Asked by: Liam Conlon (Labour - Beckenham and Penge)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to improve the effectiveness of the Child Maintenance Service in (a) identifying non-compliance and (b) taking enforcement action to tackle non-compliance.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 3 March 2026 to question number UIN: 114271
Asked by: Will Forster (Liberal Democrat - Woking)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the extent to which administrative errors by the Child Maintenance Service contribute to the creation of incorrect arrears; and what steps his Department is taking to rectify such cases.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) is committed to providing timely, transparent, and accurate information to parents. To support this, CMS uses proportionate controls to ensure calculation accuracy, including verified income from HMRC and Child Benefit systems, dedicated verification processes, and a three tier quality framework. These measures help minimise administrative and calculation errors that could otherwise contribute to incorrect arrears being created.
Where CMS identifies—either through its internal checks or following a parent’s challenge—that a single accidental error relating to the maintenance calculation has occurred, it can apply a correction without requiring a full Mandatory Reconsideration (MR), provided the challenge is raised within legislative timescales. The CMS also operates a liability schedule which acts as the authoritative record of assessed liability, payments received, and arrears, ensuring over‑ and under‑payments are correctly reconciled.
All calculation decisions may be challenged through the MR process, which allows a parent to request a review before appealing to His Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service. During MR, CMS reassesses the decision and considers any new information; where an error is confirmed, the decision is revised accordingly.
Through the Service Modernisation Programme, the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) has strengthened accuracy and communication by introducing enhanced digital tools, clearer written communications, expanded use of SMS and email, and greater self‑service functionality. These improvements, including automated processing of simple case updates through My Child Maintenance Case (MCMC), enable parents to access and update case information 24/7, improve accuracy, reduce administrative errors, and speed up changes.
The Department rigorously monitors accuracy and continues to meet the National Audit Office (NAO) monetary error target of under 1%, ensuring robust oversight of error rates and arrears calculations.
Asked by: Susan Murray (Liberal Democrat - Mid Dunbartonshire)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many (a) paying and (b) receiving parents use the Child Maintenance Service Collect and Pay service; and how many (i) paying and (ii) receiving parents will move onto that service as a result of proposed changes.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
As of the end of September 2025, there were 317,100 Receiving Parents and 303,800 Paying Parents using the Collect & Pay service.
It is proposed to reform the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) when Parliamentary time allows to create one streamlined service where the CMS would collect and transfer all maintenance payments.
The precise number of paying and receiving parents who would move into a new streamlined service would depend on a number of factors including the size caseload at the time of implementing the proposed reforms and the choices made by customers.
Asked by: Susan Murray (Liberal Democrat - Mid Dunbartonshire)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much revenue was generated from fees charged under the Child Maintenance Service Collect and Pay scheme in 2024-25; and what estimate she has made of the total annual revenue expected to be generated by the proposed (a) 2% fee on standard Collect and Pay payments and (b) 20% fee on non-compliant payments.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The table below shows collection fees received in financial year 2024-25.
Collection fees | 2024/2025 |
£000 | |
(a) Paying Parent Collection Fees Received | £56,993 |
(b) Receiving Parent Collection Fees Received | £11,141 |
(a+b) Total Collection Fees Received | £68,134 |
The information requested on the total annual revenue expected to be generated by the proposed (a) 2% fee on standard Collect and Pay payments and (b) 20% fee on non-compliant payments is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Joshua Reynolds (Liberal Democrat - Maidenhead)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many cases in the last three years involved child maintenance payments being incorrectly refunded to the paying parent due to clerical error; and what steps the Department is taking to reduce such errors.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
This information is not readily available and providing it would incur disproportionate cost.
The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) works to ensure cases are kept up to date and payments are processed accurately, with controls in place to minimise incorrect refunds. The introduction of the View Parent Finances screen further improves clarity and compliance by giving caseworkers a clearer, simplified view of complex financial information.
Asked by: Callum Anderson (Labour - Buckingham and Bletchley)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether a justice of the peace is required to issue a summons before the Child Maintenance Service makes an application for a liability order.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) does not require a justice of the peace to issue a summons before making an application for a liability order.
When seeking a liability order, the CMS writes directly to the paying parent to inform them of the intention to apply. This communication includes the outstanding debt amount, along with the court location and the date of the hearing.
Use of such powers may have an impact on a parent’s future ability to pay. These powers are therefore only used in circumstances where the CMS believes the parent can pay but is refusing to do so. In such circumstances these powers will have a deterrent effect and as such the numbers are expected to be low.
The CMS is committed to using these powers fairly and in the best interests of children and separated families.
Asked by: Callum Anderson (Labour - Buckingham and Bletchley)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether the Child Maintenance Service issues summons documents without the involvement of a justice of the peace.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) does not require a justice of the peace to issue a summons before making an application for a liability order.
When seeking a liability order, the CMS writes directly to the paying parent to inform them of the intention to apply. This communication includes the outstanding debt amount, along with the court location and the date of the hearing.
Use of such powers may have an impact on a parent’s future ability to pay. These powers are therefore only used in circumstances where the CMS believes the parent can pay but is refusing to do so. In such circumstances these powers will have a deterrent effect and as such the numbers are expected to be low.
The CMS is committed to using these powers fairly and in the best interests of children and separated families.
Asked by: Callum Anderson (Labour - Buckingham and Bletchley)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, who is responsible for registering liability orders with Registry Trust Limited.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) does not require a justice of the peace to issue a summons before making an application for a liability order.
When seeking a liability order, the CMS writes directly to the paying parent to inform them of the intention to apply. This communication includes the outstanding debt amount, along with the court location and the date of the hearing.
Use of such powers may have an impact on a parent’s future ability to pay. These powers are therefore only used in circumstances where the CMS believes the parent can pay but is refusing to do so. In such circumstances these powers will have a deterrent effect and as such the numbers are expected to be low.
The CMS is committed to using these powers fairly and in the best interests of children and separated families.
Asked by: Joshua Reynolds (Liberal Democrat - Maidenhead)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, in the past year what has the average time been for the Child Maintenance Service to obtain a verified address for a paying parent once a caseworker identifies that one is missing; and what processes are in place to minimise delays where child maintenance arrears are accruing.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Government is committed to ensuring parents meet their financial obligations to their children. Where a paying parent fails to take responsibility for paying their child maintenance and cannot be traced, the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) will take immediate action and do everything within its powers to trace the paying parent. In addition to information provided by parents, CMS undertakes a series of trace checks to verify the paying parent’s address. These checks draw on several approved information sources, including; cross government databases, real time information from HM Revenue & Customs, credit reference agencies, employers and Local Authorities.
The CMS have a range of strong enforcement powers that can be used against those parents who consistently refuse to meet or evade their obligations to provide financial support to their children. We are committed to using these powers fairly and in the best interests of children and separated families to ensure compliance.
The statistical information requested in not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Joshua Reynolds (Liberal Democrat - Maidenhead)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps the Child Maintenance Service takes to (a) verify and (b) obtain up‑to‑date addresses for paying parents in cases where enforcement action cannot proceed due to the absence of a confirmed address.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Government is committed to ensuring parents meet their financial obligations to their children. Where a paying parent fails to take responsibility for paying their child maintenance and cannot be traced, the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) will take immediate action and do everything within its powers to trace the paying parent. In addition to information provided by parents, CMS undertakes a series of trace checks to verify the paying parent’s address. These checks draw on several approved information sources, including; cross government databases, real time information from HM Revenue & Customs, credit reference agencies, employers and Local Authorities.
The CMS have a range of strong enforcement powers that can be used against those parents who consistently refuse to meet or evade their obligations to provide financial support to their children. We are committed to using these powers fairly and in the best interests of children and separated families to ensure compliance.
The statistical information requested in not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.