Stephen Geraghty appointed first commissioner of CMEC

 

The Department of Work & Pensions has announced that Stephen Geraghty will be the first Commissioner for the new Child Maintenance & Enforcement Commission. Mr Geraghty is currently the head of the Child Support Agency and in the words of Peter Hain, the DWP Secretary of State, he has "been heavily involved in working with Sir David Henshaw in the policy review that led to the creation of the new commission and in developing the new legislation currently before Parliament". The appointment was made on merit after an open competition for the post. Before taking up the reins at the CSA, Mr Geraghty was in commerce with roles as Managing Director of Green Flag Group and UK Insurance, Managing Director, Assistance Division of Direct Line Group and Managing Director of Direct Line Financial Services.

Reacting to his appointment, Mr Geraghty stated

"I am delighted to have been appointed as the first Commissioner of the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission. The Commission marks a new era in child maintenance. It gives us the operational freedom to develop new services to support parents to take more responsibility for their children. The passage of the child maintenance bill through Parliament will, at last, give us the policy framework needed to make a difference to more children. But the operational improvements we have made must continue to underpin the transition into the new Commission."

9 January 2008

 

Dead Beat Dads comments

 

 So Stephen Geraghty is appointed the first commissioner of CMEC and in Peter Hains words, he has been involved heavily with Sir David Henshaw in the policy review that led to the new commission.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So this man Sir David Henshaw who left Liverpool City Council with a £340,000 pay-off after falling out with council leader Mike Storey, was to redesign the Child Support Agency. Not a bad payout for falling out with a council leader is it, he has then gone on to redesign a Government run Agency which was to reduce child poverty by 2010 but cannot backup any of its claims that child poverty is down to parents splitting or divorcing. We have asked for proof but to date non has materialised.

 

 

 

More to come

Ministerial foreword

 

 

Parents, whether they live together or not, have a moral as well as a legal responsibility to support their children.

When parents neglect these responsibilities, Government must act to safeguard the interests of children. This was the foundation on which the Child Support Agency was established.

Yet, despite the best efforts of its staff, the performance of the Child Support Agency has been and remains unacceptable. However, the problems go much wider and deeper than the Child Support Agency itself. The history of child maintenance in the UK is a case study of well-intentioned policy designs that were incapable of being administered on the ground. The current system often works against parents – obstructing them from carrying out their parental responsibilities instead of supporting them to achieve the best outcomes for their children. And not enough children get the maintenance they need. The system needs root and branch reform.

That is why, earlier this year, I asked Sir David Henshaw to advise on the redesign of the child maintenance system. Building on Sir David’s recommendations, this White Paper sets out the details of our proposals.

The new system will mark a fresh start for child maintenance. A new body will replace the existing Child Support Agency and make a clean break with the past.

It will be underpinned by an entirely new approach, which will empower parents to take responsibility for making their own maintenance arrangements – but provide strong, effective state support for when this does not happen. New enforcement powers will radically strengthen the recovery of maintenance from those who repeatedly fail to pay – including through the imposition of curfews and the suspension of passports.

The proposals in this White Paper set out a comprehensive path for the delivery of a new child maintenance system. They establish and enforce clear rights and responsibilities. They offer better value for money for the taxpayer. And, above all, they will deliver a system that properly meets the needs of the parents with care and children who depend on it, helping to ensure that families and children do not slide into poverty when parents split up.

Rt Hon John Hutton Secretary of State for Work and Pensions December 2006