One in ten liable parents in maintenance cases can’t be traced

One in 10 maintenance payment cases reviewed by the Department of Social Protection’s specialised unit involved a liable parent who could either not be traced or was living outside the country.

Figures provided by the Department of the work of the Maintenance Recovery Unit last year revealed that 10,709 cases were reviewed and 1,098 liable relatives were either living overseas or could not be traced.

In another 539 cases the liable relative could not be identified.

The figures also show that, following a review by the MRU, 3,263 determination orders were issued to liable relatives due to their apparent ability to make payments. However, by year’s end, 590 liable relatives had begun making payments, while another 51 liable relatives had begun paying the department directly. In the first instance, the additional payments to the lone parent was, on average, €54.45 a week, while in cases where the money was paid to the department, the average weekly payment was €61.85.

The department said that, due to MRU work last year, a total of almost €3.3m was saved — more than €390,000 in direct cash payments — and the remainder in projected savings through either disallowing one-parent family payments (OFP) as a result of the maintenance being provided, or reduced OFP being paid.

A department spokes-person said: “When assessing a one-parent family [payment] recipient’s weekly entitlement, housing costs such as rent or mortgage repayments, up to a maximum of €95.23 per week, may be offset against maintenance payments.

“In 2013, one-parent family [payment] recipients were an average of €37.68 better off as a result of liable relatives commencing or increasing payments to the lone parent.”

The department said the MRU had pursued an increased number of liable relatives in 2013 including, in some cases, those receiving a social welfare payment where there may be additional/alternate income.

However, use of further evidence or an appeal might result in some people being found to have no liability.

At the time of assessment, 43% of liable relatives were already contributing towards the cost of maintaining their spouse/children.

Director of policy at One Family, Stuart Duffin, said it was time for “an intelligent debate” on the issue of maintenance payments and recovery, as in some cases the MRU was “another sledgehammer to crack a nut”.

He said the MRU was a “reactive” tool, whereas an overhaul of the system could allow for a payment method to be set earlier in many cases, such as a Nordic model where maintenance can be taken from a person’s wages.