---

Child Maintenance and Other Payments Bill

moved Amendment No. 31: 31: Clause 2, page 1, line 17, at end insert— ““( ) to contribute to the reduction of poverty among children who live apart from one or both parents”” The noble Lord said: This is my first contribution on this Bill. The amendment would insert a provision into Clause 2. As my noble friend said at the start of today’s proceedings, the heart of the Bill or the driving focus seems to be in Clause 2. The aim of a reduction in child poverty should be seen upfront in the Bill. Why is that seen to be necessary? Probably because it is nowhere else. As we go through the names of the clauses we see the objectives, the functions, promotion of child maintenance and the provision of information and fees. It is conceivable that certain types of activity will be prioritised because they are administratively more rewarding and easier to fulfil than ones that might actually assist with child poverty. For instance, there may be areas in which the amount of effort and resources required to deal with cases can become difficult. Those cases may be at the edge, involving those who are closest to the poverty line, when smaller amounts of money are pushed into the budget to ensure that children are maintained properly, to give the greatest benefit to the children and the caring parent. Those may be areas that take up an inordinate amount of resources and it might be decided that they are outside the box. This is not so much a probe as a dig to find out where that duty is hidden in the Bill to maximise the benefits for children who are potentially in poverty or close to the poverty line. If the duty is not hidden in there somewhere, it should be. I invite the Minister to show us exactly where it is, and where it is implicit in the Bill. It would reassure a lot of people outside that this issue has a drive and focus to it that we could all applaud. I beg to move.