Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to (a) improve the (i) effectiveness and (ii) efficiency of the Child Maintenance Service and (b) help tackle unpaid child maintenance.

The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) has a relatively low percentage of unpaid maintenance. Only 8% of the total maintenance due to be paid since the start of the CMS remains to be collected through the collect & pay service. This was as high as 17% in March 2015.

The CMS has a range of strong enforcement powers that can be used against those who consistently refuse to meet their obligations to provide financial support to their children including deducting directly from earnings, bank accounts and forcing the sale of a property. The Department plans to streamline the enforcement process further by removing the requirement to obtain a court issued liability order, and instead allow the Secretary of State to issue an administrative liability order. Introducing this simpler administrative process will enable the CMS to take faster action against those paying parents who actively avoid their responsibilities.

A CMS modernisation programme is ongoing which is delivering services with increased effectiveness and efficiency by optimising the use of digital channels and self-service. These efficiencies will make it easier for customers to report changes and report non-payment so CMS caseworkers can focus on the collection of unpaid child maintenance.