The Child Support (Voluntary Payments) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2001

Types of payment

3.  This regulation applies to a payment made by the non-resident parent—

(a) by any of the following methods—

(i) in cash;

(ii) by standing order;

(iii) by any other method which requires one person to give his authority for payments to be made from an account of his to an account of another’s on specific dates during the period for which the authority is in force and without the need for any further authority from him;

(iv) by an arrangement whereby one person gives his authority for payments to be made from an account of his, or on his behalf, to another person or to an account of that other person;

(v) by cheque or postal order, or

(vi) by debit card, and

(b) which is, or is in respect of—

(i) a payment in lieu of child support maintenance and which is paid to the person with care;

(ii) a mortgage or loan taken out on the security of the property which is the qualifying child’s home where that mortgage or loan was taken out to facilitate the purchase of, or to pay for essential repairs or improvements to, that property;

(iii) rent on the property which is the qualifying child’s home;

(iv) mains-supplied gas or electricity charges at the qualifying child’s home;

(v) rates payable by the person with care in relation to the qualifying child’s home;

(vi) essential repairs to the heating system in the qualifying child’s home, or

(vii) repairs which are essential to maintain the fabric of the qualifying child’s home.