Written question asked by Anne Begg (Labour) on Wednesday, 4 March 2015, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Friday, 6 March 2015. It was answered by Steve Webb (Liberal Democrat) on Tuesday, 10 March 2015 on behalf of the Department for Work and Pensions.

Children: Maintenance

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the arrears validation element of the Child Support Agency case closure programme, by what processes will the Agency review cases where arrears recovery had been temporarily suspended, to ascertain whether the reasons for temporary suspension remain valid.

Answer: Under current plans for ending liability in 1993 and 2003 scheme cases, the Department will validate all CSA arrears, including arrears accrued from Interim Maintenance Assessments and those which have been suspended. The approach was set out in both “Preparing for the future, tackling the past: Child Maintenance – Arrears and Compliance Strategy 2012-2017 and Command Paper Cm8399 “Supporting separated families; securing children’s futures”. The validation process will include caseworkers resolving discrepancies on cases and completing outstanding tasks.

Secondary information