Computer problem hits child support payments to mothers
Two mothers have complained that they are not getting child support payments due to a glitch with a Government computer system.They spoke out in frustration yesterday after calls to Magistrates’ Court, which handles the payment process, failed to resolve the issue.The first mother, a 48-year-old from Warwick, said she has not received any money from her ex-husband for four weeks even though he has been making payments at $175 per week.“I went to the clerks at Magistrates’ Court on Friday and they told me they had a computer glitch and there is nothing they can do, and some people are not getting paid,” she reported.She explained that the payments are made by her ex for her 25-year-old daughter who is at medical school overseas.“As long as she is in school, her father has to pay,” she explained.“I have a student loan I had to pay. Because of this problem I paid late, and the bank charged me a $35 fee. I also have things to pay for my daughter,” explained the woman, who asked to remain anonymous.She added that the clerk she dealt with at Magistrates' Court informed her that there was no manager available to discuss the problem.“They have not had the decency to apologise or offer any advice,” she said.The second mother is a 32-year-old from Devonshire who has a ten-year-old daughter. The father is in arrears with payments due to being unemployed, but did pay $100 on October 23 which had still not been transferred to her as of yesterday.“I’m still waiting, and friends of mine have been waiting three or four weeks for their payments,” she reported.“Nobody at Government has an answer. They keep saying it’s the new computer system.“They are refusing to give anybody cash. People have to pay their bills and there are children who need to eat. In this economic situation we are going through, it’s unacceptable.”The second mother also asked to remain anonymous.AGovernment spokewoman apologised for any inconvience and said: “The Ministry of Justice is aware of the concerns raised by affected members of the community regarding the lateness of child support payments and is working to rectify the issue.”