Child Support Agency replacement 'not fit for purpose' says Assembly Member

1.55.19pm BST (GMT +0100) Thu 12th Jul 2007

Welsh Liberal Democrat Social Justice spokesperson, Peter Black, has expressed astonishment that the new Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission (C-Mec), which is to replace the Child Support Agency (CSA), is to cut staff by 18% over two years.

Mr. Black said:-

"The CSA's performance was woeful. Even now, some 275,000 cases are stuck in the system, and around £3.5 billion, owed to children and their resident parents and guardians, remains uncollected. Indeed, a full 60% of that amount is now said to be uncollectable.

"To plan to cut staff at the successor agency when there is such a huge backlog of cases is just plain crazy. Like other AMs, I am aware of the misery and hardship caused to families in my region and throughout Wales by the failure of the CSA.

"If Labour are truly serious about eradicating child poverty in Wales and throughout the UK, then they need to act swiftly to reverse the cuts they are planning to make at the new agency, deal with the backlog, and get some of the £6.5 billion to those who desperately need it.

"Without a full complement of staff, the C-Mec will be doomed to fail. Have Labour leaned nothing from the CSA disaster?"