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Child Maintenance and Other Payments Bill

Let me try again. The 25 per cent net figure would apply to the new calculation. That amount, whatever it is, would be divided between the three children. There would be an adjustment to the statutory arrangement for the first two children so that the parent with care would get two-thirds of 25 per cent. In relation to the one-third, there would be no effect on the voluntary arrangement. Whatever the voluntary agreement was would drive what the payment is. If that became unaffordable in the light of the adjustment, it would be open to either parent to bring it into the statutory system. In that case, the 25 per cent level would apply and would be divided into three with two-thirds going to the parent with care and one-third to the other parent. I hope that that has dealt with the point. All sorts of combinations can affect this. It is more likely that it will hit cases the other way around, where there is a voluntary arrangement to start with and then someone comes into the statutory scheme. The same principle applies. You take account of all the children who are involved in maintenance. That drives the formula and the percentage. It is divided up among those children and is adjusted only for those in the statutory scheme. My noble friend also asked whether, if there were an arrangement under the new basis of assessment in 2010, that would drag an existing arrangement under the previous scheme across to the new formula. I believe that the answer is yes. Obviously when we get to 2013 there will be only one formula. I see reassuring nods from the back.