Government crackdown on child maintenance loophole amid £4bn backlog
1 min read
A legal loophole allowing separated parents to dodge child maintenance payments will be closed within months, the Government has announced.
Under current rules payments can only be taken from a bank account held by one person – so a number of parents avoid handing over cash by holding joint accounts with new partners.
The Government has said an extra £390,000 could be collected by allowing cash to be taken from joint accounts.
Family support minister Caroline Dinenage said: "Our priority is for children to get the support they need.
"Only a small minority of parents try to cheat their way out of paying towards their children, and this new power will be another tool to tackle those who do."
The BBC revealed earlier this year that there was a £3.8bn backlog in uncollected child maintenance payments – with about 1.2 million parents owed money.
Concerns have been raised over how the authorities will distinguish between the money of a separated parent and that of a partner.
But the Department for Work and Pensions has insisted safeguards will be put in place – including the scrutiny of bank statements.
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