Catherine Byrne (Dublin South Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 369: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform his plans to introduce legislation to ensure that child maintenance enforcement orders are processed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4689/10]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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The provisions in the law for ensuring that payments continue to be made by spouses in support of their dependent spouses and children are comprehensive. They include enabling powers for the courts to order attachment of the earnings of a debtor spouse, to order the securing of payments to the maintenance creditor, to order the payment of lump sums and to order arrears of maintenance to be paid by instalments.

While the law generally operates successfully in this area I am aware that difficulties have arisen in some cases because of the effect of a judgment of the High Court last year notwithstanding that the Enforcement of Court Orders (Amendment) Act 2009 made changes in the law consequent on that judgment. I am in consultation with the Attorney General with a view to developing early proposals for further legislation in this respect.