asked the Minister for Justice the number of applications made, since the coming into operation of the Act, for the enforcement of Irish maintenance orders in Northern Ireland, England, Wales and Scotland under the Maintenance Orders Act, 1974; and the number of Irish orders now successfully enforced in other countries.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Irish Maintenance Orders.
8.
The Act came into operation on 1st April, 1975. Between that date and 7th May, 1976, the number of applications made to court officers and received by the Master of the High Court for transmission to the reciprocating jurisdictions under the Act was 16. Of these, 15 were for enforcement in England and Wales and the remaining one for enforcement in Northern Ireland. Statistics are not available as to any applications that may be at present before the District Court or in transit between the District Court and the Master of the High Court.
No information is available as to the number of orders now successfully enforced as payments are made directly to the payees by the court officers in the reciprocating jurisdictions. However, as the new Family Law Act provides for the transmission of maintenance payments through District Court clerks, it is expected that in future the great majority of such payments will be routed through the courts here. To that extent, the statistical information as to the level of compliance will be available in future.