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Children: Maintenance

Answer

[holding answer 12 October 2009]: The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission is responsible for the child maintenance system. I have asked the Child Maintenance Commissioner to write to the hon. Member with the information requested and I have seen the response.Letter from Stephen Geraghty:"In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Child Maintenance Commissioner as the Child Support Agency is now the responsibility of the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission.""You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how long on average it takes the Child Support Agency to pass deduction of earning payments onto the recipient parent; and what steps she is taking to introduce (a) same-day and (b) same-week processing. [292105]""Once the Child Support Agency has received the payment from the non-resident parent's employer, the average length of time it takes the Agency to process the payment and pass it on to the parent with care is one day. Cash and postal orders can be passed on to the parent with care on the same day as they are received into the Agency's bank. Many automated methods of payment such as child maintenance received from the non-resident parent by direct debit are forwarded once the banking system has cleared the funds. In these cases the parent with care receives maintenance three days later on average. This process takes longer if payments are made to the parent with care by cheque.""It should be noted that employers are required to pass on maintenance deducted from employee's earnings by the nineteenth day of the following month, parents with care may therefore experience a delay in receiving their first payment.""I hope you find this answer helpful."

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

497 c1343-4W; 292105

Session

2008-09

Subjects

Children Maintenance

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk