Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to reform the Child Maintenance Service.

We keep Child Maintenance policy and our operational delivery under review. The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) has introduced new digital services – such as the Apply Online Service that has reduced average application times from 45 to 15 minutes – which are available 24/7 and allow greater flexibility for separated parents to contact the CMS.

Operational reforms such as these help improve outcomes for children by enabling parents to set up and manage child maintenance arrangements in ways that suit their own circumstances.