive of the CSA, to implement the "new scheme" - reforms applied by New Labour - in April 2002.
During the time it takes the CSA to complete a maintenance assessment, thousands of pounds in arrears are accrued. When an actual assessment is made the non-resident parent is required to pay ongoing liability along with arrears. This often results in 50% of a non-resident parents take home pay going to the Child Support Agency. Some non-resident parents are simply not equipped to deal with this kind of financial pressure, particularly if there is existing debt. As a consequence many non-resident parents - men - lose their homes because they are no longer able to continue mortgage or rent payments.
This makes it impossible to continue a meaningful relationship with their children in cases of shared care. The results are devastating. Fathers become homeless, drift into alcohol dependancy, lose their jobs and, in the end, some take their own lives. The CSA is responsible for destroying countless family relationships. As a father, who has been affected by the inane bureaucracy of the Child Support Agency, I find it perplexing that the "Men's Movement" has not tackled this issue. [Editor's note : the UKMM has very deep concerns for the CSA].
The fact is any man, at any time, could become affected by the CSA after the breakdown of a relationship and will definitely become affected by the CSA if his ex-wife/partner moves on to state benefits.
CSA - THE FUTURE
The CSA was due to be reformed in April 2002. The changes applied by New Labour were going to apparently benefit "one million children" according to Department of Work and Pensions Minister, Baroness Hollis.
The changes never took place because of an apparent computer glitch. Under the New Labour "new scheme", non-resident parents in receipt of certain prescribed benefits will be liable to pay a minimum of �5 per week. The majority of existing exemptions will be removed so increasing the range of benefits from which deductions can be made for current maintenance and arrears. Housing costs of non-resident parents (men) will not be considered in the maintenance calculation. Clean break settlements will be ignored. The "new scheme" disregards the income of the parent with care (women) thus making a mockery of the established principle that both parents should make a financial contribution to the upkeep of their children if they can. The "new scheme", like the present one, works on the basis that one parent has care of the children and the other does not (sic) with the scheme disproportionately favouring the parent with care (women).
Therefore, it appears the British government will be in breach of the Human Rights Act the moment their "new scheme" replaces the current scheme.
Comment : When will Parliament remove this evil legislation ?