The Child Support (Northern Ireland Reciprocal Arrangements) Regulations 1993

No. 2 THE MINISTER FOR SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT, WITH THE CONSENT OF THE DEPARTMENT OF FINANCE AND PERSONNEL, TO THE PARLIAMENTARY UNDER-SECRETARY OF STATE FOR WORK AND PENSIONS

14th March 2002

Madam,

I refer to your letter of 11th March 2002 which reads as follows:

I have the honour to refer to the Memorandum of Arrangements relating to the provision made for Child Support Maintenance between the Secretary of State for Social Security of the one part and the Department of Health and Social Services for Northern Ireland of the other part which came into effect on 5th April 1993, as amended in accordance with the Exchange of Letters from the Secretary of State for Social Security to the Department of Health and Social Services for Northern Ireland of 7th November 1995 and from the Department of Health and Social Services for Northern Ireland to the Secretary of State for Social Security of 8th November 1995 (which Memorandum in its amended form is referred to in this letter as “the Principal Memorandum”). I refer also to recent discussions between the Department for Work and Pensions and the Department for Social Development concerning the need to amend the Principal Memorandum so as to make further provision in relation to child support matters.

I now have the honour, with the consent of the Treasury, to propose the following amendments to the Principal Memorandum:

In Article 1—

(a) after the definition of “the Act” there shall be inserted the following definition—

““the 2000 Act” means the Child Support, Pensions and Social Security Act 2000;”;

(b) after the definition of “application” there shall be inserted the following definition—

““the Department” means the Department for Social Development;”; and

(c) for the definition of “determining authority” there shall be substituted the following definition—

• ““determining authority” means, in relation to Great Britain, the Secretary of State, an appeal tribunal or a Commissioner, and, in relation to Northern Ireland, the Department, an appeal tribunal or a Commissioner;”.

After Article 1 there shall be inserted—

“1A.— (1) In these arrangements—

(a) references to a maintenance assessment shall, in relevant cases, include references to a maintenance calculation;

(b) references to an absent parent shall, in relevant cases, include references to a non-resident parent; and

(c) references to cases where an application for a maintenance assessment is made shall, in relevant cases, include references to cases where an application for a maintenance calculation is treated as having been made.

(2) In this Article, “relevant cases” means cases for the purposes of which section 1 of the 2000 Act has come into force or cases for the purposes of which section 1 of the Child Support, Pensions and Social Security Act (Northern Ireland) 2000 has come into operation.”.

Article 3 shall be amended as follows—

(a) in paragraph (1), for the word “12”, there shall be substituted the word “12A”; and

(b) in paragraph (2), after the word “decision” there shall be inserted the word “, determination”.

Article 7(1) shall be amended as follows—

(a) for the words “, the Department, or a child support officer appointed under the provision made for Great Britain or Northern Ireland,” there shall be substituted the words “or the Department”; and

(b) for the words “, the Department or the child support officer for the other territory”, there shall be substituted the words “or the Department”.

Article 12A shall be amended as follows—

(a) in paragraph (a), for the words “Article 28 of the Order” there shall be substituted the words “Article 31B of the Matrimonial and Family Proceedings (Northern Ireland) Order 1989”;

(b) in paragraph (b), for the words “section 27 of the Act” there shall be substituted the words “section 55A of the Family Law Act 1986”; and

(c) in paragraphs (b) and (c), the words “of Health and Social Services” shall be omitted on each occasion where they occur.

I have the honour to confirm, with the consent of the Department of Finance and Personnel, that the foregoing proposals are acceptable to the Minister for Social Development, and agree that your letter and this reply shall constitute a Memorandum of Arrangements between us which shall come into effect on 16th April 2002.