Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, for what reason deduction of earnings requests are submitted by the Child Maintenance Service to collect child maintenance.

The Child Maintenance Service makes Deduction from Earnings Requests (DER) to enforce arrears from non-resident parents in the Armed Forces. A DER works in a similar way to a Deduction from Earnings Order in that if it is agreed to, regular deductions will be made from the non-resident parent’s wages and passed on to the Child Maintenance Group (CMG). The CMG has a memorandum of understanding with the Ministry of Defence that supports the operation of deductions from earnings.