Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to improve the collection of child maintenance; and if he will make a statement.

Children have better outcomes when parents work together following a separation. As part of the child maintenance reforms introduced in 2012, everyone wishing to make an application to the statutory scheme is required to contact the Child Maintenance Options Service, which will provide information on the full range of options available to separating parents including where to find support to make their own, effective family based arrangements.

Those parents who choose to use the 2012 scheme will benefit from a faster and simpler way of working out maintenance, with information on earnings collected direct from HMRC, and a self-service portal to enable parents to track payments.

In the event of non-compliance the Department has a wide range of effective powers to collect child maintenance, including taking deductions direct from earnings and bank accounts. Those who persistently fail to pay may be committed to prison.

The latest published figures are continuing to increase and are, at present, showing 88% of cases on the 1993 and 2003 schemes and 88% of case groups on the 2012 scheme contributing towards their current maintenance liability, their highest position to date.