Children: Maintenance

(asked on 28th February 2018) - View Source

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department takes to ensure that child maintenance payments are paid by non-resident parents; and what steps her Department takes to support the resident parent.


Answered by
Kit Malthouse Portrait
Kit Malthouse
This question was answered on 6th March 2018

We have a range of strong enforcement powers intended to ensure paying parents fulfil their financial responsibilities towards their children, and therefore help support receiving parents. These powers include deducting maintenance directly from earnings, sharing information about non-compliance with credit reference agencies, instructing bailiffs to collect arrears or seize goods, forcing the sale of property, commitment to prison and disqualification from driving.

We have also recently consulted on a new compliance and arrears strategy aimed at further increasing our compliance and enforcement powers.

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