Question follow-through · 38802

Child Maintenance Service

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the Child Maintenance Service calculation formula for the (a) use of pre-tax earnings from the previous financial year for determining payments

answeredDepartment for Work and Pensions

About this written question

A written question asks a government minister for information in writing. Parliament publishes the question and any answer.

Answering body
Department for Work and Pensions
Tabled
17 Mar 2025
Target answer date
19 Mar 2025
Answer
25 Mar 2025 · 8 calendar days after tabling

Elapsed calendar days describe the record timeline, not whether Parliament considers an answer on time.

Votes on this topic

These Commons divisions share a topic label. The question did not necessarily lead to a vote.

Recorded timeline

  1. 17 Mar 2025

    Question tabled

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the Child Maintenance Service calculation formula for the (a) use of pre-tax earnings from the previous financial year for determining payments

  2. 19 Mar 2025

    Target answer date

    Date supplied by the official written-questions record.

  3. 25 Mar 2025

    Answer published

    Information about the paying parent's gross income is taken directly from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) for the most recent available full tax year. This allows calculations to be made quickly and accurately. Use of historic income ensures a stable calcul...

Open official record

Official data retrieved 28 Sept 2026.

Later records

Possible follow-up questions

Strong links require the same MP, department and exact heading. Other same-department questions are shown as unreviewed candidates, not as confirmed follow-ups. No debate link is asserted unless a stable source relationship exists.

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

Pensions

22 May 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will meet with the hon. member for Taunton and Wellington to discuss delays to the monthly retirement benefit payments suffered by his constituent.

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

Universal Credit: Disability

22 Oct 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that disabled people who are (a) unable to work and (b) on Universal Credit awaiting a Work Capability Assessment are not left in financial hardship for ext

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

Universal Credit: Disability

22 Oct 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the Universal Credit savings threshold for disabled claimants who are permanently unable to work and need to pay for (a) mobility equipment, (b) vehicle re

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

Children: Maintenance

8 Dec 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that Child Maintenance Service liability accurately reflects actual care arrangements, including in cases where the paying parent has become the primary car

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

Children: Maintenance

8 Dec 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of mechanisms the Child Maintenance Service has to verify care arrangements with (a) local authorities and (b) schools; and whether collection action can be p

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

Child Maintenance Service: Standards

8 Dec 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average time taken is for the Child Maintenance Service to adjust liability following notification of a change in care arrangements.

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

Children: Maintenance

8 Dec 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what processes are in place to (a) refund and (b) recoup Child Maintenance Service payments made in error following incorrect care-status determinations.

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

Children: Maintenance

8 Dec 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing an expedited pathway for Child Maintenance Service cases involving (a) safeguarding concerns, (b) homelessness risk or (c) significan

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

Department for Work and Pensions: Training

12 Jan 2026 · To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will set out how the Department’s planned reforms to enhance staff awareness of safeguarding roles and responsibilities will integrate new safeguarding frameworks into its organisational culture a

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

Parental Pay

14 Jan 2026 · To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department has undertaken comparative analysis of maternity and paternity pay provisions for (a) teachers and (b) other (i) public and (ii) private sector professions; and what steps he is t

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

Maternity Pay: Childcare

30 Jan 2026 · To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of statutory maternity pay rates that do not allow parents to receive 30 hours of free childcare on the ability of those parents to access childcare;

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

Universal Credit: Disability

11 Feb 2026 · To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if her Department will review the Universal Credit capital rules that reduce or remove entitlement for claimants with savings above £6,000 and £16,000, in cases where a claimant has a lifelong disabilit