My mind has been turning this over all morning now after another thread on this board about a single parent being asked for a "consent to travel" letter from the other (absent, alcoholic) parent.
From the wider replies on the other thread, it seems that the current law in this area is a blunt instrument and not always fit for purpose. It sounds like those with ill-intent could easily get around it (fake letters and other comms) but that many traveling as part of normal life are being adversely affected, esp. single parents.
I do agree with the principle of the law requiring input and oversight of decision-making around DC overall, and generally it benefits the child to keep both parents involved, but I know how insulting and demeaning it can feel as the sole parent to be asked repeatedly for the permission of a "deadbeat" or otherwise permanently absent ex for some DC life-decision. These requests can come from schools, GPs, clubs as well as staff at airports and other border points.
From a single parent perspective, it would be useful if there was a way in which parental responsibility went into "dormancy" if the absent parent were entirely uninvolved in the child's life. So, for example, if there were no shared residency, no attempt to arrange or maintain contact, and no child maintenance paid over a certain number of years, PR would automatically become dormant, unless the absent parent later successfully applied for a court order to revive it.
As a poster on the other thread indicated, this isn't just about people being irritated at another layer of bureaucracy and box ticking to satisfy a one-size-fits-all law, there are single parents who are afraid to contact ex partners because they are dangerous or unable to contact them because they're entirely off the radar.
I understand that it is very, very hard to get PR permanently removed. I imagine it would also be a long, involved and expensive process which would likely inflame some already volatile situations.
Would a "use it or lose it" approach to PR with a dormancy option be fairer, simpler and easier to administer?
NB I'm not a lawyer. I'm a single parent wondering if and how the current system could be improved so that normal people living normal lives aren't pointlessly stymied and restricted to no one's benefit.