Asked by: Meg Hillier (Labour (Co-op) - Hackney South and Shoreditch)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department takes to ensure that child maintenance payments are paid by non-resident parents; and what steps her Department takes to support the resident parent.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
We have a range of strong enforcement powers intended to ensure paying parents fulfil their financial responsibilities towards their children, and therefore help support receiving parents. These powers include deducting maintenance directly from earnings, sharing information about non-compliance with credit reference agencies, instructing bailiffs to collect arrears or seize goods, forcing the sale of property, commitment to prison and disqualification from driving.
We have also recently consulted on a new compliance and arrears strategy aimed at further increasing our compliance and enforcement powers.
Asked by: Meg Hillier (Labour (Co-op) - Hackney South and Shoreditch)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether there are plans to reduce the amount of debt that a child maintenance paying parent owes before an application for a Liability Order can be made.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
The minimum amount for which a liability order will usually be sought is £500. This is intended to ensure that our use of this power is proportionate to the cost of applying for a liability order. This threshold is discretionary, and we may apply for liability orders for lower amounts depending on the specific circumstances of a case.
Asked by: Meg Hillier (Labour (Co-op) - Hackney South and Shoreditch)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many mandatory reconsideration request decisions made by his Department have been overturned by HM Courts and Tribunals Service since the introduction of that process.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt
The information is not held.
Asked by: Meg Hillier (Labour (Co-op) - Hackney South and Shoreditch)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make it his policy to enable special circumstances to be taken into account when making the decision to withhold pension credit to people who are away from their homes for a period of more than four weeks.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson
It is the intention to amend the Pension Credit temporary absence from Great Britain rules from April 2016. The temporary absence rules allow entitlement to Pension Credit to continue where under normal conditions it would not do so.
We are planning for a general rule which will allow Pension Credit to remain payable for absences not exceeding four weeks. We intend to have exceptions to the general rule to cater for bereavement or medical treatment. Where the absence from Great Britain is in connection with a bereavement concerning a partner or close relative then entitlement to Pension Credit may continue for absences not exceeding eight weeks. Where the absence from Great Britain is in order to receive medical treatment then entitlement to Pension Credit may continue for absences not exceeding 26 weeks.
These changes do not affect the Pension Credit rules covering absences from home within Great Britain.