Asked by: Tom Hayes (Labour - Bournemouth East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will take steps to reform child maintenance services by (a) abolishing fees for survivors of violence against women and girls and (b) implementing robust enforcement measures for non-paying parents.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
A consultation on proposed reforms to the CMS was published by the previous Government on 8 May 2024. This included removing Direct Pay and changing the charging structure, with all CMS cases managed in one service to allow the CMS to tackle non-compliance faster. The consultation also explores how victims and survivors of domestic abuse can be better supported.
This Government has extended the consultation to the 30 September 2024 to ensure full stakeholder engagement can take place. We will then consider the next steps for CMS.
Asked by: Andrew Cooper (Labour - Mid Cheshire)
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 effectiveness of the Child Maintenance Service in protecting victims of domestic abuse when using their service.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department is assessing how it can provide statistics on domestic abuse now the application fee exemption statistics are no longer published. The Department's Chief Statistician will oversee the development of these statistics to make sure they meet the Code of Practice for Statistics.
The Department takes the issue of domestic abuse extremely seriously and the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) offers an accessible, safe, and secure service for all parents. All CMS caseworkers receive training on how to identify the different types of abuse, including financial abuse and how they can appropriately support and signpost victims and survivors.
The CMS reviews its domestic abuse training regularly to ensure caseworkers are equipped to support parents in vulnerable situations and the Department will continue to meet stakeholders regularly to maintain an open dialogue on how to improve the service.
There are several secure ways to receive maintenance directly without having to divulge sensitive personal details, including for victims of domestic abuse and other vulnerable parents. The CMS can help arrange for payments to be made to bank accounts that cannot be traced to a physical location which helps to protect the parent’s location. The CMS does not put parents directly in touch with each other, nor does it share their current location via correspondence.
A consultation on proposed reforms to the CMS was published by the previous Government on 8 May 2024. This included removing Direct Pay and managing all CMS cases in one service to allow the CMS to tackle non-compliance faster and explore how victims and survivors of domestic abuse can be better supported. This follows the Child Support Collection (Domestic Abuse) Act receiving royal assent in July 2023.
The consultation has been extended to the 30 September 2024 to ensure full stakeholder engagement can take place.
Asked by: Andrew Cooper (Labour - Mid Cheshire)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make an estimate of the number of victims of domestic abuse experiencing financial abuse while using the Child Maintenance Service.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department is assessing how it can provide statistics on domestic abuse now the application fee exemption statistics are no longer published. The Department's Chief Statistician will oversee the development of these statistics to make sure they meet the Code of Practice for Statistics.
The Department takes the issue of domestic abuse extremely seriously and the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) offers an accessible, safe, and secure service for all parents. All CMS caseworkers receive training on how to identify the different types of abuse, including financial abuse and how they can appropriately support and signpost victims and survivors.
The CMS reviews its domestic abuse training regularly to ensure caseworkers are equipped to support parents in vulnerable situations and the Department will continue to meet stakeholders regularly to maintain an open dialogue on how to improve the service.
There are several secure ways to receive maintenance directly without having to divulge sensitive personal details, including for victims of domestic abuse and other vulnerable parents. The CMS can help arrange for payments to be made to bank accounts that cannot be traced to a physical location which helps to protect the parent’s location. The CMS does not put parents directly in touch with each other, nor does it share their current location via correspondence.
A consultation on proposed reforms to the CMS was published by the previous Government on 8 May 2024. This included removing Direct Pay and managing all CMS cases in one service to allow the CMS to tackle non-compliance faster and explore how victims and survivors of domestic abuse can be better supported. This follows the Child Support Collection (Domestic Abuse) Act receiving royal assent in July 2023.
The consultation has been extended to the 30 September 2024 to ensure full stakeholder engagement can take place.
Asked by: Nick Timothy (Conservative - West Suffolk)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many claims were processed by the Child Maintenance Agency in each of the last five years; and how many appeals were (a) lodged, (b) fully processed, (c) upheld and (d) rejected.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
A principle of child maintenance is to increase levels of cooperation between separated parents and encourage parents to meet their responsibilities to provide their children with financial support.
Where a family-based child maintenance arrangement is not suitable the Child Maintenance Service offers a statutory scheme for those parents who need it.
When a parent joins the statutory scheme Child Maintenance Service will do everything within its powers to ensure parents comply and meet their obligations to children.
In the 12 months up to March 2024 there were 131,300 claims to the child maintenance statutory scheme (rounded to the nearest 100) and the child maintenance service arranged £1.4 billion child maintenance through the statutory scheme, an increase from £1.2 billion during the previous 12 months.
CMS are wholly committed to delivering the best possible service to all customers within our growing caseload. When a Parent or their representative disagrees with a decision about a child maintenance calculation, they have the right to appeal. Before they do this, they must first ask for a Mandatory Reconsideration.
If the Child Maintenance Service decides not to change its decision the parent can follow the formal appeal process, handled by HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS) where an independent tribunal will look at the Child Maintenance Service’s decision.
The Department publishes quarterly statistics for the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) and the latest statistics are available up to March 2024.
Table 3 from the latest National tables contains the number of arrangements joining the Child Maintenance Service each quarter from January 2015 to March 2024. Table 11 contains information on the number of appeals made by parents to His Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service to review a decision made by the Child Maintenance Service each quarter from April 2015 to March 2024.
Excerpts for the last five years for both tables are shown below.
Table 3: Intake, Great Britain, April 2019 to March 2024
Quarter of Application | Intake |
Apr to Jun 2019 | 22,300 |
Jul to Sep 2019 | 22,100 |
Oct to Dec 2019 | 17,200 |
Jan to Mar 2020 | 20,300 |
Apr to Jun 2020 [note 2] | 13,100 |
Jul to Sep 2020 | 21,800 |
Oct to Dec 2020 | 17,600 |
Jan to Mar 2021 | 18,400 |
Apr to Jun 2021 | 19,700 |
Jul to Sep 2021 | 21,300 |
Oct to Dec 2021 | 19,500 |
Jan to Mar 2022 | 26,900 |
Apr to Jun 2022 | 32,000 |
Jul to Sep 2022 | 33,600 |
Oct to Dec 2022 | 27,200 |
Jan to Mar 2023 | 32,400 |
Apr to Jun 2023 | 32,400 |
Jul to Sep 2023 | 34,700 |
Oct to Dec 2023 | 28,600 |
Jan to Mar 2024 | 35,600 |
|
|
Source: Child Maintenance Service Management Information
Figures are rounded to the nearest 100.
Note Number | Note Text |
note 1 | Intake includes new arrangements as well as arrangements where the parent has closed an existing arrangement and then decided to re-open it at a later date. |
note 2 | During the quarter ending June 2020, the COVID-19 outbreak may have reduced the demand for new Child Service Maintenance arrangements. |
Table 11: Appeals, Great Britain, April 2019 to March 2024
Quarter | Appeals Received | CMS Outcome: Withdrawn | CMS Outcome: | Tribunal Service Outcome: | Tribunal Service Outcome: | Total Clearances |
[note 1] | [note 2] | Revised [note 3] | Upheld [note 4] | Dismissed [note 5] | [note 6] | |
|
|
| ||||
Apr to Jun 2019 | 965 | 15 | 240 | 235 | 350 | 845 |
Jul to Sep 2019 | 965 | 20 | 165 | 225 | 385 | 795 |
Oct to Dec 2019 | 1,000 | 20 | 185 | 225 | 375 | 805 |
Jan to Mar 2020 | 1,105 | 15 | 195 | 225 | 385 | 820 |
Apr to Jun 2020 | 465 | 10 | 85 | 90 | 140 | 325 |
Jul to Sep 2020 | 1,030 | 20 | 125 | 120 | 210 | 470 |
Oct to Dec 2020 | 1,040 | 10 | 205 | 220 | 365 | 805 |
Jan to Mar 2021 | 980 | 5 | 175 | 240 | 445 | 865 |
Apr to Jun 2021 | 1,045 | 5 | 145 | 400 | 880 | 1,430 |
Jul to Sep 2021 | 1,120 | 10 | 155 | 315 | 365 | 850 |
Oct to Dec 2021 | 1,350 | 15 | 195 | 265 | 350 | 830 |
Jan to Mar 2022 | 735 | 20 | 255 | 330 | 455 | 1,060 |
Apr to Jun 2022 | 965 | 25 | 260 | 280 | 420 | 985 |
Jul to Sep 2022 | 895 | 35 | 250 | 360 | 490 | 1,135 |
Oct to Dec 2022 | 865 | 35 | 240 | 380 | 505 | 1,160 |
Jan to Mar 2023 | 1,110 | 10 | 100 | 295 | 345 | 745 |
Apr to Jun 2023 | 1,325 | 0 | 0 | 200 | 215 | 415 |
Jul to Sep 2023 | 1,085 | 20 | 220 | 200 | 180 | 620 |
Oct to Dec 2023 | 1,155 | 25 | 200 | 290 | 290 | 805 |
Jan to Mar 2024 | 1,030 | 10 | 225 | 310 | 220 | 770 |
Source: Child Maintenance Service Management Information
Figures are rounded to the nearest 5.
Note number | Note Text |
note 1 | Parents can appeal a decision by the Child Maintenance Service on payment amounts with the Tribunal Service which is impartial and independent of Government. Before they do this, they must ask the Child Maintenance Service to review and reconsider their decision (known as a Mandatory Reconsideration). |
note 2 | Where the parent decides that they no longer want to appeal the decision and withdraw the appeal. |
note 3 | Where the Child Maintenance Service finds the original decision to be incorrect, or the parent has supplied more information which changes the decision. |
note 4 | Where His Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service overturns the decision made by the Child Maintenance Service and supports the parent's appeal. This includes appeals where the appellant provides additional evidence to the court. |
note 5 | Where the courts dismiss the appeal made by the parent and support the decision made by the Child Maintenance Service. |
note 6 | The sum of the Child Maintenance Service appeals withdrawn and revised in addition to the Tribunal Service appeals dismissed and upheld. |
Asked by: Caroline Johnson (Conservative - Sleaford and North Hykeham)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many parents are (a) making child maintenance payments through the Child Maintenance Service and (b) in arrears on those payments.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The principle of the Child Maintenance Service is to increase levels of cooperation between separated parents and encourage parents to meet their responsibilities to provide financial support for their children through their own family-based arrangements where possible. Where a family-based child maintenance arrangement is not suitable we offer a statutory scheme to those parents who need it.
The Government is dedicated to ensuring parents meet their obligations to children 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.
The Department publishes quarterly statistics for the Child Maintenance Service and the latest statistics are available up to March 2024. The number of Paying Parents using the Collect and Pay service are published on Stat-Xplore in the CMS Paying Parents dataset.
In the latest quarter ending on 31 March 2024, there were 188,945 parents due to pay through the Collect and Pay service. Information on the full arrears status of those parents is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Shockat Adam (Independent - Leicester South)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many complaints about the Child Maintenance Service were investigated by the Independent Case Examiner (a) overall, (b) by the receiving parent and (c) by the paying parent in each of the last five years.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Independent Case Examiner’s office investigated 2,142 Child Maintenance Service (CMS) cases over the last 5 complete reporting years, broken down as follows:
Reporting Year | CMS Investigations |
2019/20 | 188 |
2020/21 | 267 |
2021/22 | 396 |
2022/23 | 507 |
2023/24 | 784 |
The Independent Case Examiner’s office does not hold the information to provide a response to parts (b) and (c) of the question.
Asked by: Shockat Adam (Independent - Leicester South)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to help ensure that the CMS child maintenance calculation adequately reflects the (a) living expenses and (b) income of both parties.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) operates on the principle that both parents have financial responsibility for their child, including their food and clothing, as well as contributing towards the associated costs of running the home that the child lives in.
The calculation represents an amount of money that is broadly commensurate with the amount that a paying parent would spend on the child if they were still living with them, irrespective of the income or assets of the receiving parent.
The CMS will assess how much the paying parent should pay the receiving parent, which in most cases is based on a percentage of the paying parent's gross annual income. The income of the receiving parent is not taken into consideration as they are already contributing as the child's primary caregiver and their income should not remove the responsibility of a paying parent to support their child.
A review is ongoing to look again at the child maintenance calculation to ensure it is fit for purpose and fair for both parents in light of societal changes since it was last looked at.
Asked by: Shockat Adam (Independent - Leicester South)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to ensure the accuracy of the (a) systems and (b) IT used by the Child Maintenance Service.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
Regular updates ensure the Child Maintenance Service's systems comply with policy. Each change follows industry standards, including thorough testing before and after implementation. The core principles for calculating Child Maintenance have remained largely unchanged since 2012, with no current system defects affecting these calculations.
The Department for Work and Pensions rigorously monitors accuracy, with the National Audit Office setting a target of monetary value errors under 1%. This standard is consistently met.
Asked by: Julia Buckley (Labour - Shrewsbury)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to reduce call waiting times to the Child Maintenance Service; and if she will make an assessment of the adequacy of call handling times by that service.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
CMS are committed to delivering the best possible service to all customers within our growing caseload, though fully recognise that call waiting times are sometimes longer than we would like.
To address this, we are working to improve the efficiency of our customer interactions through both the telephone and Digital channels, and by promoting self-service online. These are freeing up CMS resource to support customers that need to contact us by telephone.
The class leading CMS online service supports customers in understanding options around child maintenance arrangements through to completing applications and the ability to manage their case online. These services are available 24/7, and in July 2024 over 1 million customers were logging on to their online My Child Maintenance Case account and using them. To improve the efficiency of the service, improvements have been made to process simple actions automatically, whilst also improving training and guidance for CMS colleagues.
As a result, call volumes are reducing, and improved customer service being delivered through the combination of Online and Telephone channels.
CMS is working to improve all forms of communication with customers, including greater use of SMS and email as well as improving letter content.
The Department continually seeks to review, evaluate, and enhance tools and training material to support staff in delivering a quality customer service and takes timely action to further train and support staff where further improvements can be made. Additionally, CMS have extended their telephony service to 6pm on weekdays to meet demand.
Asked by: Julia Buckley (Labour - Shrewsbury)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many liability orders have been pursued by the Child Maintenance Service since 1 August 2023.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
A principle of child maintenance is to increase levels of cooperation between separated parents and encourage parents to meet their responsibilities to provide their children with financial support. Where a family-based child maintenance arrangement is not suitable the Child Maintenance Service offers a statutory scheme for those parents who need it.
The Government is dedicated to ensuring parents meet their obligations to children 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 which includes liability orders. The Service is committed to using these powers fairly and in the best interests of children and separated families.
The Department plans to bring forward changes to allow Child Maintenance Service (CMS) to make an administrative liability order against a person who has failed to pay child maintenance and is in arrears. The administrative liability order will replace the current requirement for the CMS to apply to the court for a liability order, which can take up to 22 weeks. We expect the new liability order process to take around six to eight weeks, meaning CMS can use its strong enforcement powers more quickly for those who seek to avoid their financial obligations to their children.
We will bring forward the legislation as soon as possible.
The Department publishes quarterly statistics for the Child Maintenance Service and the latest statistics are available up to March 2024. The next release to June 2024 is scheduled for Tuesday 24th September 2024 at 09:30am.
The statistics for liability orders are shown in Table 7.1 of the National tables. The relevant data taken from that table, covering the period requested, is shown in the following table:
Liability Orders in process and money collected in Great Britain, and Liability Orders applied for and granted in England and Wales, July 2023 to March 2024
| Jul to Sep 23 | Oct to Dec 23 | Jan to Mar 24 |
Liability Orders in process at end of quarter | 7,500 | 6,400 | 6,200 |
Liability Orders applied for during quarter (excludes Scotland) | 4,100 | 4,500 | 5,300 |
Liability Orders granted during quarter (excludes Scotland) | 3,600 | 3,900 | 4,400 |
Liability Orders withdrawn or dismissed during quarter (excludes Scotland) | 300 | 300 | 400 |
Money collected during quarter from Paying Parents with a Liability Order in process (£ millions) | 2.4 | 2.1 | 2.1 |
Source: Child Maintenance Service Administrative and Clerical Data
Notes: