How Child Maintenance deals with parents avoiding paying for their children.

Rejected 10 signatures

What the petition asks

It is a legal obligation to pay child maintenace and some parents go to illegal measures to avoid paying child maintenance. Claiming benefits fraudulently while working cash in hand stops the Child Maintenance taking action against them.

The parent avoiding paying child maintenance should be treated the same as a parent who is avoiding paying and in employment by having assets seized to recover the outstanding Child Maintenance. Currently a parent avoiding payments and on benefits can have no action taken against them even if they have assets.

Why it was rejected

It was not clear what the petition asked the UK Government or Parliament to do.

Petitions need to call on the Government or Parliament to take a specific action.

We understand that you are concerned that some parents are avoiding paying child maintenance, but we're not sure exactly what you'd like the Government or Parliament to do.

The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) can already collect child maintenance arrears through a deduction from earning order that deducts payments from a paying parent's salary, or a deduction order, which deducts monies from a paying parent's bank account.

You could start a new petition explaining clearly what you would like the Government or Parliament to do.

We have published the following petition, which you might like to sign:

Make non-payment of child maintenance a criminal offence: Make non-payment of child maintenance a criminal offence

Timeline

19 Nov 2023	Petition opened for signatures
30 Nov 2023	Rejected by the Petitions Committee

Key facts

Signatures 10

Status Rejected

Rejected 30 Nov 2023

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