refuse to pay child support into line.

Health and Social Services Minister the Hon. Quinton Edness yesterday announced recommendations now under active consideration include bank seizures, cancelling drivers' licences and putting offenders on a publicly advertised "most wanted list''.

The announcement came following a call by Shadow Minister Mr. Nelson Bascome for a comprehensive Government review.

Mr. Bascome called for additional measures including putting non-payers on a stop list and enlisting Police to enforce warrants.

But Mr. Edness said the MP was "out of date''.

He said Government made a complete review of the situation two years ago and that brought about a change in policy.

Built into the changes was an automatic review to monitor how the proposals were working and what else Government could do to make the system more effective.

As a result, millions of dollars in child support payments were recovered by the courts, Mr. Edness said.

He added that the Progressive Labour Party also promised a review, but never produced it.

But Mr. Edness admitted there was still a long way to go.

A committee was now considering other recommendations in the review which may be put before MPs this year. They included: Creating a detention centre to imprison delinquent parents for an interim period. They would remain employed but have civil liberties curtailed; Compelling banks, deposit companies and credit unions through a court order to identify and pay funds held on behalf of the defendant through an amendment to the Magistrates' Act 1948; Locating individuals who are the subject of child support orders through information from local banks, utility companies, Government quangos and unions; Advertising a most wanted list of individuals who are delinquent; Imposing court orders to cancel a parent's vehicle or driver licence; Increasing imprisonment for non-payment of bills from a maximum of 90 days to 12 months; and Creating legislation so that magistrates can remit arrears (and re-instate arrears) in certain cases.

But Mr. Edness said Government would have to assess whether such measures jeopardised civil liberties, as would the proposal to put people on the stop list.

And imprisonment, he said, should only be a final resort.

"I agree with using all other applications of law available to us to get putative fathers and work out a system where they can pay and be responsible to their children,'' Mr. Edness said. "The idea is to make fathers look after their children.'' Editorial -- Page 4