Report of the Child Maintenance Review Group

In line with the Programme for Government commitment, the government established a Child Maintenance Review Group to examine certain issues in relation to child maintenance in Ireland. The Group's Terms of Reference were to consider and make recommendations on:

the current treatment of child maintenance payments in the department
the current provisions regarding liable relatives managed by the department
the establishment of a Child Maintenance Agency in Ireland

The group was chaired by former Circuit Court Judge Catherine Murphy and its membership included legal, policy and academic professionals, and officials from the Department of Social Protection and the Department of Justice.

As part of its work, the Group conducted a public consultation process. Submissions were received from members of the public, as well as Members of the Oireachtas, NGOs and Professional Bodies. The Group also examined the international position where there are a variety of different approaches taken to these matters.

The Group reported to the Minister for Social Protection in April 2022 and the Government published the report and its response to it in November 2022.