Welfare Reform Bill

We now turn to the aspects of the Bill that relate to child maintenance. Part 3 is about improving the success rate in collecting child maintenance. This probing amendment is about success in collecting child maintenance in the context of the responsibilities of fathers. The Child Support Act 1991 is still seen by many men as profoundly unfair. Many men still believe that fathering a child is a macho achievement, a scalp, a notch on the belt that does not carry with it any obligation towards the child. Other fathers complain that the mother misled them about contraception. Some have other excuses that, to them, make the collection of child maintenance seem unfair. There is a real need, in practical terms, in order to facilitate the collection of child maintenance, to try to change that mindset. There is an urgent need to persuade all men that they share equally with the potential mother the responsibility for the outcomes of unprotected sex. They need to understand clearly that if the woman has a child, they will also be responsible for the financial maintenance of that child until it reaches the age of 16, and they need to understand why. If one wants to change a mindset, it is now widely accepted that two things have to be done. First, one must convince the majority of the public that there are good reasons for the change and, secondly, one must follow up with a degree of legal enforcement. In the case of secondary smoking, this Government did a wonderful job using both these levers successfully to achieve their objective. However, the case of child maintenance is not quite the same. Not enough effort has been put into building public consensus about the responsibilities of the father. The first step in doing this must be to define as clearly as possible the responsibilities of the father and of the father and the mother if they bring a child into the world. The Child Maintenance and Other Payments Act 2008 lays on the commission set up by that Act a duty to take steps to raise awareness among parents of the importance of taking responsibility for the maintenance of their children. I know it is an unfair question to ask the Minister, so perhaps he could write to me about what has been done about that obligation. My amendment, by implication, asks two questions: first, what does the current law say about the responsibilities of a man towards any child he fathers and how are those responsibilities shared with the mother? Secondly, and more specifically, if a father pays his maintenance regularly, what residual obligations, if any, does he have towards the child and what obligations in relation to the child remain with the mother? For example, who is responsible for the emotional, social and moral guidance of the child? Are these obligations set out clearly anywhere so that mothers and fathers can understand them? I think that question needs a good deal of research to answer, and I shall be happy if the Minister wants to write to me about it. However, it is important to have clear answers to these questions and agreed policies so that they can be taught in schools. They can be taught to young people in the family and in a variety of settings so that the responsibilities of men and boys in fathering children are more clearly understood and they no longer assume that it is the responsibility of the girl alone to ensure that she does not get pregnant. In a civilised society with the availability of effective contraception for all who want it, is there any reason why there should be unwanted children? I beg to move.