27 February 2024 , 11:05
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The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has scrapped a £20 charge for parents to "ensure no child misses out".
This is part of a crackdown on parents who don't pay child maintenance when they should. The DWP will also forgive any arrears worth £7 or less in a small number of inactive cases. The Government plans to use powers that let the CMS make an administrative liability order against someone who hasn't paid child maintenance and is in arrears.
Before moving to the administrative liability order, which allows for stronger enforcement action like bailiff action and disqualification from holding a driving license, the CMS can collect earnings directly from parents' employers or different bank accounts.
The consultation response confirms that protections for paying parents will include a right of appeal to a court against an administrative liability order. Regulations to remove the application fee were laid in November 2023 and came into force on February 27, 2024.
Work and Pensions Secretary Mel Stride announced plans to speed up the process of holding parents accountable for their financial responsibilities towards their children. He said: "We know the vast majority of parents strive each and every day to give their children the best possible start in life. But those who shirk the financial responsibilities they have for their children must be quickly held to account."
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"That's why we are fast-tracking enforcement from six months to six weeks making the system fairer for parents and above all for children." DWP Minister Viscount Younger added: "The Child Maintenance Service makes a real difference to the lives of over 900,000 children across the UK, with CMS and family-based arrangements helping to keep around 160,000 out of poverty each year."
"That's why, alongside improving enforcement action, we're removing the application fee so the Child Maintenance Service is accessible to everyone, meaning the poorest families can ensure their children are properly provided for."