Enough is enough. What will it take to get the Government’s focus on collecting outstanding child-support payments?

When I was a senator in March 2024, I asked the Government three questions:

1, What is the total amount of outstanding child-support payments due to custodial parents for the year ending December 31, 2023?

2, What are the total amounts of outstanding child-support payments that have been delinquent for between one and five years, ten and 15 years, and for greater than 20 years

3, What is the total number of staff, and their positions whose specific job is dedicated to recovering outstanding child-support payments?

Embarrassingly, the Government’s junior minister advised that since the courts are using a 30-year-old system that is no longer supported by the technical team of the vendor, she was unable to confirm the amount of outstanding payments for the requested time period.

Because of this, no response could be given to Q1 or Q2. The junior minister said that for the 2024-25 fiscal year, the Government had approved $800,000 to purchase a new case management system, so I look forward to hearing of how this important initiative has advanced during upcoming Budget debates.

Interestingly, in that same Senate meeting, the Government confirmed that between 2019 and 2023, there were 2,745 cases in default that were heard in the courts, with $16,647,434 collected for the same period. This information gives some basic insight as to the gravity of the shortfall owed by delinquent parents, and the amounts that must be covered by custodial parents since — whether delinquent parents pay or not — the children still need food, shelter and other necessities. All things that custodial parents must find the money for.

Shockingly, in response to Q3, the Government confirmed that a single enforcement officer handles recovery of delinquent payments.

Given the information about the number of delinquent cases between 2019 and 2023, if they were a lone enforcement officer during that time, that person would have had a caseload of at least 2,745 people. How is this right or allowed to happen?

Some parents who are owed child-support money are desperately having to borrow and work multiple jobs — and some attain financial assistance to keep from ending up on the streets with their children. So, it would be reasonable to expect that the Government would do all it can to avoid placing additional burden on an already stretched financial assistance system.

Supporting parents in getting child-support payments cannot be a priority for this government. If it was, at a minimum there would be adequate systems in place that maintain appropriate data and that sufficient staff are available to assist with enforcement of the laws already in place. Given that there is only one enforcement officer, based on the details provided, delays are unsurprising as a single person cannot do the job efficiently.

What can be done to improve this?

Hire additional enforcement officers, enforce the law already established and create additional legislation to discourage delinquencies and incentivise payment.

The One Bermuda Alliance calls on the Government to advance legislative amendments to:

• Implement automatic wage garnishments so employers deduct income directly from paycheques. Wage garnishments are not automatic at present

• Restrict delinquent parents’ ability to license new vehicles or to renew existing vehicles

• Place liens on property and other assets to recover unpaid child support

• Restrict ability to travel and renew passports

• Suspend driver’s licences in certain circumstances

• Tie court garnishments to social insurance numbers, so garnishments are portable

The Government must demonstrate that it is taking this issue seriously by giving it the attention it needs.

Parents have a hard-enough job raising children — doing so without the support of a financially delinquent parent makes the job even harder. No more talk and empty promises; it’s past time for this government to get serious about supporting parents, especially those who step up to ensure that children have what they need, and hold to account those parents who do not at the very least financially contribute to the welfare of the child or children they helped to create.

• Robin Tucker is the Shadow Minister of Health and the MP for Hamilton South (Constituency 7)