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More than 4 million fear they`ll be made redundant Consumers took on more mortgage debt in July Debts called in by parents Teenagers `scared of debt` Rising household costs could pressure people in debt Pensions debt may impact workers` retirement funds Welsh young adults `at highest risk of debt problems` Over 50s can`t afford to enjoy retirement because of debts Budget: tackling the nation`s debt Short-term debt: `no need for price control` The cost of clearing debt Education debt Tackling the national debt Number of mortgage deals on offer exceeds 3,000 Almost 5 million take on debt to pay household bills OECD: household debt more than 120% of disposable income Petrol price falls help people in debt Amount of mortgage debt taken on at lowest level in ten years Northern Ireland sees significant IVA rise Overdraft debt `becoming more expensive`

Unpaid child maintenance `viewed as debt`

15/03/2007

Parents who do not pay their child maintenance fees could end up being pursued by debt collectors, according to the Department for Work and Pensions.

Some 23,000 parents who do not pay the costs had their cases followed up by debt collectors in 2006, the department states.

Secretary of state for work and pensions John Hutton suggested today that tough action, in a number of forms, will be taken by the government if adults do not take responsibility for their offspring.

His comments follow the launch of a new advert which aims to highlight the powers available to the Child Support Agency and the hundreds of thousands of reasons to pay child maintenance.

"Our first priority is to get more money to more children. However, as these figures show, we are getting tougher and will not shy away from coming down hard on those who seek to evade us," said Mr Hutton.

In addition to the 23,000 cases handed to debt collectors last year, there were more than 400 parents who received immediate or suspended prison sentences, according to the government.

More than 4 million fear they`ll be made redundant 16/12/2010 - According to R3`s quarterly personal debt tracker, more than 4 Consumers took on more mortgage debt in July 26/08/2010 - Consumers took on £2bn more mortgage debt than they repaid Debts called in by parents 26/08/2010 - According to research, `the bank of Mum and Dad` is Teenagers `scared of debt` 19/08/2010 - Nearly two thirds of teenagers are `scared` of debt, according