Child Support Act Increased Benefit Penalty

EDM number 1147 in 1995-96, proposed by Mildred Gordon on 10/07/1996.

That this House notes that, despite the fact that in about a quarter of new Child Support Agency cases the parent with care claims good cause for refusing to authorise the Agency to pressure the absent parent for maintenance, the Agency rejected 43 per cent. of those claims in the second quarter of 1995-96 and imposed a benefit penalty in 23 per cent. of these cases; notes nevertheless that the Government has increased the benefit penalty from 20 per cent of the income support personal allowance of the parent with care to 40 per cent for 156 weeks which can be extended, leaving a parent with one child ú60.14 a week on which to survive; and considers that this regulation will increase child poverty and render such families destitute and vulnerable to violence and should therefore be reversed.

This motion has been signed by a total of 55 MPs.