Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether the levels of (a) staff and (b) resources allocated to child maintenance payments has changed since the covid-19 lockdown began.

Child Maintenance Service, as part of Department for Work and Pensions is supporting the effort to deliver essential services during the current coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. Some colleagues have been redeployed to support the effort in benefit payments.

Our priority is to maintain the flow of maintenance that is currently being paid, by easing the financial pressure on parents and ensuring that we transfer the payments as quickly as possible to receiving parents. While there has been the redeployment of some Child Maintenance Service colleagues, the majority have remained in their current roles and are working to ensure the flow of payments is maintained.