Asked by: Alex Brewer (Liberal Democrat - North East Hampshire)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to improve the Child Maintenance Service's complaints procedure.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
DWP introduced a single tier complaint model in 2020-2021 to ensure the process of making a complaint in DWP was simple and consistent for our customers. The single tier model put complaints handling back into specialist complaints teams, enabling the Department to build capability and improve its complaints handling.
We have also launched a new Complaints Quality Standards Framework, implementing quality assurance measures that align with the Parliamentary Health Service Ombudsman’s (PHSO’s) complaints standards to embed consistency into our complaints handling.
Asked by: Alex Brewer (Liberal Democrat - North East Hampshire)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make an assessment of the accuracy of the Child Maintenance Service system for assessing payments for (a) paying and (b) receiving parents.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
Information about the paying parent's gross income is taken directly from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) for the latest tax year available. This allows calculations to be made quickly and accurately. Any income subject to income tax, including bonuses and overtime received by an employed paying parent, is included within their gross weekly income when calculating a child maintenance liability.
For self-employed paying parents, the gross income used in a maintenance calculation is provided by HMRC in the first instance. HMRC will provide details of the gross taxable profit of the paying parent's business, for the most recent complete tax year.
The scheme relies on HMRC to provide accurate income information that aligns with tax legislation in order to make a child maintenance calculation, according to generally applicable rules.
In the event a receiving parent believes a paying parent’s earnings are not captured in the standard calculation using HMRC gross income data, they can apply for a variation, under which certain other categories of income can be considered.
Cases involving complex income can be investigated by the Financial Investigation Unit. This is a specialist team which can request information from financial institutions (such as banks, investment companies and mortgage companies) to check the accuracy of information that the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) is given. If any discrepancies are found, then they can implement a correct maintenance liability that is supported by CMS legislation.
Asked by: Alex Brewer (Liberal Democrat - North East Hampshire)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure that paying parents do not conceal (a) earnings and (b) investments to evade child maintenance payments.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
Information about the paying parent's gross income is taken directly from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) for the most recent available full tax year. This allows calculations to be made quickly and accurately. Use of historic income ensures a stable calculation, which we know from customer feedback is valued as it enables parents to rely on maintenance for financial planning purposes.
In the event a receiving parent believes a paying parent’s earnings are not captured in the standard calculation using HMRC gross income data, they can apply for a variation, under which certain other categories of income can be considered.
Cases involving complex income can be investigated by the Financial Investigation Unit. This is a specialist team which can request information from financial institutions (such as banks, investment companies and mortgage companies) to check the accuracy of information that the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) is given. If any discrepancies are found, then they can implement a correct maintenance liability that is supported by CMS legislation.
The Department is currently reviewing the calculation to make sure it is fit for purpose. This has included updating the underlying research and considering how we ensure the calculation reflects current and future societal trends.
Asked by: Alex Brewer (Liberal Democrat - North East Hampshire)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to (a) simplify the paperwork and (b) make online submissions possible for Access to Work Plus applications.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Access to Work Policy has worked collaboratively with the Supported Business Steering Group to develop Access to Work Plus. The Access to Work Plus processes are reviewed on a regular basis and work is currently underway to streamline the claims process.
To improve customer service and streamline processes, Access to Work is continuing to develop its digital offer. There is already an Access to Work online application process, which Access to Work Plus customers can use, but as Access to Work Plus is limited to a small number of customers there are no immediate plans to develop a separate online application process.
Asked by: Alex Brewer (Liberal Democrat - North East Hampshire)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average waiting time is between submitting an application for Access to Work Plus and (a) an in-person assessment, (b) a funding decision and (c) payment.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Access to Work Plus applications are prioritised and pulled from the standard Access to Work application queue. The average clearance time for Access to Work applications which include Access to Work Plus is 25-days. Once requested an enhanced Access to Work Plus assessment is expected to be returned within 12 days. The Access to Work payment average clearance time is 10-days, this includes Access to Work Plus, providing all the information has been submitted, the same as for standard Access to Work.
Clearance times are currently taking longer due to the increasing demand for Access to Work. We are committed to reducing waiting times for Access to Work and have streamlined delivery practices and increased the number of staff processing applications and claims.
Asked by: Alex Brewer (Liberal Democrat - North East Hampshire)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that all DWP caseworkers assessing employees in the Access to Work Plus scheme are fully trained on the scheme’s requirements.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Since Access to Work Plus began testing in 2022, Access to Work has a dedicated team of Case Managers who process Access to Work Plus applications. Case Managers underwent training to ensure the policy intent was understood and being applied consistently. There are regular reviews to ensure that DWP Case Managers understand the scheme’s requirements.
Asked by: Alex Brewer (Liberal Democrat - North East Hampshire)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that companies and charities are paid on time in the Access to Work Plus Scheme.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
To enable charities and companies to receive timely payments, officials have been working in collaboration with these organisations to explore how the Access to Work Plus claims process can be made easier for their employees. In March 2025, to ensure payments can be made swiftly, a streamlined claims process was put in place to clear outstanding claims for payment. Guidance on the new process has been issued to charities and companies, and officials continue to work with the charities and companies to develop longer term improvements to the employees’ claims process.