2

Where a child support officer receives the information or evidence to enable him to make a maintenance assessment, calculated in accordance with the provisions of Part I of Schedule 1 to the Act, for the period from the date set by regulation 3(7) of the Maintenance Arrangements and Jurisdiction Regulations or regulation 30(2)(a) or (b), as the case may be, to the effective date of the maintenance assessment referred to in paragraph (1), the maintenance assessment first referred to in this paragraph shall, subject to regulation 33(7), have effect for that period.

3

The effective date of a new maintenance assessment made in respect of a person with care and an absent parent shall, where the circumstances set out in paragraph (4) apply, be the first day of the first maintenance period after the child support officer has received the information or evidence referred to in paragraph (4)(c) or 13th January 1997, whichever is the later.

4

The circumstances referred to in paragraph (3) are where—

a

paragraphs (1) and (2) do not apply to that person with care and that absent parent;

b

no maintenance assessment made in accordance with the provisions of Part I of Schedule 1 to the Act is in force in relation to that person with care and that absent parent; and

c

on or after 13th January 1997, a child support officer has sufficient information or evidence to enable him to make a new maintenance assessment, calculated in accordance with the provisions of Part I of Schedule 1 to the Act, in relation to that person with care and that absent parent but in respect only of a period beginning after the effective date applicable in their case by virtue of regulation 30(2).

5

Where the information or evidence referred to in paragraph (3) is that there has been an award of income support or an income-based jobseeker’s allowance, the Secretary of State shall be treated as having received the information or evidence which enables a child support officer to make the assessment referred to in that paragraph on the first day in respect of which income support or an income-based jobseeker’s allowance was payable under that award.

6

Where, in a case falling within paragraph (3), a child support officer receives the information or evidence to enable him to make a maintenance assessment calculated in accordance with the provisions of Part I of Schedule 1 to the Act, for the period from the effective date applicable to that case under regulation 30(2)(a) or (b), as the case may be, to the effective date of the assessment referred to in paragraph (3), the maintenance assessment first referred to in this paragraph shall have effect for that period.

7

Paragraphs (3) to (6) shall not apply where a case falls within regulation 33(7), or regulation 3 of the Maintenance Arrangements and Jurisdiction Regulations (relationship between maintenance assessments and certain court orders).