North East Herts MP Oliver Heald has received an email from the Head of Policy at single parent charity Gingerbread, stating the level of child maintenance arrears in his Constituency stands at £4,530,000.
Commenting, Oliver Heald said, “I am shocked at the level of outstanding child maintenance clocked up because of the last Government’s failed Child Support system. North East Hertfordshire is not the worst area, but £4.5 million is still massive. I hope the new Coalition can eventually tackle this mountain of debt as well as the national one.”
From: Kate Bell [mailto:kate.bell@gingerbread.org.uk]
Sent: 14 July 2010 14:38
To: HEALD, Oliver
Subject: Child maintenance arrears in your constituency
Dear Mr Heald,
Child maintenance arrears in your constituency
I am writing to draw your attention to a Parliamentary Question answered this week (12/07/2010 Col 516W), where information placed in the House of Commons Library reveals the extent of child maintenance debt owed to children by non-resident parents in your constituency.
Gingerbread believes the scale of child maintenance owed to children is truly shocking, when so many single parent families struggle financially. At a national level, we are calling for a debt recovery target to be set by the Child Support Agency for 2010/2011 as a matter of urgency. We are also seeking to draw the attention of local media outlets to the figures.
For your information I am therefore sending you a copy of Gingerbread’s press release to local media, where you will see that we are also drawing attention to our Single Parent Helpline and a new ‘Top Tips’ guide to help parents who want to pursue their child maintenance arrears. .
Please feel free to contact us if you would like more information. Our child maintenance policy expert is Janet Allbeson (tel: 020 7428 5408, e-mail: janet.allbeson@gingerbread.org.uk ). Our press officer is Jane Ahrends (tel:428 5416 or 0788 1951138, e-mail: jane.ahrends@gingerbread.org.uk .)
Yours sincerely
Kate Bell, Head of Policy, Gingerbread
League table of shame reveals sky-high local child maintenance debts
Single parent charity Gingerbread has obtained a nationwide league table of child maintenance debt showing, by parliamentary constituency, just how much money is owed to children by non-resident parents across the country. In total, there is a child maintenance ‘debt mountain’ of £3,761 million. Commenting on the figures, Gingerbread’s Chief Executive Fiona Weir said:
“Child maintenance is vital for children in separated families. We know from single parents that this is much-needed money which pays for items such as children’s clothes, school meals, trips and activities and childcare. Ultimately the responsibility for paying child maintenance rests with the non-resident parent, but the Child Support Agency has to do its job too in collecting debts and enforcing payment. We want to help single parents caring for children take action to ensure their arrears are paid. They can phone our free Single Parent Helpline on 0808 802 0925 and get a ‘Top Tips’ leaflet on how to pursue their child maintenance arrears.”
Note to editors:
Information placed in the House of Commons Library on 12 July 2010 in response to a question by Natascha Engel MP shows the amount of child maintenance arrears owed in each parliamentary constituency. .
Nationally, £3,761 million was owed in child maintenance arrears as of March 2010, of which around £1,065 million has been judged to be collectable. The table placed in the Library shows the amount owed by non-resident parents at the same date based on the parliamentary constituency where they live. It is based on cases administered by the Child Support Agency’s computer system (rounded up to the nearest £1,000), but does not include cases managed off the computer. (Therefore the figures will not sum to the overall total at March 2010)
Last year the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission (now in charge of the Child Support Agency) missed its debt collection target, collecting £147 million of arrears against a target of £170 million.
Gingerbread is the charity which works in England and Wales for and with single parent families, to improve their lives. We achieve change by championing their voices and needs and providing support services.
The charity runs a Single Parent Helpline and advice service on 0808 802 0925 (free to mobile networks) and publishes a range of free publications on every aspect of one parent family life, including benefits and tax, child maintenance, housing and employment. Gingerbread also runs a membership scheme and several return-to-work projects for single parents, working with private, public and other voluntary sector organisations to deliver these.
Gingerbread press contact: Jane Ahrends on 0207 428 5416 or 0788 1951138