Asked by: Ben Maguire (Liberal Democrat - North Cornwall)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many non-resident parents who have repeatedly failed to meet their child maintenance payment obligations have had their driving licenses disqualified as a consequence in each of the last five years.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The 2012 child maintenance reforms are designed to increase cooperation between separated parents and to ensure that children receive appropriate financial support. Where family-based arrangements are not suitable, the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) operates a statutory scheme and applies a Payment Compliance strategy to address nonpayment. The CMS uses firm enforcement measures - such as liability orders, deductions from earnings, account deductions, passport and driving licence removal, and, in the most serious cases, imprisonment - when parents who have the means to pay choose not to. These powers are applied proportionately and in the best interests of children, and their deterrent effect ensures that their use remains low.
The Department regularly publishes Child Maintenance Service official statistics, with the latest statistics available to September 2025. Table 6.2 of the accompanying National tables provides the outcome information where the CMS applied to courts to sanction Paying Parents for non-compliance. The table shows quarterly statistics for both suspended and immediate prison sentences and driving disqualifications for England & Wales and for Scotland, between July 2019 and September 2025.
Asked by: Ben Maguire (Liberal Democrat - North Cornwall)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many non-resident parents who have repeatedly failed to meet their child maintenance payment obligations have been sent to prison in each of the last five years.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The 2012 child maintenance reforms are designed to increase cooperation between separated parents and to ensure that children receive appropriate financial support. Where family-based arrangements are not suitable, the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) operates a statutory scheme and applies a Payment Compliance strategy to address nonpayment. The CMS uses firm enforcement measures - such as liability orders, deductions from earnings, account deductions, passport and driving licence removal, and, in the most serious cases, imprisonment - when parents who have the means to pay choose not to. These powers are applied proportionately and in the best interests of children, and their deterrent effect ensures that their use remains low.
The Department regularly publishes Child Maintenance Service official statistics, with the latest statistics available to September 2025. Table 6.2 of the accompanying National tables provides the outcome information where the CMS applied to courts to sanction Paying Parents for non-compliance. The table shows quarterly statistics for both suspended and immediate prison sentences and driving disqualifications for England & Wales and for Scotland, between July 2019 and September 2025.
Asked by: Ben Maguire (Liberal Democrat - North Cornwall)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many cases of bailiff action have occurred as a result of outstanding child maintenance payments in each of the last five years.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Child Maintenance Service may seek a Liability Order only when a Paying Parent has not met their obligations and other measures have been exhausted. In England and Wales, such orders may enable referral to enforcement agents, previously known as bailiffs, to recover arrears. In Scotland, enforcement proceeds through the Scottish civil court system.
The Department regularly publishes Child Maintenance Service official statistics, with the latest statistics available to September 2025. Table 6.1 of the accompanying National tables provides the information about enforcement actions used by the CMS. The table shows quarterly statistics for liability order applications and enforcement agent referrals for England & Wales, between October 2015 and September 2025.
Asked by: Ben Maguire (Liberal Democrat - North Cornwall)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many liability orders have the Child Maintenance Services applied for in respect of non-resident parents who have repeatedly failed meet their child maintenance payment obligations in each of the last five years.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Child Maintenance Service may seek a Liability Order only when a Paying Parent has not met their obligations and other measures have been exhausted. In England and Wales, such orders may enable referral to enforcement agents, previously known as bailiffs, to recover arrears. In Scotland, enforcement proceeds through the Scottish civil court system.
The Department regularly publishes Child Maintenance Service official statistics, with the latest statistics available to September 2025. Table 6.1 of the accompanying National tables provides the information about enforcement actions used by the CMS. The table shows quarterly statistics for liability order applications and enforcement agent referrals for England & Wales, between October 2015 and September 2025.
Asked by: Ben Maguire (Liberal Democrat - North Cornwall)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether NHS pension forfeiture provisions apply in cases where a former NHS employee has been convicted of serious criminal offences.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has the power to forfeit some or all NHS Pension Scheme benefits where an individual is convicted of certain offences. This includes individuals who have left National Health Service employment or are retired, provided the offences were committed before pension benefits became payable. The offences are:
- an offence in connection with employment that entitled them to be a member of the scheme, which is certified by my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care either to have been gravely injurious to the State or to be liable to lead to serious loss of confidence in the public service;
- an offence of treason; and/or
- one or more offences under the Official Secrets Acts 1911 to 1989 for which the member has been sentenced on the same occasion to a term of imprisonment of, or to two or more consecutive terms amounting in the aggregate to, at least 10 years.
NHS pension benefits payable to a surviving partner and/or dependants may be subject to forfeiture if the survivor or dependant has been convicted of the murder, manslaughter, or of any other offence of which unlawful killing of the scheme member is an element.
Asked by: Ben Maguire (Liberal Democrat - North Cornwall)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what guidance he has issued to ICBs on the level of expenditure per capita for dental services.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
There is no guidance issued to integrated care boards (ICBs) on the level of expenditure per capita for dental services.
ICBs are responsible for commissioning primary care dentistry and receive an annual allocation of funding to secure services to meet the needs of their population.
The Government invests approximately £3 billion on primary care dentistry every year. We want to ensure that every penny we allocate for dentistry is spent on dentistry, and that the ringfenced dental budget is spent on the patients who need it most.
Asked by: Ben Maguire (Liberal Democrat - North Cornwall)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that cost recovery mechanisms within the electricity system do not adversely impact small businesses.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Department is working closely with Ofgem, who are undertaking a review of how energy system costs are recovered which began with a Call for Input published in July 2025. This review will consider options that make cost recovery fairer and more efficient.
Asked by: Ben Maguire (Liberal Democrat - North Cornwall)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what recent assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of increases in electricity capacity charges on (a) consumers and (b) businesses.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
By law, energy network charging arrangements are a matter for Ofgem as the independent regulator. Ofgem has identified the need for significant investment in new electricity network capacity to transform Great Britain’s electricity networks to enable clean power and economic growth.
As part of its work to determine the next set of price controls for the electricity transmission and gas transmission and distribution sectors on 4 December, Ofgem conducted analysis of the overall economic impact, which includes an assessment of the direct effects on network charges for both domestic and non-domestic customers. The full impact assessment can be found here: RIIO-3 Final Determinations – Impact Assessment
The Government and Ofgem are committed to ensuring that energy costs are recovered fairly, including considering the ongoing role of standing charges.
Asked by: Ben Maguire (Liberal Democrat - North Cornwall)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if his Department will make an assessment of the potential impact of capacity charges on (a) small and (b) medium sized enterprises.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
By law, energy network charging arrangements are a matter for Ofgem as the independent regulator. Ofgem has identified the need for significant investment in new electricity network capacity to transform Great Britain’s electricity networks to enable clean power and economic growth.
As part of its work to determine the next set of price controls for the electricity transmission and gas transmission and distribution sectors on 4 December, Ofgem conducted analysis of the overall economic impact, which includes an assessment of the direct effects on network charges for both domestic and non-domestic customers. The full impact assessment can be found here: RIIO-3 Final Determinations – Impact Assessment
The Government and Ofgem are committed to ensuring that energy costs are recovered fairly, including considering the ongoing role of standing charges.
Asked by: Ben Maguire (Liberal Democrat - North Cornwall)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if her Department will launch an independent public inquiry into the Lowermoor Water Poisoning with scope to cover (a) the role water privatisation played in the events, (b) the handling of the incident by Government and (c) reports of pressure applied to those affected by the poisoning to settle.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Lowermoor incident has previously been investigated, and the most recent report by the Committee on Toxicity was published in 2013. Subsequent legislative changes have created an independent regulator for drinking water quality, which must, by law, be notified of any failures of drinking water quality. Operational changes have also been made to prevent this kind of contamination happening in future.