There are fresh calls for a new, statutory child maintenance service, after figures showed that, of all the cases reviewed by the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection last year, just 15% resulted in payments being made.

One out of 10 parents legally obliged to pay maintenance have either left the country or can’t be traced, according to reviews carried out by a special unit of the Department of Social Protection.

Plans to ensure both parents’ names are listed on birth certificates may not lead to a surge in maintenance retrieval levels, according to new figures.

THE Department of Social Protection missed its target for savings from welfare fraud last year, despite a serious crackdown on areas including cross-border fraud and disability benefit.