Letter: CSA `is toothless'

Sir: I object to Dr Simon Fordham's bitter comments (letter, 26 March). There is another side to the story.

I have been a single mother for five years and tried avoiding the Child Support Agency's pursuit of information on the whereabouts of my daughter's father, on moral grounds, until they threatened to stop my benefit.

I received no financial assistant for our child from her "devoted" father and money that has recently been extracted from him by the CSA has been offset against my benefit.

In September I started back on a nursing course, from which point maintenance has been paid directly to me: pounds 5 per week. Any attempt to have this sum increased has failed and my ex-partner has been the one running around in a BMW telling the CSA he earns only pounds 60 a week.

The sooner that mainten-ance is returned to the civil courts the better. For children in my daughter's position the CSA is a toothless dog.

NAME AND ADDRESS SUPPLIED