67Provisions relating to lump sums
After section 35 of the [1975 c. 72.] Children Act 1975 there shall be inserted the following section—
“35AProvisions relating to lump sums.
(1)Without prejudice to the generality of section 34(1)(c), an order under that section for the payment of a lump sum may be made for the purpose of enabling any liabilities or expenses reasonably incurred in maintaining the child before the making of the order to be met.
(2)The amount of any lump sum required to be paid by an order made by a magistrates' court under section 34(1)(c) shall not exceed £500 or such larger amount as the Secretary of State may from time to time by order fix for the purposes of this subsection.
Any order made by the Secretary of State under this subsection shall be made by statutory instrument and shall be subject to annulment in pursuance of a resolution of either House of Parliament.
(3)The power of the court under section 35 to vary or revoke an order made under section 34(1)(b) shall include power to make an order under section 34(1)(c) for the payment of a lump sum by the child's mother or father (or both).
(4)The amount of any lump sum which the mother or father of the child may be required to pay by virtue of subsection (3) shall not, in the case of an order made by a magistrates' court, exceed the maximum amount that may at the time of the making of the order be required to be paid under subsection (2), but a magistrates' court may make an order for the payment of a sum not exceeding that amount notwithstanding that the child's mother or father was required to pay a lump sum by a previous order under this Part of this Act.
(5)An order made under section 34(1)(c) for the payment of a lump sum may provide for the payment of that sum by instalments, and where such an order makes provision for the payment of a lump sum by instalments, an authorised court, on an application made either by the person liable to pay or the person entitled to receive that sum, shall have power to vary that order by varying the number of instalments payable, the amount of any instalment payable and the date on which any instalment becomes payable.
(6)References in this section to the mother or father of a child include any person in relation to whom the child was treated as a child of the family (as denned in section 52(1) of the [1973 c. 18.] Matrimonial Causes Act 1973).”.