Asked by: Susan Murray (Liberal Democrat - Mid Dunbartonshire)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average annual amount of child maintenance paid through the Child Maintenance Service was in the most recent year for which figures are available.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.
The department publishes Child Maintenance Service official statistics every three months, with section 8 of the latest bulletin showing that £84.4 million of child maintenance due was paid through the Collect and Pay service during the quarter ending September 2025
Asked by: Susan Murray (Liberal Democrat - Mid Dunbartonshire)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many (a) paying and (b) receiving parents use the Child Maintenance Service Collect and Pay service; and how many (i) paying and (ii) receiving parents will move onto that service as a result of proposed changes.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
As of the end of September 2025, there were 317,100 Receiving Parents and 303,800 Paying Parents using the Collect & Pay service.
It is proposed to reform the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) when Parliamentary time allows to create one streamlined service where the CMS would collect and transfer all maintenance payments.
The precise number of paying and receiving parents who would move into a new streamlined service would depend on a number of factors including the size caseload at the time of implementing the proposed reforms and the choices made by customers.
Asked by: Susan Murray (Liberal Democrat - Mid Dunbartonshire)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much revenue was generated from fees charged under the Child Maintenance Service Collect and Pay scheme in 2024-25; and what estimate she has made of the total annual revenue expected to be generated by the proposed (a) 2% fee on standard Collect and Pay payments and (b) 20% fee on non-compliant payments.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The table below shows collection fees received in financial year 2024-25.
Collection fees | 2024/2025 |
£000 | |
(a) Paying Parent Collection Fees Received | £56,993 |
(b) Receiving Parent Collection Fees Received | £11,141 |
(a+b) Total Collection Fees Received | £68,134 |
The information requested on the total annual revenue expected to be generated by the proposed (a) 2% fee on standard Collect and Pay payments and (b) 20% fee on non-compliant payments is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Susan Murray (Liberal Democrat - Mid Dunbartonshire)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the total operating expenditure of the Child Maintenance Service was in the 2024-25 financial year.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The net operating expenditure of the Child Maintenance Service for the financial year 24/25 is £105.7m.
Asked by: Susan Murray (Liberal Democrat - Mid Dunbartonshire)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many job starts are expected to be delivered in (a) Glasgow and (b) Edinburgh under the first phase of the Jobs Guarantee rollout.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The first phase of the Jobs Guarantee will provide jobs to more than 1,000 young people in Birmingham & Solihull, East Midlands, Greater Manchester, Hertfordshire & Essex, Central & East Scotland, Southwest & Southeast Wales.
In phase one, we expect to make around 150 referrals across the Central and East Scotland region, which includes areas covered by both Glasgow City Council and The City of Edinburgh Council, alongside other local authorities.
Maps published alongside our grant guidance show the phase one delivery areas and the distribution of demand across local authorities. These can be viewed here: Phase One Delivery Area Heat Maps - GOV.UK.
Phase One will be followed by national roll out of the Jobs Guarantee across Great Britain later in 2026, providing a total of 55,000 jobs over the next three years.
Asked by: Susan Murray (Liberal Democrat - Mid Dunbartonshire)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what outcome measures will be used to assess the first phase of the Job Guarantee rollout, and when the Department plans to publish the results.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
As a part of our recent publication on the Jobs Guarantee, the department has published a draft Grant Funding Agreement (GFA) which outlines expected outcome measures that will be used to assess grants administered under phase one of the scheme.
Schedule 4, Part B of this draft GFA outlines the expected outputs and outcomes that may be assessed in Phase One of the scheme. Final outputs and outcomes will form part of final grant funding agreements made with successful grant applicants.
We will monitor performance throughout the first phase to inform the delivery of the national roll out later in 2026.
Asked by: Susan Murray (Liberal Democrat - Mid Dunbartonshire)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will set out how his Department will ensure that jobs under the Jobs Guarantee scheme are additional, including whether they represent newly created roles or existing vacancies.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
Eligible young people participating in the scheme are likely to have multiple barriers and complex needs which may have prevented them from securing employment. The scheme will break the cycle of unemployment by guaranteeing meaningful paid employment opportunities that might otherwise be out of reach.
It is a requirement of the Jobs Guarantee scheme that jobs created or sourced under the scheme do not cause existing employees or contractors to be displaced, dismissed, or to have their hours reduced.
Asked by: Susan Murray (Liberal Democrat - Mid Dunbartonshire)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when she plans to respond to the correspondence of 5 March 2025 from the hon. Member for Mid Dunbartonshire, case reference CMPT12025-20534.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department aims to respond to all correspondences within 20 working days, but there may be instances where there is additional information needed that may cause delays. We are sorry for the length of time it has taken to reply to the Hon. Member. The response to their letter was sent on 18 July.
Asked by: Susan Murray (Liberal Democrat - Mid Dunbartonshire)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department has made an estimate of the proportion of UK pension scheme assets invested in fossil fuel-related holdings; and what plans she has to (a) encourage phased divestment from fossil fuels and (b) promote greater investment in climate solutions through the Pension Schemes Bill.
Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
While the Department does not hold data on the proportion of UK pension scheme assets invested in fossil fuels, our largest pension schemes are mandated to conduct climate scenario analysis and report on their climate-related financial risks, including those related to fossil fuels. This is done under the framework of the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD). The Pensions Regulator (TPR) has published guidance on climate-related reporting, reviewed how schemes are addressing climate risks, and provided feedback to the industry on areas for improvement. TPR reports that the UK pension sector is increasingly playing a role in tackling climate change, with many schemes setting net-zero targets and actively engaging with companies to reduce emissions.
This government is however not complacent and is determined to make the UK a clean energy superpower and meet our net zero goals. The government is currently consulting on the development of UK Sustainability Reporting Standards and our Transition Plans manifesto commitment. These measures aim to improve transparency and accountability across the economy, helping investors—including pension schemes—understand how climate and nature-related issues affect their portfolios. To support this, the Department for Work and Pensions is to undertake a review of the effectiveness of the climate reporting requirements this year considering feedback from stakeholders.
The reforms outlined in the Pensions Scheme Bill do not include a general requirement for pension schemes to divest from certain assets or industries. The larger, more consolidated system, for which we will legislate, will however be better equipped to manage systemic risks, as well as invest more in projects and businesses that support the shift towards a more sustainable and lower-carbon future.
Asked by: Susan Murray (Liberal Democrat - Mid Dunbartonshire)
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 (a) increase awareness of and (b) mitigate the health risks faced by night workers.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Reducing ill health at work is an important area of focus for the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) as outlined in their strategic objectives. One of the ways this is achieved is supporting employers to protect their workers’ health and keep them in the workforce. Having considered the impact of shift work on health and safety, HSE has published free guidance for employers to support them in managing the risk (Managing shift work [HSG 256]).
Under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 all employers have a duty, so far as it is reasonably practicable, to protect the health, safety, and welfare at work of all their employees. Specifically, the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 require employers to assess health and safety risks to employees and to put in place arrangements to control those risks. Therefore, if an employer assesses night work as a risk they should introduce control measures including those outlined in the guidance.