Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 21 January 2021
236. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Social Protection the status of the work of the child maintenance review group; the stage the work is at; the number of meetings it has held to date; the timeline for it to report on its findings; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3532/21]
View answerThe Government established a Child Maintenance Review Group to examine certain issues in relation to child maintenance in Ireland. The Group is chaired by former Circuit Court Judge Catherine Murphy and includes legal, policy and academic professionals as well as officials from my Department and the Department of Justice.
The Group's Terms of Reference are to consider and make recommendations on: (i) the current treatment of child maintenance payments in my Department; (ii) the current provisions regarding liable relatives managed by my Department; and (iii) the establishment of a Child Maintenance Agency in Ireland.
The work of the Group is well underway. To date the Group has held three meetings and there are a number of other meetings scheduled on a regular basis over the coming months.
A consultation process is due to commence in the coming weeks to facilitate feedback from stakeholder groups and members of the public in order to inform the Group's work.
The Group's report is expected later this year.
