Chairperson of Oireachtas Women's Caucus welcomes publication of Review of the Enforcement of Child Maintenance Orders

Fianna Fáil Senator in Kildare and Chairperson of the Oireachtas Women’s Caucus, Fiona O’Loughlin, has welcomed the publication of the Review of the Enforcement of Child Maintenance Orders by the Minister for Justice. 

The Review, which has been consistently called for by the Women’s Caucus, was carried out to examine how the current system of Child Maintenance Orders can be improved. It contains 26 recommendations, spanning three different approaches: those of consensus, compliance and deterrence.  

Senator O’Loughlin said: “As the Chairperson of the cross-party Oireachtas Women’s Caucus, I have consistently called for the improvement of the current system of Child Maintenance Orders so I welcome the publication of the Review this morning. 

“Non-payment of Child Maintenance in particular is a common problem and this is clearly unacceptable so I am glad to see this mentioned in the Review. Other recommendations in the Review, such as the development of a set of Child Maintenance guidelines and exploring the possibility of attaching an order to a PPS number so that orders do not lapse when there is a change in employer are positive. 

“The Review is especially welcome for one-parent families and their children, who experience some of the highest poverty rates in the country and need support. The goal must be to support every child properly and alleviate the risk of poverty for families and I hope the publication of this Review is a step towards real change in securing stability for families and their children.” 

-ENDS-