Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many Child Maintenance Service cases have been (a) received and (b) overturned by the Independent Case Examiner in each of the last five years.

Details of the number of Child Maintenance Service complaints received and accepted for examination by the Independent Case Examiner’s Office in each of the last five full reporting years is detailed in table (a). Table (b) provides details of the number of Child Support Maintenance cases cleared by the Independent Case Examiner’s Office during the same period and the type of clearance. The Independent Case Examiner’s Office can only accept a complaint for examination once the complainant has exhausted the DWP complaints process.

Official figures show that nearly eight out of ten CMS customers stated that they are happy with the service they receive. In cases where the CMS directly manage payments 70% of money due to be paid in the quarter ending March 2020 was collected, amounting to more than £45 million.

We are clear that it is never acceptable for parents to evade their responsibilities to their children and the CMS will continue to clamp down on people who think they can abuse or dodge the system.

Table (a): Child Maintenance Service complaints received and accepted in each of the last five full report year.

Table (b): Number of Child Support Maintenance cases clear by the Independent Case Examiner’s Office during the last five full reporting years and the type of clearance / outcome.