Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment he has made of the progress of the Child Support Agency in restarting committal proceedings since the end of the moratorium.

Following the initial review of its commitment to prison processes the Child Support Agency has continued to develop and evolve its processes and procedures, particularly in relation to the non-resident parent's ability to make payment.

As a result of increased focus on gaining payment compliance prior to considering commitment proceedings, the volume of commitment applications made remains lower than during the period preceding the moratorium.

The Agency is however continuing to make both new commitment applications and applications where the parent has defaulted on the terms of a commitment sentence where this seems the enforcement measure most likely to secure payment compliance.