Child Support Collection and Enforcement (Deduction Orders) Amendment Regulations 2009

My Lords, I thank the noble Lords, Lord Taylor of Holbeach and Lord Kirkwood, for their contributions and for their support for this order, although they were not without some questions and reservations. That was the tenor of the debate. Perhaps I may start with the point made by the noble Lord, Lord Taylor, about the number of children who have been supported by the current system, which was the thrust of his question. It is estimated that around 250,000 of the current caseload are not compliant, but looking at the performance over the years and the number of children who are benefiting, as of March 2008, we see that some 749,000 children have benefited from the CSA’s efforts. Going back to March 2005, the figure was 561,000. Thus the numbers have risen from 561,000 to 623,000 to 740,000 at March 2008, and to a provisional figure based on internal calculations about the impact, post the removal of Section 6 compulsion, of 810,000 at March 2009.