These Regulations amend the Child Support (Management of Payments and Arrears) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2009 (S.R. 2009 No. 422) to make provision for further circumstances in which the Department may extinguish liability in respect of arrears of child support maintenance where it appears to the Department that it would be unfair or otherwise inappropriate to enforce liability in respect of those arrears.

These further circumstances in which the Department may extinguish liability arise when a maintenance calculation has ceased under specific provisions of the Child Support (Northern Ireland) Order 1991, the arrears are less than £7 and the non-resident parent has failed to make any payments in the three months preceding the date on which the Department makes the decision to extinguish liability.

These Regulations make in relation to Northern Ireland only provision corresponding to provision contained in Regulations made by the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions in relation to Great Britain and accordingly, by virtue of section 149(3) of, and paragraph (10) of Schedule 5 to, the Social Security (Administration) (Northern Ireland) Act 1992 (c. 8), are not subject to the requirement of section 149(2) of that Act for prior reference to the Social Security Advisory Committee.

A regulatory impact assessment has not been produced for these Regulations as they have no impact on the costs of the business. An Explanatory Memorandum has been published alongside these Regulations on www.legislation.gov.uk.