Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans her Department has to improve child maintenance services for parents attempting to access unpaid maintenance payments from parents on with high income.

The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) already has strong enforcement powers in place to recover unpaid child maintenance, including powers to deduct directly from earnings and from a wide range of bank accounts, seizing goods and forcing the sale of a property.

The CMS can also pursue sanctions against those parents who are unwilling to meet their responsibilities such as disqualification from driving, confiscating a UK Passport or commitment to prison. Curfew powers are currently being consulted on which will help ensure CMS can use the right lever to obtain compliance.

Child Maintenance payments are considered a high priority and paying parents are encouraged to prioritise these against other outgoings.