Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans his Department has to extend the remit of the Child Maintenance Group to cover the investigation of cases in which a non-resident parent has failed to declare income to HM Revenue and Customs.

The Child Maintenance Group (CMG) is currently developing a referral criteria for cases where the non-resident parent has either not declared information to HMRC or, where the information received from HMRC is challenged by the parent with care or where it seems entirely improbable by the caseworker. The criteria will seek to ensure that there is some tangible substance to the allegation that will enable the Financial Investigations Unit to act proportionately. Once the criteria are approved, it will be available to all CMG caseworkers to identify cases for investigation. CMG are committed to having these enhanced processes in place to trial and evaluate, within the next two months.