Son of CSA Set to Fail - Brooke

5.40.52pm GMT Thu 14th Dec 2006

Annette Brooke MP has strongly criticised the Government following the announcement today that the Child Support Agency will not be phased out until 2013. She commented; "The Government seems to be ducking fundamental reform, and proposing a son of CSA, which will simply be a re-badging of the existing Agency, with a few extras glued on.

Tinkering and gimmickry will fail to deliver the tough and effective new body which people expect."

"The idea that naming and shaming people on a website is the answer to the CSA's problems is absolutely daft, and just Government by gimmick.

"The CSA is a shambles, with £3.5bn owed to parents, and ¼ million cases awaiting processing for an average time of almost 500 days. The CSA has to spend £1 just to collect every £1.85 - it's a disgrace.

"The CSA should be incorporated into the HM Revenue and Customs so that it is easier to assess how much people should pay, and deduct money at source from non-payers."

"Proposing instead to use people's tax data from earlier years could mean using information which is 20 months out of date - causing more appeals and administrative chaos.

"If the Government wants to get really tough it should pursue non-payers who move abroad, and it must not write off a single penny of unpaid maintenance which has any chance of being collected." Said Annette.

As part of the reform procedure, the Government will write of 1.2 billion in unpaid debt.