Nigel Evans – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nigel Evans on 2016-02-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans the Child Support Agency has to work more closely with the police in order to pursue the debt of non-resident parents.

Priti Patel

There are no plans to work with the police in order to try and pursue the debt of non-resident parents.

We have at our disposal a range of strong enforcement powers, intended to ensure all parents fulfil their financial responsibilities towards their children. We are using all of the powers available to us where it is appropriate to do so. These powers include deducting maintenance directly from earnings, sharing information about non-compliance with credit reference agencies, instructing bailiffs to collect arrears or seize goods, forcing the sale of property, commitment to prison and disqualification from driving.