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Child Maintenance and Other Payments Bill

My Lords, I thank the Minister for taking the trouble to re-examine the policy on this point. Your Lordships’ Select Committee on the Constitution deliberated carefully about the matter. As we discussed in Grand Committee, we were not convinced that the Bill’s policy, which we strongly support, of having an administrative decision followed by a right of appeal with suspensory effect would meet the policy goal of avoiding a drawn-out court process, as opposed to a straightforward power for CMEC to seek an order from a magistrates’ court. The amendments to which the Minister spoke today seek to reflect what we recommended. I note that he reserves the right to come back with future legislation and, of course, no Parliament can bind its successors. We will scrutinise any proposals that come forward pursuant to that intention with the same rigour but, in the mean time, I am extremely grateful and support the amendment.