Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether there is a limit on how many times a paying parent is given the opportunity to pay direct through the Child Maintenance Service to the parent with care after failing to pay and enforcement action having been taken.

Paying parents deemed unlikely to pay must pay on time and in full by a non-enforced method for a period of at least six months via the Child Maintenance Service (the collect and pay service) before they can choose to revert to paying the receiving parent direct (Direct Pay). This provides a period of stability for the receiving parent, and requires the paying parent to demonstrate that they can be voluntarily compliant. There is no limit, however, to the number of times that a paying parent may be given the opportunity to pay direct to the receiving parent, as behaviour can change over time. A parent once deemed unlikely to pay, may now be willing to do so.