Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she has taken to ensure child maintenance payments are made on time by employers.

A welcome pack is issued to each new employer which is followed up with a telephone call to a specific person in payroll to check they understand the Deductions from Earnings Order (DEO) process and the employers obligation, to deduct payments on time from employee salary. Each month thereafter, a target schedule is sent to the employer’s payroll department.

For existing employers a target schedule is also sent and a phone call will have taken place when we initially requested deductions to be taken.

If employers don’t make the payment to CMS on time we will call that employer 5 working days after the missed payment to investigate late payment and re-iterate their obligations to CMS.

Where employers repeatedly fail to send payments, we will work with them to understand what we need to do in order to reach compliance. At this point we also work alongside our Financial Investigations Unit, where we might consider a face to face visit to the employer is appropriate. This will take place with trained investigators, who will also remind employers of their legal obligation to deduct and pass on child maintenance payments.