Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, under what conditions the Child Support Agency is obliged to consider an applicant's lifestyle rather than evidence of earned income and unearned income from relevant assets.

The Child Support Agency may consider a variation to the maintenance calculation on the ground of “lifestyle inconsistent with declared income” where evidence is provided that indicates a parent has a lifestyle which is inconsistent with the amount of income that has been used in the standard calculation.