MP for Redcar, Anna Turley, has challenged the Department for Work and Pensions over the billions of pounds worth of unpaid child maintenance owed to parents.
The Gingerbread ‘Maintenance Matters’ report, launched last summer, looked at the current performance of the Child Support Agency and that of its replacement, the Child Maintenance service. The report highlights that arrears across the child support schemes amount to almost £4 billion across the UK. In Redcar there is £5.2 million owed to parents.
In a letter to The Rt Hon Damian Green MP, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Anna asked the Department for Work and Pensions to:
“Outline what the impact of the millions of unpaid child maintenance has been on single-parent families.
“Provide assurances to me that the necessary action is being taken… to ensure that no more children enter poverty avoidably due to unpaid child maintenance.”
Anna has also said:
“Child maintenance is vital in providing children with the essentials, such as food and clothing.
“It is money that children are entitled to and is a key plank in the fight against poverty. With 3.9 million children living in poverty we cannot stand by while arrears mount.”
Anna also signed the Early Day Motion 575: Gingerbread Report on Child Maintenance, which calls for a significant improvement in the enforcement of child maintenance over the next three years.