CHILD MAINTENANCE AND ENFORCEMENT COMMISSION

Early day motion 355, tabled 21 November 2007 by John McDonnell (Labour). Signed by 38 members.

That this House supports the Government's aim to eradicate child poverty and believes that sufficient resources and investment must be available to the new Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission (CMEC), the new non-departmental public body (NDPB) which is to replace the Child Support Agency (CSA) if child poverty reduction targets for 2010 are to be met; notes that although many parents are capable of making their own child maintenance arrangements this is not always the case and many individuals cannot, or will not, make such arrangements without CSA intervention; welcomes the tributes paid to the hard work of CSA staff in improving the Agency's performance by successive Secretaries of State and hon. Members; further believes that staff in CMEC should continue to have civil service status, as they have in other NDPBs, such as the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service and the Health and Safety Executive, and deserve a clear commitment that pensions, compensation and access to civil service jobs will be protected; and further believes that CMEC should be retained as an executive agency of the Department for Work and Pensions with accountability for the new organisation through a Minister rather than the Commissioner.

Signatures by party: Labour 31, Liberal Democrat 4, Social Democratic and Labour Party 2, Independent 1.