The Child Support Agency (CSA) has published a list of excuses given by parents for not paying child maintenance, reports the Herald.
The excuses include:
- Claims that letters sent from the CSA were eaten by dogs.
- Claims that having payments deducted from salary is a breach of human rights.
- A father saying that he had bought sweets for his child and therefore had paid enough already.
- A footballer on a £4,000 a week salary saying he couldn't afford his child maintenance arrears payments because his Ferrari was so expensive to run.
Family charities have spoken out against these excuses, and also against the Government's proposed reforms to the child maintenance system. Fiona Weir, Chief Executive of Gingerbread, the single parent charity, said:
“This shows the lengths to which some parents will go to avoid paying child maintenance. It is therefore extraordinary that the government is planning to make it even harder for resident parents to get the money owed to their children, by charging them to access the CSA. Unless this plan is withdrawn, thousands of single parents who could not afford the fees will have no choice but to manage without the money altogether.”
