Oral Answers to Questions

Jo Swinson Excerpts

Monday 18th October 2010 Commons Chamber

[Mr Duncan Smith]

That is very tempting. I am happy to discuss that with the right hon. Gentleman, and I am definitely tempted in his direction.

[Jo Swinson (East Dunbartonshire) (LD)]

10. What steps his Department is taking to enforce payment of child support by parents who refuse to pay.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (Maria Miller)]

The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission has a range of enforcement powers that it can deploy to secure payments from parents who refuse to pay. However, non-resident parents are given every chance to pay their child maintenance, and only when they are deliberately non-compliant will the commission use these powers.

[Jo Swinson]

I thank the Minister for that reply. All Members of this House will have constituents who are not receiving the child maintenance to which they are entitled because their former partners are giving the Child Support Agency the run-around by changing jobs or the self-employed are hiding their true earnings. The Government rightly do not allow these people to avoid paying tax. Surely, therefore, HMRC data could be used properly to assess child maintenance liability. Alongside the Government getting tough on tax avoidance, will they get tough on child maintenance avoidance?

[Maria Miller]

I thank my hon. Friend for that question. She is absolutely right that this data can help particularly to ensure that individuals pay the money they are due to pay. Indeed, we will consider that under the planned revisions to the CSA’s IT system. I should like to reassure her that the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission is already putting in place a number of other measures to ensure that we increase enforcement actions. Indeed, as a result of those measures we have seen a significant increase in enforcement actions in the past 12 months.