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Child Maintenance and Other Payments Bill

I was not going to intervene on this because it is a difficult issue, but why does the noble Lord think that? If the self-employed person has, with the help of accountants, declared an income that HMRC has accepted and within the law has clearly abated his returnable income by depreciation for this, that and other legitimate reasons, why does the noble Lord think that CSA staff, without the facilities, resources or information that the tax inspectors have, would be able to do a better job? Given that there is not full payment of maintenance—given the £40 figure—the loss of the additional money is not likely to be borne by the person with care, but by the taxpayer. This is a double question. First, I do not think that you could realistically get at that information. At least—Glory be!—with the tax system we have a better chance. Secondly, it may not matter as much as the noble Lord thinks because it may fall into the headspace between the 40 quid a week disregard in benefit cases and the amount that might have to be paid.