Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of a modifying ​the Child Maintenance Service variation process in relation to mileage to ensure that the paying parent is able to claim mileage and travel costs without specifying distance to avoid the risk of the receiving parent becoming aware, through disputed mileage claim distances, of the area the paying parent resides in.

In order for a Paying Parent to claim mileage and travel costs through a variation, they must provide the Child Maintenance Service with the total distance in order for the Service to calculate the costs correctly. This ensures the calculation is a fair reflection of the additional costs incurred by the Paying Parent and meets the requirements set out in legislation. This also ensures transparency in decision making so that both parents are able challenge any decision that affects the child maintenance liability.

The safety of all customers is a priority for the Service and it will never share sensitive personal details that could reveal the location of either parent.