Part 6 – Miscellaneous
18.In January 2011 the Government published a consultation document Strengthening families, promoting parental responsibility: the future of child maintenance (Cm 7990). The document set out the Government’s view that parents should be encouraged and supported to make their own family-based arrangements for the maintenance of their children wherever possible, rather than using the statutory maintenance scheme. This will enable the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission to focus on those cases where it is not possible for parents to make those arrangements themselves. This Part of the Act makes provision to implement proposals which support the principles in the consultation document (but did not form part of the consultation) and which require primary legislation.
19.Provision is also made for an amendment to the Insolvency Act 1986 to put beyond doubt that arrears of child support are excluded from the debts which may be included in an individual voluntary arrangement.
20.In addition, provision is made to establish the Social Mobility and Child Poverty Commission.