Dundee LibDems criticise CSA review (Dundee Liberal Democrats)

Dundee Liberal Democrats <info@dundeelibdems.org.uk>

Dundee LibDems criticise CSA review

February 10, 2006 7:58 AM

Child support needs urgent reform say Dundee LibDems

Dundee Liberal Democrats have echoed the criticism of the party nationally at the Government's handling of the failures of the Child Support Agency.

The Secretary of State for Work & Pensions, John Hutton MP, has announced that the child support system will be "completely redesigned" but indicated that it could be three years before a replacement is implemented. Mr Hutton told MPs yesterday (9th February) that Sir David Henshaw, currently Chief Executive of Liverpool City Council, had been put in charge of an assessment of how family maintenance payments from absent parents should be enforced.

David Laws MP, Liberal Democrat Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary, said, "There is real anger in the country at the failures of the CSA and the Government's continuing inability to settle on a clear solution.

"It is absurd that desperate families may now have to wait for 2 or 3 years more before the CSA is finally replaced. People wanted to hear today that there would be action and fundamental reform, but the Government is offering yet more patching and yet another review."

Dundee Liberal Democrats have locally criticised the failures of the CSA and, as Cllr Fraser Macpherson, Dundee LibDem council group leader said, "It is vital that the failures of the CSA and tackled, tackled now, and tackled effectively. I have seen, from working for constituents, just what a shambles the current system of child support is. I am very disappointed that the Work & Pensions Secretary has effectively 'put off' the fundamental reform required for two to three years."