The Child Maintenance Review Group established by my Department is set to examine certain issues in relation to child maintenance in Ireland. The judge-led group is composed of eminent legal, policy, and academic professionals, and officials from my Department and the Department of Justice & Equality.
The Group will focus on the current treatment of Child Maintenance payments, the current provisions regarding liable relatives and examine the case for the establishment of a Child Maintenance Agency.
A report on the areas under review is due to be submitted to my Department, 12 months from the formal appointment of the members which took place in late June 2020.
The members of the group are:
Ms. Catherine Murphy, Chair and former Circuit Court Judge
Ms. Mary O’Toole, Senior Counsel
Dr. Roisin O’Shea, ARC Mediation
Ms. Simonetta Ryan, former Assistant Secretary General, Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection
Ms. Regina Terry, Principal, Department of Justice & Equality
Mr. Rónán Hession, Assistant Secretary General, Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection.
The first meeting of the Group will take place in the forthcoming weeks.