150.As explained in the note on section 13, the process of deciding child support liability and collecting maintenance for children can be delayed if information is not provided. Section 13 provides for a penalty if parents lie or refuse to give information to the Child Support Agency (CSA). In other circumstances, other means of getting information may be appropriate. In some cases, a visit to an employer’s premises, or the premises from which a non-resident parent conducts his business, can yield information that would be difficult to get by other means.
151.The 1991 Act contains a provision to allow child support inspectors to be appointed on a case-by-case basis to carry out visits. The legislation allows for inspectors to enter any premises which are not solely residential, to question anyone they find there and to see any documents. Obstructing an inspector carries a fine of up to £1,000.
152.In practice, however, inspectors are very rarely used. This is because inspectors cannot be appointed for a reasonable period of time: they have to be separately appointed for each case. This in turn means that the CSA cannot build up a team of trained inspectors to be used as required. Given the substantial training, which is required to make an inspector fully effective, this rule severely limits the usefulness of this provision.
153.Section 14 of this Act amends section 15 of the 1991 Act to provide for inspectors to be appointed in a way that does not tie the appointment to an individual case. The section also restates the powers of inspectors to bring this child support provision in line with the more general provisions for DSS investigators set out in Part III of this Act.
154.Subsection (2) substitutes subsections (1) to (4) of section 15 in the 1991 Act.
Part 1: Child Support. Commentary on Sections Information Section 14: Inspectors