Child maintenance payment problems highlighted by Helen Morgan

North Shropshire MP Helen Morgan has highlighted problems for separated families owed maintenance payments with the Minister for Work and Pensions.

This comes after a case raised by a North Shropshire constituent, where a year’s maintenance payments were not received after the service lost track of the father and his employment.

Around half of the children in separated families do not receive the level of maintenance payments that they are owed.

The MP has asked the Minister to explain what works are being taken by the Department for Work and Pensions to chase these payments up and get families the support they need and are owed.

Helen Morgan, MP for North Shropshire, told the House, “My constituent's daughter is a young lady who's missed out for over a year on child maintenance payments because her father changed jobs and the child maintenance service lost track of him.

“My team have been involved and despite lots of faffing, she still hasn't received a payment. She's around one of half of the children in separated families who are not receiving the benefit payment, the maintenance payments they deserve.

“Could the Minister explain what his department is doing to ensure that the employers of these missing parents are properly chased up?”

Paul Maynard MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, replied, “While parents have certain categories of taxable income not being captured by the standard child maintenance calculation, they can make a request to CMS to have the calculation varied.

“We've consulted on proposals to include more tax deductible income held by HMRC in the standard maintenance calculation.”