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1728305

	registered interest
	date	09/09/2024
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Children: Maintenance
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	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.
	tabling member constituency	West Suffolk
	tabling member printed	Nick Timothy
	uin	4873
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/09/2024 answer text <p>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.</p><p>Where a family-based child maintenance arrangement is not suitable the Child Maintenance Service offers a statutory scheme for those parents who need it.</p><p>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.</p><p>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.</p><p>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.</p><p>If the Child Maintenance Service decides not to change its decision the parent can follow the formal appeal process, handled by HM Courts &amp; Tribunals Service (HMCTS) where an independent tribunal will look at the Child Maintenance Service’s decision.</p><p>The Department publishes quarterly statistics for the <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-on-the-2012-statutory-child-maintenance-scheme" target="_blank">Child Maintenance Service</a> (CMS) and the latest statistics are available up to <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/child-maintenance-service-statistics-data-to-march-2024" target="_blank">March 2024</a>.</p><p>Table 3 from the latest <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/667c0c98aec8650b10090070/national-tables-child-maintenance-service-to-march-2024.ods" target="_blank">National tables</a> 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.</p><p> </p><p>Excerpts for the last five years for both tables are shown below.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p><strong>Table 3: Intake, Great Britain, April 2019 to March 2024</strong></p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><strong>Quarter of Application</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Intake<br> </strong>[note 1]</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Apr to Jun 2019</p></td><td><p>22,300</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Jul to Sep 2019</p></td><td><p>22,100</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Oct to Dec 2019</p></td><td><p>17,200</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Jan to Mar 2020</p></td><td><p>20,300</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Apr to Jun 2020 [note 2]</p></td><td><p>13,100</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Jul to Sep 2020</p></td><td><p>21,800</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Oct to Dec 2020</p></td><td><p>17,600</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Jan to Mar 2021</p></td><td><p>18,400</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Apr to Jun 2021</p></td><td><p>19,700</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Jul to Sep 2021</p></td><td><p>21,300</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Oct to Dec 2021</p></td><td><p>19,500</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Jan to Mar 2022</p></td><td><p>26,900</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Apr to Jun 2022</p></td><td><p>32,000</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Jul to Sep 2022</p></td><td><p>33,600</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Oct to Dec 2022</p></td><td><p>27,200</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Jan to Mar 2023</p></td><td><p>32,400</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Apr to Jun 2023</p></td><td><p>32,400</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Jul to Sep 2023</p></td><td><p>34,700</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Oct to Dec 2023</p></td><td><p>28,600</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Jan to Mar 2024</p></td><td><p>35,600</p></td></tr><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Source: Child Maintenance Service Management Information</p><p>Figures are rounded to the nearest 100.</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><strong>Note Number</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Note Text</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>note 1</p></td><td><p>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.</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>note 2</p></td><td><p>During the quarter ending June 2020, the COVID-19 outbreak may have reduced the demand for new Child Service Maintenance arrangements.</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p><strong>Table 11: Appeals, Great Britain, April 2019 to March 2024</strong></p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td rowspan="3"><p><strong>Quarter</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Appeals Received</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>CMS </strong> <strong> Outcome: Withdrawn</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>CMS </strong> <strong> Outcome:</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Tribunal Service Outcome:</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Tribunal Service Outcome:</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Total Clearances</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>[note 1]</p></td><td><p>[note 2]</p></td><td><p><strong> Revised</strong> [note 3]</p></td><td><p><strong> Upheld </strong> [note 4]</p></td><td><p><strong>Dismissed</strong> [note 5]</p></td><td><p>[note 6]</p></td></tr><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Apr to Jun 2019</p></td><td><p>965</p></td><td><p>15</p></td><td><p>240</p></td><td><p>235</p></td><td><p>350</p></td><td><p>845</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Jul to Sep 2019</p></td><td><p>965</p></td><td><p>20</p></td><td><p>165</p></td><td><p>225</p></td><td><p>385</p></td><td><p>795</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Oct to Dec 2019</p></td><td><p>1,000</p></td><td><p>20</p></td><td><p>185</p></td><td><p>225</p></td><td><p>375</p></td><td><p>805</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Jan to Mar 2020</p></td><td><p>1,105</p></td><td><p>15</p></td><td><p>195</p></td><td><p>225</p></td><td><p>385</p></td><td><p>820</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Apr to Jun 2020</p></td><td><p>465</p></td><td><p>10</p></td><td><p>85</p></td><td><p>90</p></td><td><p>140</p></td><td><p>325</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Jul to Sep 2020</p></td><td><p>1,030</p></td><td><p>20</p></td><td><p>125</p></td><td><p>120</p></td><td><p>210</p></td><td><p>470</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Oct to Dec 2020</p></td><td><p>1,040</p></td><td><p>10</p></td><td><p>205</p></td><td><p>220</p></td><td><p>365</p></td><td><p>805</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Jan to Mar 2021</p></td><td><p>980</p></td><td><p>5</p></td><td><p>175</p></td><td><p>240</p></td><td><p>445</p></td><td><p>865</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Apr to Jun 2021</p></td><td><p>1,045</p></td><td><p>5</p></td><td><p>145</p></td><td><p>400</p></td><td><p>880</p></td><td><p>1,430</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Jul to Sep 2021</p></td><td><p>1,120</p></td><td><p>10</p></td><td><p>155</p></td><td><p>315</p></td><td><p>365</p></td><td><p>850</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Oct to Dec 2021</p></td><td><p>1,350</p></td><td><p>15</p></td><td><p>195</p></td><td><p>265</p></td><td><p>350</p></td><td><p>830</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Jan to Mar 2022</p></td><td><p>735</p></td><td><p>20</p></td><td><p>255</p></td><td><p>330</p></td><td><p>455</p></td><td><p>1,060</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Apr to Jun 2022</p></td><td><p>965</p></td><td><p>25</p></td><td><p>260</p></td><td><p>280</p></td><td><p>420</p></td><td><p>985</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Jul to Sep 2022</p></td><td><p>895</p></td><td><p>35</p></td><td><p>250</p></td><td><p>360</p></td><td><p>490</p></td><td><p>1,135</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Oct to Dec 2022</p></td><td><p>865</p></td><td><p>35</p></td><td><p>240</p></td><td><p>380</p></td><td><p>505</p></td><td><p>1,160</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Jan to Mar 2023</p></td><td><p>1,110</p></td><td><p>10</p></td><td><p>100</p></td><td><p>295</p></td><td><p>345</p></td><td><p>745</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Apr to Jun 2023</p></td><td><p>1,325</p></td><td><p>0</p></td><td><p>0</p></td><td><p>200</p></td><td><p>215</p></td><td><p>415</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Jul to Sep 2023</p></td><td><p>1,085</p></td><td><p>20</p></td><td><p>220</p></td><td><p>200</p></td><td><p>180</p></td><td><p>620</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Oct to Dec 2023</p></td><td><p>1,155</p></td><td><p>25</p></td><td><p>200</p></td><td><p>290</p></td><td><p>290</p></td><td><p>805</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Jan to Mar 2024</p></td><td><p>1,030</p></td><td><p>10</p></td><td><p>225</p></td><td><p>310</p></td><td><p>220</p></td><td><p>770</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>Source: Child Maintenance Service Management Information</p><p>Figures are rounded to the nearest 5.</p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><strong>Note number</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Note Text</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>note 1</p></td><td><p>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).</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>note 2</p></td><td><p>Where the parent decides that they no longer want to appeal the decision and withdraw the appeal.</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>note 3</p></td><td><p>Where the Child Maintenance Service finds the original decision to be incorrect, or the parent has supplied more information which changes the decision.</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>note 4</p></td><td><p>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.</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>note 5</p></td><td><p>Where the courts dismiss the appeal made by the parent and support the decision made by the Child Maintenance Service.</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>note 6</p></td><td><p>The sum of the Child Maintenance Service appeals withdrawn and revised in addition to the Tribunal Service appeals dismissed and upheld.</p></td></tr></tbody></table> answering member constituency Stretford and Urmston answering member printed Andrew Western question first answered 17/09/2024 13:42:29 answering member 4979 label Biography information for Andrew Western
	tabling member	5062

1727760

	registered interest
	date	05/09/2024
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Children: Maintenance
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	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.
	tabling member constituency	Sleaford and North Hykeham
	tabling member printed	Dr Caroline Johnson
	uin	4401
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/09/2024 answer text <p>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.</p><p> </p><p>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.</p><p> </p><p>The Department publishes quarterly statistics for the <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-on-the-2012-statutory-child-maintenance-scheme" target="_blank">Child Maintenance Service</a> and the latest statistics are available up to <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/child-maintenance-service-statistics-data-to-march-2024" target="_blank">March 2024</a>. The number of Paying Parents using the Collect and Pay service are published on <a href="https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/" target="_blank">Stat-Xplore</a> in the <a href="https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/openinfopage?id=CMS_PARENT" target="_blank">CMS Paying Parents</a> dataset.</p><p> </p><p>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.</p> answering member constituency Stretford and Urmston answering member printed Andrew Western question first answered 13/09/2024 12:52:16 answering member 4979 label Biography information for Andrew Western
	tabling member	4592 label Biography information for Dr Caroline Johnson

1727118

	registered interest
	date	03/09/2024
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Children: Maintenance
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	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.
	tabling member constituency	Leicester South
	tabling member printed	Shockat Adam
	uin	4088
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/09/2024 answer text <p>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.</p><p> </p><p>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.</p> answering member constituency Stretford and Urmston answering member printed Andrew Western question first answered 11/09/2024 15:46:11 answering member 4979 label Biography information for Andrew Western
	tabling member	5120

1727121

	registered interest
	date	03/09/2024
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Children: Maintenance
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	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.
	tabling member constituency	Leicester South
	tabling member printed	Shockat Adam
	uin	4089
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/09/2024 answer text <p>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.</p><p>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.</p><p>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.</p><p>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.</p> answering member constituency Stretford and Urmston answering member printed Andrew Western question first answered 11/09/2024 11:38:37 answering member 4979 label Biography information for Andrew Western
	tabling member	5120

1726192

	registered interest
	date	30/08/2024
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Children: Maintenance
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to ensure gender equality in the work of the Child Maintenance Service.
	tabling member constituency	Shrewsbury
	tabling member printed	Julia Buckley
	uin	3500
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/09/2024 answer text <p>The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) aims to provide a high-quality service to all its customers. The CMS treats parents equally as individuals based on their roles within the scheme and makes no reference to gender. The Department has a specific duty to assess the impact of proposed policies and services and any changes to them on equality to ensure the Department meets its Public Sector Equality Duty obligations.</p> answering member constituency Stretford and Urmston answering member printed Andrew Western question first answered 09/09/2024 15:18:46 answering member 4979 label Biography information for Andrew Western
	tabling member	5171

1726338

	registered interest
	date	30/08/2024
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Children: Maintenance
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the total value of child maintenance arrears was on 30 August 2024.
	tabling member constituency	Shrewsbury
	tabling member printed	Julia Buckley
	uin	3501
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/09/2024 answer text <p>The Department publishes quarterly statistics for the <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-on-the-2012-statutory-child-maintenance-scheme" target="_blank">Child Maintenance Service</a> and the latest statistics are available up to <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/child-maintenance-service-statistics-data-to-march-2024" target="_blank">March 2024</a>. The next release covering the statistics to June 2024 is scheduled for Tuesday 24th September 2024 at 09:30am.</p><p> </p><p>The total value of child maintenance that has not been paid and now needs to be collected through ‘Collect and Pay’ at the end of March 2024 was £634.9 million, as shown in Table 6 of the <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/667c0c98aec8650b10090070/national-tables-child-maintenance-service-to-march-2024.ods" target="_blank">National tables</a>.</p><p> </p><p>The following information is a summary from the latest publication for data up to March 2024.</p><p> </p><ul><li>In the 12 months up to March 2024 the child maintenance service arranged £1.4 billion child maintenance, an increase from £1.2 billion during the previous 12 months.</li><li>61% of all CMS arrangements use Direct Pay, with 37% using Collect and Pay and just over one billion pounds was arranged through the Direct Pay service in the last 12 months (we do not measure the compliance of Paying Parents on the Direct Pay service).</li><li>Since March 2023, the percentage of parents paying something towards their maintenance through collect &amp; pay has increased from 65% to 69%.</li><li>In the period April 2023 to March 2024 £316.8 million was arranged through the Collect &amp; Pay service:</li></ul><p>o £224.9 million was paid</p><p>o £91.9 million was unpaid</p> answering member constituency Stretford and Urmston answering member printed Andrew Western question first answered 09/09/2024 16:01:52 answering member 4979 label Biography information for Andrew Western
	tabling member	5171

1726339

	registered interest
	date	30/08/2024
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Children: Maintenance
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the Child Maintenance Service in collecting arrears payments.
	tabling member constituency	Shrewsbury
	tabling member printed	Julia Buckley
	uin	3502
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/09/2024 answer text <p>The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) always encourages paying parents to pay their maintenance on time, to avoid accrual of arrears. Where a paying parent fails to pay on time or in full, the CMS aims to take immediate action to recover the debt and re-establish compliance. The CMS will initially negotiate a payment that is feasible for the parent to pay. If this is unsuccessful and the paying parent is employed, the CMS will use a Deductions from Earnings Order (DEO) to take payment directly from their wages. The CMS has a range of strong enforcement powers that can be used against those who consistently refuse to meet their obligations to provide financial support to their children. These powers include the ability to deduct directly from the paying parent’s bank accounts, forcing the sale of property and disqualifications from holding or obtaining driving licenses and passports. We are committed to making the most effective use of these strong enforcement powers and have made a number of improvements to our enforcement process to make it quicker and more efficient.</p> answering member constituency Stretford and Urmston answering member printed Andrew Western question first answered 09/09/2024 15:15:44 answering member 4979 label Biography information for Andrew Western
	tabling member	5171

1726340

	registered interest
	date	30/08/2024
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Children: Maintenance
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to help tackle unpaid child maintenance.
	tabling member constituency	Shrewsbury
	tabling member printed	Julia Buckley
	uin	3503
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/09/2024 answer text <p>The Department plans to bring forward changes to allow the 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 is an outdated process and can take up to 22 weeks. We expect the new liability order process to take around six to eight weeks, meaning the CMS can use its strong enforcement powers more quickly to go after those who wilfully avoid their financial obligations to their children.</p><p>We will bring forward the legislation as soon as possible.</p> answering member constituency Stretford and Urmston answering member printed Andrew Western question first answered 09/09/2024 13:48:41 answering member 4979 label Biography information for Andrew Western
	tabling member	5171

1726342

	registered interest
	date	30/08/2024
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Children: Maintenance
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	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.
	tabling member constituency	Shrewsbury
	tabling member printed	Julia Buckley
	uin	3505
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/09/2024 answer text <p>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.</p><p> </p><p>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.</p><p> </p><p>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.</p><p> </p><p>We will bring forward the legislation as soon as possible.</p><p> </p><p>The Department publishes quarterly statistics for the <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-on-the-2012-statutory-child-maintenance-scheme" target="_blank">Child Maintenance Service</a> and the latest statistics are available up to <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/child-maintenance-service-statistics-data-to-march-2024" target="_blank">March 2024</a>. The next release to June 2024 is scheduled for Tuesday 24th September 2024 at 09:30am.</p><p> </p><p>The statistics for liability orders are shown in Table 7.1 of the <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/667c0c98aec8650b10090070/national-tables-child-maintenance-service-to-march-2024.ods" target="_blank">National tables</a>. The relevant data taken from that table, covering the period requested, is shown in the following table:</p><p> </p><p><strong>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</strong></p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p>Jul to Sep 23</p></td><td><p>Oct to Dec 23</p></td><td><p>Jan to Mar 24</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Liability Orders in process at end of quarter</p></td><td><p>7,500</p></td><td><p>6,400</p></td><td><p>6,200</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Liability Orders applied for during quarter (excludes Scotland)</p></td><td><p>4,100</p></td><td><p>4,500</p></td><td><p>5,300</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Liability Orders granted during quarter (excludes Scotland)</p></td><td><p>3,600</p></td><td><p>3,900</p></td><td><p>4,400</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Liability Orders withdrawn or dismissed during quarter (excludes Scotland)</p></td><td><p>300</p></td><td><p>300</p></td><td><p>400</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Money collected during quarter from Paying Parents with a Liability Order in process (£ millions)</p></td><td><p>2.4</p></td><td><p>2.1</p></td><td><p>2.1</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Source: Child Maintenance Service Administrative and Clerical Data</p><p> </p><p>Notes:</p><p> </p><ol><li>This table includes actions taken to collect both maintenance arranged by the Child Maintenance Service, and Child Support Agency arrears that have been transitioned to Child Maintenance Service systems. This may include actions taken against parents for whom no ongoing maintenance has been arranged under the Child Maintenance Service.</li></ol><p> </p><ol start="2"><li>Figures are rounded to the nearest 100 or £100,000.</li></ol><p> </p><ol start="3"><li>&quot;In Process&quot; counts give the number of Paying Parents for which the relevant enforcement action was ongoing at the end of the quarter. &quot;Ongoing&quot; includes the period in which the action was being formally considered, in addition to the period during which the action was actively being progressed.</li></ol><p> </p><ol start="4"><li>A Paying Parent can be taken to court over unpaid child maintenance. Courts can grant a Liability Order, which is a legal recognition that a debt is owed. This enables recovery of the debt through further Civil Enforcement Actions, e.g. referral to an enforcement agency.</li></ol><p> </p><ol start="5"><li>Some Liability Order figures are restricted to England and Wales and exclude Scotland, this is indicated in the row title where relevant.</li></ol> answering member constituency Stretford and Urmston answering member printed Andrew Western question first answered 09/09/2024 13:26:37 answering member 4979 label Biography information for Andrew Western
	tabling member	5171

1721527

	registered interest
	date	17/07/2024
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Children: Maintenance
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she plans to review the Child Maintenance Service's treatment of income from foreign assets held by paying parents.
	tabling member constituency	Chesham and Amersham
	tabling member printed	Sarah Green
	uin	242
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/07/2024 answer text <p>Income, including income from assets as well as earned income, needs to be declared to the UK tax authorities and subject to UK tax in order to be included in the maintenance calculation.</p><p> </p><p>The Government is now considering next steps on the child maintenance service.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Stretford and Urmston answering member printed Andrew Western question first answered 22/07/2024 12:34:00 answering member 4979 label Biography information for Andrew Western
	tabling member	4918 label Biography information for Sarah Green