Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how his Department defines what a reasonable chance of collection is before deciding to write-off arrears accrued under the Child Support Agency.

Where a receiving parent makes representations for the arrears to be collected, the Service will make every effort to trace the paying parent associated with the case and verify the arrears. The paying parent will also be given an opportunity to make representations as part of the process. Once the debt is moved to the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) it will exhaust all available collection methods available in an attempt to secure a payment.

Some of the collection options available to the CMS include imposing a deduction from earnings order and lump sum deduction orders. If all attempts are unsuccessful the debt may then be deemed uncollectable and write-off considered.