CMEC accounts not fully signed off

The National Audit Office has not fully signed off the accounts of the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission (CMEC) due to a number of errors. According to the National Audit Office, some child support payments, which the CMEC is in charge of enforcing, were paid at the wrong rate and others were based on incorrect assessments.

The Auditor General, Amyas Morse, also said that due to errors in assessments the figure presented on outstanding maintenance arrears by the CMEC did not accurately represent the true level of arrears. However, the report said that the CMEC had made significant improvements in the information available on maintenance arrears.

The correct amounts received and paid by the agency are shown in the 2010/11 accounts. In 2009/10 there were £10m in overpayments and £14.4m in underpayments. It is estimated that in 2010/11 there were £10.2m in overpayments and £13.9m in underpayments. Mr Morse said:

“Since the statutory child maintenance schemes were introduced, there have been problems with the accurate calculation of maintenance and with the two underlying IT systems, neither of which was capable of properly reporting arrears. The commission inherited these problems from the Child Support Agency.”

Our Family and Matrimonial team helps families across West London and Bucks. For advice, contact a member of the team: call us on 01494 790000 or email familylaw@ibblaw.co.uk.