This petition was submitted during the 2019-2024 parliament
Rejected petition To make non paying parent pay child maintenance or face prison or fine.
For non paying parent to pay child maintenance to the other parent who solely looks after biological child/children.
Makes it easier to apply against self employed non paying parent who hides earnings from the government and also who are claiming not to be working.
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Us single parents who physically and financially looking after our children don't get a lot of help from the other parent. It is unfair that we have to carry all these responsibilities when the other parent pays nothing or pay absolute minimal towards their children. Please make it a law so that this gets taken seriously and that make it fair for the other single parent who pays for everything (food, clothing, child care and cost of living)
It is unfair that the other parent can get away.
This petition was rejected
Why was this petition rejected?
It’s not clear what the petition is asking 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 about non-payment of child maintenance, and difficulties applying for child maintenance in certain circumstances, but we're not sure exactly what you'd like the Government or Parliament to do.
The Child Maintenance Service can already take a range of actions to collect arrears of child maintenance. You can find out what actions the CMS can take here:
https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-7774/
We could accept a petition calling on the Government to make non-payment of child maintenance a criminal offence, with custodial penalties for offenders, if that's what you want to happen. If you want the Government to make any other changes to how parents apply for child maintenance, or requirements to pay child maintenance, you'd need to be clear what changes you want.
We only reject petitions that don’t meet the petition standards.