Vol. 538 No. 3
288 Mr. Currie asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the limits in the District Court for maintenance payments for children; if it is his intention to increase them; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17882/01]
The District Court may award any amount up to £200 per week for a spouse and any amount up to £60 per week for each child. I have included provisions to increase these amounts to 500 and 150 respectively in Part IV of the Courts and Court Officers Bill, 2001, which is before the House. The District Court can also make a lump sum maintenance order in addition to or instead of a periodical payments order subject to a maximum amount of £5,000 for a dependent spouse and children of the family. A provision to increase this amount to 20,000 is included in the Court and Court Officers Bill.
