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Child Maintenance and Other Payments Bill

We have a separate amendment on that, but we are touching on driving licences here. There is a discrete amendment, but these amendments are part of this group. However, the noble Lord is right that we have also strayed into travel authorisation. I shall skip that part of my notes and return to it later. Amendment No. 181 would set out in primary legislation that the commission must consider the impact on the non-resident parent’s ability to pay the outstanding child maintenance should he or she be disqualified from holding or obtaining a driving licence. I agree that it is important that, before such a measure is imposed, consideration is given to whether a non-resident parent needs a driving licence to earn a living. That is precisely why new Section 40B(A4)(a) in Clause 28 as well as existing legislation on how the current process operates make it clear that the court should, in the presence of the non-resident parent, inquire whether the driving licence is needed by him to earn a living. I appreciate that noble Lords may therefore question why the commission is not duty bound to consider this as well before making an application to the court. However, including such a provision in the legislation is not necessary.