Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) gives the same priority for collection to arrears owed to parent with care who transfers from the Child Support Agency to the CMS by a paying parent as new arrears which accumulate under the 2012 scheme.

The Child Maintenance Service is committed to ensuring parents fulfil their obligation to make financial provision for their children. The approach to the collection of arrears was set out in the DWP Child Maintenance Arrears and Compliance Strategy, Preparing for the future, tackling the past published on 31 January 2013.