Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department has made an estimate of the number of Child Maintenance Service cases where bank accounts held in a joint name prohibited payment.

The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) has a range of strong enforcement powers that are designed to get money flowing quickly, prevent the build-up of arrears and ensure children get the financial support they deserve.

When a paying parent does not make maintenance payments on time or in full, the CMS will initially negotiate a payment that is feasible for the parent to pay. If this is unsuccessful, the CMS has powers to deduct maintenance from a wide range of bank accounts.

In 2018, regulations were passed which allow the CMS to make deductions from joint and unlimited partnership business accounts.