14 March 2007 - 196,400 reasons to pay child maintenance
John Hutton today launched a fresh drive to make absent parents face up to their responsibilities to their children. For the next two weeks hard hitting adverts will appear in national and regional papers warning of the consequences of not paying child maintenance.
The advert highlights the increasing use of the tough powers available to the CSA. It focuses on people for whom “taking responsibility of your children is not enough of a reason” and gives an additional 196,400 reasons to pay, including being pursued by debt collectors or a prison sentence.
Secretary of State John Hutton said:
“This advert sends the clear message that we can and will take tough action against those who refuse to take responsibility for their children.
“Our first priority is to get more money to more children. However, as these figures show, we are getting tougher and will not shy away from coming down hard on those who seek to evade us.
“Last year over 400 parents received immediate or suspended prison sentences and 23,000 cases were handed to debt collectors.”
Other reasons given in the advert include:
- 16,000 parents have maintenance deducted directly from their wages
- 23,000 parents have their cases pursued by debt collectors
- 13,000 parents have been presented with a summons and taken to court
- 400 parents have received immediate or suspended prison sentences
Plans were announced in 2006 to replace the CSA with a tough new organisation to deliver a radically different system of child maintenance. However, the CSA remains committed to getting more money to more children and improving performance through the Operational Improvement Plan.
Notes to Editors
- The advert will run for 2 weeks beginning on 14 March 2007
- The OIP was launched in April 2006 it aims to improve services to clients, increase the amount of money we collect and achieve greater compliance from non-resident parents.
- The Child Maintenance White Paper: A new system of child maintenance was published on 13 December 2006 and set out proposals to radically reform child maintenance. It can be found at http://www.dwp.gov.uk/childmaintenance
- A copy of the advert can be obtained through the Press Office
Media enquiries
Jessica Bates: 020 3267 5135
Press office: 020 3267 5144
Out of hours: 07659 108 883
Website: www.dwp.gov.uk