Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to ensure that employers are complying with the seven day deadline of deduction from earnings orders, to ensure child maintenance is deducted from the parents pay.

To ensure that employers meet their obligations to deduct child maintenance from earnings, the Child Maintenance Group (CMG) has taken the following steps:

• new employers are issued with a comprehensive welcome pack detailing their role and responsibilities;
• the CMG has a dedicated Employer Payment Team (EPT) to assist and support employers with this process;
• EPT call every employer new to CMG within seven days and talk them through our welcome pack;
• we have enhanced specific procedures and training for Deduction from Earnings Orders (DEO) to ensure they are implemented promptly and accurately;
• we have established DEO ambassadors to assist caseworkers across our organisation; and
• we ensure Enforcement action where an employer is deemed non-compliant.