UK: Absent fathers who refuse to pay child support will lose their passports

Story here. Excerpt:

'Unprecedented plans to give bureaucrats the power to revoke people’s driving licences and passports without going through the courts will be unveiled this week.

Work and Pensions Secretary James Purnell will announce the far-reaching proposals on Tuesday as part of a new crackdown on absent fathers who refuse to pay for the upkeep of their children.

Officials in charge of pursuing them for child maintenance arrears would win the right to bypass judges and ban them from driving or travelling abroad at the stroke of a pen.
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But in December 2007, the respected Lords’ constitution committee warned that giving State officials the power to cancel passports would be a ‘serious’ curtailment of long-standing freedoms.’

It added: ‘The freedom to travel to and from one’s country is a right of great significance and should only be curtailed after a rigorous decision process.’