Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what DNA information is (a) recorded and (b) stored as part of the Home Office Biometrics programme.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The Forensic Information Databases Service (FINDS) Unit manages the National DNA Database (NDNAD) and other national DNA databases on behalf of policing. The Home Office Biometrics Programme provides maintenance and development support of the IT system which contains the databases.
The DNA databases administered by FINDS are as follows:
Asked by: Max Wilkinson (Liberal Democrat - Cheltenham)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if his Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of (a) bringing forward legislative proposals to charge interest on outstanding debts of child maintenance of more than a year's standing and (b) ensuring that outstanding debts are paid by his Department to the parent with care.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
Where a paying parent fails to pay on time or in full, the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) aims to take immediate action to recover the debt and re-establish compliance.
If the paying parent is employed, the CMS will request that ongoing child maintenance payments be deducted directly from their salary. The CMS also has a range of other enforcement powers that can be used against those who consistently refuse to meet their obligations to provide financial support to their children, including deducting maintenance from a wide range of bank accounts. The CMS can also use further measures, including using Enforcement Agents to take control of goods, disqualification from driving or commitment to prison, and disqualification from holding or obtaining a UK passport.
Interest is not charged to outstanding debts. However, the CMS imposes enforcement fees to incentivise paying parents to meet their obligations voluntarily. If a parent fails to pay through a voluntary arrangement (like Direct Pay), the CMS may switch the case to Collect and Pay, which includes a 20% surcharge for the paying parent.
The CMS is committed to ensuring all separated parents within the statutory scheme support their children financially and will continue to pursue unpaid child maintenance debt, including deducting payments from pensions income.
Asked by: Samantha Niblett (Labour - South Derbyshire)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether the Child Maintenance Service plans to pause (a) enforcement and (b) judicial review while recalculations are made.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) enforcement powers are designed to get money flowing quickly, prevent the build-up of arrears and ensure children get the financial support they deserve. There are already some exceptional circumstances where enforcement action may be placed on hold pending the outcome of an appeal/review. In general, whilst a case is under review the CMS continue to encourage paying parents to pay their maintenance on time, to avoid accrual of arrears. Where parents fail to take responsibility for paying for their children, the CMS can use the range of enforcement powers available. The CMS is committed to using these powers fairly and in the best interests of children and separated families.
A judicial review is generally raised by a parent against CMS. Where this happens any action on the case would be reviewed and decisions made on a case-by-case basis regarding whether they should continue.
Asked by: Ben Goldsborough (Labour - South Norfolk)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many Child Maintenance Service cases were reviewed by the Independent Case Examiner in each of the last ten years.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
There are several ways in which complaints escalated to the Independent Case Examiner (ICE) can be concluded – resolution, settlement or investigation.
This table shows the total volumes of Child Maintenance Service (CMS) cases ICE concluded in each of the last ten operational years, and comprises of cases concluded by resolution, settlement and investigation.
CMS | 2015/16 | 2016/17 | 2017/18 | 2018/19 | 2019/20 | 2020/21 | 2021/22 | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
Total | 335 | 370 | 313 | 328 | 278 | 355 | 592 | 807 | 1253 | 941 |
Asked by: Amanda Martin (Labour - Portsmouth North)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much the Child Maintenance Service has received in collection fees from (a) paying and (b) receiving parents in each of the last five years.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The table below shows collection fees received in each of the last five years, for which audited figures are available.
Collection fees | 2019/2020 | 2020/2021 | 2021/2022 | 2022/2023 | 2023/2024 |
£000 | £000 | £000 | £000 | £000 | |
(a) Paying Parent Collection Fees Received | £34,771 | £34,428 | £38,527 | £41,284 | £48,248 |
(b) Receiving Parent Collection Fees Received | £6,767 | £6,731 | £7,494 | £8,036 | £9,421 |
(a+b) Total Collection Fees Received | £41,538 | £41,159 | £46,021 | £49,319 | £57,669 |
Asked by: Samantha Niblett (Labour - South Derbyshire)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps the Child Maintenance Service is taking to support paying parents with intermittent long-term disabilities.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department for Work and Pensions has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.
Asked by: Neil Duncan-Jordan (Independent - Poole)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will review the Child Maintenance Service and Government Legal Department procedures so as to minimise (a) unlawful enforcement and (b) the wasting of court time.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
Where a paying parent fails to pay on time or in full, the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) aims to take immediate action to recover the debt and re-establish compliance. The CMS is committed to using its wide-ranging enforcement powers proportionally, and in the best interests of children and separated families. Enforcement actions taken by Child Maintenance Service (CMS) must comply with the Human Rights Act 1998.
A number of administrative enforcement powers are available to the CMS that do not require the use of court time, in order to re-establish payments to children eg: a deduction from earnings order. A parent who is unhappy with the exercise of such powers can either appeal to an independent tribunal to reconsider their calculation and therefore what they owe, or, in the case of the more intrusive powers, can appeal directly to a court.
Asked by: Ben Goldsborough (Labour - South Norfolk)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many new applications have been made to the Child Maintenance Service in each of the last ten years.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department publishes quarterly statistics for the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) and the latest statistics are currently available to June 2025. Table 1 of the latest National tables includes the information on the total applications received by CMS for each of the last five quarters, from quarter ending June 2024 to quarter ending June 2025.
Statistics from August 2016 to March 2024 are available in ‘Table 1’ in the ‘National tables’ of previous releases and the resulting annual data, from August 2016 to June 2025, has been provided in the table below.
Annual Applications to the Child Maintenance Service, Great Britain, August 2016 to June 2025
Asked by: Samantha Niblett (Labour - South Derbyshire)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will issue guidance to the Child Maintenance Service on recognising up to six months of prior payments made by a paying parent to a receiving parent when calculating new payment plans.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) operates through broad rules set out in child support legislation which aim to provide the best overall outcome for all parents who use the CMS. We have to allow for sensible decision-making across a large range of cases.
When a change happens that means the amount of money to be paid rises or falls, until a new maintenance calculation is completed and a replacement payment schedule issued, the Paying Parent is required to continue to make payments in accordance with the existing payment schedule. Once the calculation is finalised, any overpayments or underpayments will be adjusted for in the updated payment schedule.
Asked by: Sarah Gibson (Liberal Democrat - Chippenham)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of how the total value of child maintenance arrears owed in Wiltshire has changed since 2015; and what steps he is taking to reduce the level of arrears.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The statistical information requested for Wiltshire is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.
The Government is dedicated to ensuring parents meet their responsibilities to provide their children with financial support and the Child Maintenance Service will do everything within its powers to make sure parents comply. Where parents fail to pay their child maintenance, the Service will not hesitate to use its enforcement powers, including deductions from earnings orders, removal of driving licences, disqualification from holding a passport, and committal to prison. The Service is committed to using these powers fairly and in the best interests of children and separated families.