Parents pursued for old debts
By Phil Kemp
Jonathan Maitland show, BBC Radio 5 Live
Parents of grown-up children are being chased by the Child Support
Agency for thousands of pounds of debt they never knew existed.
Some are facing debts accrued in the 1990s after having had no contact
with officials for years.
The Child Support Agency, which became part of the new Child Maintenance
and Enforcement Commission in 2008, said nobody should assume their
liability had ended unless they had been formally notified of this.
Unlike debts owed to banks and other private companies, there is no time
limit on when the Agency can pursue outstanding arrears outside of the
courts.
One man who suddenly learned of a £12,000 debt he had accrued more than
a decade earlier was Brian Barnett, who had divorced his wife Gillian in
1992.
'State of shock'
The couple, who have two children now aged 18 and 21, have remained on
good terms and, because Brian had paid weekly maintenance to support
them, they have never had any disagreements about finances.
But in late 2008, Brian was told of his outstanding arrears to the Child
Support Agency - a debt he knew nothing about.
"I was actually in a state of shock because after 11 or 12 years, it was
the last thing I expected," Brian told 5 Live.
“ They're taking harsh measures against debt that is now penalizing the
very child that the child support is supposed to be paid to ”
Michelle Counley, National Association for Child Support Action
The debts relate to the period between 1993 and 1998 when Gillian was
out of work, bringing up her children and claiming benefits.
The Child Support Agency argues that if Brian had been paying the amount
of maintenance they told him to at the time, his ex-wife would not have
needed as much financial support from the state.
"I have lots of friends who are single parents, and there were so many
who had husbands who didn't pay," Gillian said.
"I find it appalling that you've got someone like Brian, who never
shirked his duty."
Brian says the last contact he had with the Agency was in 1997 and he is
angry they have waited so long before calling in the debt.
Complaints
But unlike most private debts - which have a time limit of six years -
the Child Support Agency is allowed to recover outstanding arrears
whenever it likes from a debtor's earnings.
Michelle Counley, chair of the support group, the National Association
for Child Support Action, said Brian is just one of a growing number of
complainants.
"A lot of this enforcement action is taken against non-resident parents
that have regularly supported their children, maybe as a private
arrangement with the parent with care," she said.
"But as benefits have been involved, there's an issue there of not being
able to acknowledge payments that have been made, hence the non-resident
parent is charged for the whole period again."
Child welfare
NACSA says it knows of cases where parents are being pursued for debts
even when the child is now living with them.
"They're taking harsh measures against debt that is now penalizing the
very child that the child support is supposed to be paid to," Michelle
Counley said.
Figures released by the Child Support Agency show that the amount of
debt it is recovering is rising.
Since December 2007, it has collected £156 million in outstanding
arrears, which includes a quarterly increase of £7 million since
September 2008.
A spokesman for the agency said it had made: "Good progress since 2006
in increasing the amount of maintenance debt recovered annually. In
doing so it has reserved the right to take a fresh look at many cases,
some of which may not have received full attention in the past.
"When making any decisions on debt recovery, however, the CSA will
always consider the welfare of any child involved, the needs of the non-
resident parent and any second family, and any representations of
hardship that enforcement action might cause."
Hear more about this story on the Jonathan Maitland show on BBC Radio 5
Live on Sunday 8 March at 1900 GMT, or download the free
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.
Published: 2009/03/08 11:47:38 GMT
Monday, 9 March 2009
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