Richard Fuller – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Fuller on 2014-04-03.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment he has made of the progress of the Child Support Agency in restarting committal proceedings since the end of the moratorium.

Steve Webb

Following the initial review of its commitment to prison processes the Child Support Agency has continued to develop and evolve its processes and procedures, particularly in relation to the non-resident parent’s ability to make payment.

As a result of increased focus on gaining payment compliance prior to considering commitment proceedings, the volume of commitment applications made remains lower than during the period preceding the moratorium.

The Agency is however continuing to make both new commitment applications and applications where the parent has defaulted on the terms of a commitment sentence where this seems the enforcement measure most likely to secure payment compliance.