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 prevalence of the use of dividends as income in order to reduce liabilities under Child Support Agency calculations; and if he will make a statement.

The Department does not make assessments of prevalence of the use of dividends as income to reduce child maintenance liabilities as it is not possible to ascertain that the reason for the use of dividends has been solely to reduce a maintenance liability.