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 ensure prompt action on missed child maintenance payments to avoid the accrual of large arrears.

Where someone fails to pay on time or in full, the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) will contact the parent concerned and aim to re-establish compliance to avoid the build-up of arrears.

The CMS also has a range of strong enforcement powers, which can be used to to ensure children receive the financial support they deserve.