Liberal Democrats call for CSA to be scrapped as evidence mounts that it is not working

Ahead of a debate on the CSA secured by the Liberal Democrats in the House of Commons today, Liberal Democrat analysis of CSA statistics reveals that 4 out of 5 absent parents paid no child support in the three months to October 2005.

Of the 1,449,000 cases with the CSA, only 297,000 non-resident parents (1 in 5) had made one or more payments towards the upkeep of their children in the three months to end September 2005.

The debate will challenge the Government's commitment to radical reform by pressing the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, John Hutton, to agree with Prime Minister that: the Child Support Agency has lost the confidence of the public; its basic structural problem remains; and, it is not properly suited to carry out its task.

Liberal Democrat Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary, David Laws MP said "The CSA lost the public's trust long ago. It has also lost the Prime Minister's. The CSA has been failing children for far too long and radical action is now required. If the Government is serious about helping parents honour their moral responsibility to maintain their own children, then they must replace the CSA with an organisation which can deliver the child support which families need.

Mr. Laws further said "John Hutton has previously dismissed the Prime Minister's comments by saying that Prime Minister's Questions was not a place for 'rational debate'. But all he has proposed so far are gimmicks designed to make it look as if the Government is doing something - such as tagging repeat offenders. We cannot miss this opportunity to secure fundamental reform, the CSA must be scrapped. The time for sticking plaster solutions is surely past."

Even the Prime Minister seems to agree on 16th November he said "The truth is that the agency is not properly suited to carry out that task."

The Liberal Democrat Motion for debate is:

This House agrees with the Prime Minister that the Child Support Agency has lost the confidence of the public; that its basic structural problems remain; and that it is not properly suited to carry out its task.