BBC NEWS | UK | Tough new powers on child support:

Well, here's the big news of the day for me. I understand that all the staff currently working for the Child Support Agency will transfer over to the new Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission on it's inception in 2008-2009. However, CMEC will be a "Non Departmental Government Body" (Quango to you and me). This means that all the staff will cease to be civil servants on transfer - of which the main concern is the access to easy transfers to other departments, and whether the pension will still be supported.

CMEC itself sounds to me like the way it should have been done first time around, so I'm quite positive about it. I'm not convinced I agree with the additional enforcement powers - but a revitalised commitment to delivering maintenance rather than to protecting the benefit system is something I could definitely support.

It does mean another whole change agenda for the Child Support Agency - but hey, change can be a good thing. Change can bring opportunities.


So on the whole, I feel quite positive about the whole thing.