Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what his policy is on charges by the Child Maintenance Service when claimants are required to transfer their cases from the Child Support Agency.

The Child Maintenance Reforms are designed to support parents to make collaborative child maintenance arrangements where possible. This is why cases within the Child Support Agency are being closed rather than automatically moved to the Child Maintenance Service; at this point parents have the ability to choose the statutory service or make a family based arrangement. Applications to the Child Maintenance Service are subject to an application fee (except where domestic violence is reported) and on-going charges for collect and pay. The Child Maintenance Options service supports parents to make the right choice about child maintenance for their individual circumstances; this may be outside the statutory scheme through a family based arrangement. Our review of charging and its impact was published in August 2017.