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Child Maintenance Act (Northern Ireland) 2008

  • Explanatory Notes Table of contents

Please note:

All reference to 'Parts' and 'sections' are from the Child Maintenance Act (Northern Ireland) 2008. For other versions of these Explanatory Notes, see More Resources.

  1. Introduction

  2. Background and Policy Objectives

  3. Consultation

  4. Options Considered

  5. Overview

  6. Commentary on Sections

    1. Part 1: Additional functions of the Department

      1. Section 1: Promotion of child maintenance

      2. Section 2: Provision of information and guidance

      3. Section 3: Fees

      4. Section 4: Agency arrangements and provision of services

      5. Section 5: Contracting out

      6. Section 6: Supplementary provisions

    2. Part 2 – Child Support etc.

      1. Removal of compulsion for benefit claimants

        1. Section 7: Repeal of Articles 9 and 43

      2. Maintenance calculations

        1. Section 8: Changes to the calculation of maintenance

        2. Section 9: Power to regulate supersession

        3. Section 10: Determination of applications for a variation

        4. Section 11: Transfer of cases to new rules

      3. Collection and enforcement

        1. Section 12: Use of deduction from earnings orders as basic method of payment

        2. Section 13: Deduction from earnings orders: the liable person’s earnings

        3. Section 14: Orders for regular deductions from accounts

        4. Section 15: Lump sum deduction orders

        5. Section 16: Orders preventing avoidance

        6. Section 17: Administrative liability orders

        7. Section 18: Disqualification for holding or obtaining a travel authorisation

        8. Section 19: Curfew orders

        9. Section 20: Commitment to prison

        10. Section 21: Disqualification for driving

      4. Debt management powers

        1. Section 22: Power to treat liability as satisfied

        2. Section 23: Power to accept part payment of arrears in full and final satisfaction

        3. Section 24: Power to write off arrears

        4. Section 25: Transfer of arrears

      5. Miscellaneous

        1. Section 26: Meaning of “child”

        2. Section 27: Notification of Change of Address

        3. Section 28: Additional special case

        4. Section 29: Recovery of arrears from deceased’s estate

        5. Section 30: Disclosure of information relating to family proceedings

        6. Section 31: Disclosure of information to credit reference agencies

        7. Section 32: Pilot schemes

        8. Section 33: Extinction of liability in respect of interest and fees

        9. Section 34: Use of information

        10. Section 35: Liable relative provisions: exclusion of parental duty to maintain

    3. Part 3 - General

      1. Section 36: Regulations

      2. Section 37: General interpretation

      3. Section 38: Minor and consequential amendments

      4. Section 39: Repeals

      5. Section 40: Transition

      6. Section 41: Commencement

      7. Section 42: Short title

      8. Schedule 1: Changes to the calculation of maintenance

      9. Schedule 2: Maintenance calculations: transfer of cases to new rules

      10. Schedule 3: Use of information

        1. Powers in relation to use of information

      11. Schedule 4: Minor and consequential amendments

      12. Schedule 5: Repeals

  7. Hansard Reports

  • Explanatory Notes Table of contents

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Explanatory Notes

Text created by the Northern Ireland Assembly department responsible for the subject matter of the Act to explain what the Act sets out to achieve and to make the Act accessible to readers who are not legally qualified. Explanatory Notes accompany all Acts of the Northern Ireland Assembly.

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