'Dishonest, back-door dealing' over child maintenance threatens to leave children in poverty says AM

1.55.16pm BST (GMT +0100) Thu 14th Jun 2007

The Welsh Liberal Democrat Assembly Member for South Wales West, Peter Black, has hit out at Labour's delaying tactics over how much child maintenance parents can keep before it affects their benefits.

At present, parents who have care responsibilities get £10 per week of their child maintenance disregarded before their benefits get cut. Yet the recent Child Maintenance and Other Payments Bill published last week makes no mention of an increase.

Mr. Black said:-

"No doubt Labour are worried about the outcry if people on benefits are thought to get a better deal that other families who get child maintenance,

"However, not to state in their Bill the details of any increase in the amount of child maintenance disregarded in order to avoid having a debate about it until later is dishonest, back-door dealing,

"Allowing maintenance to be disregarded in full would immediately lift around 90,000 extra children out of poverty across the UK, and would cost £230m,

"A £50 per week disregard would lift approximately 60,000 children above the poverty line and cost £170m,

"These are small sums when set against the huge and continuing social and economic costs of leaving children to grow up in poverty, If Labour remains serious about halving child poverty by 2010, then they should seize this opportunity with both hands."