Question follow-through · 96182
Children: Maintenance
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether the Department plans to publish a child maintenance arrears reduction strategy for the next five years.
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
- 2 Dec 2025
- Target answer date
- 8 Dec 2025
- Answer
- 11 Dec 2025 · 9 calendar days after tabling
Elapsed calendar days describe the record timeline, not whether Parliament considers an answer on time.
Recorded timeline
2 Dec 2025
Question tabled
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether the Department plans to publish a child maintenance arrears reduction strategy for the next five years.
8 Dec 2025
Target answer date
Date supplied by the official written-questions record.
11 Dec 2025
Answer published
This Government is committed to maximising the effectiveness of the Child Maintenance Service (CMS), which plays a vital role in ensuring that children receive the financial support to which they are entitled. Only 7 per cent of the total maintenance due ...
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.
Children: Maintenance
5 Dec 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps does the Child Maintenance Service have in place to calculate arrears for maintenance payments.
Children: Maintenance
5 Dec 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many Child Maintenance Service cases in the latest year involved a variation request relating to unearned income such as dividends, rental income, or bonuses: and in what proportion of those cases t
PAYE and Self-assessment
5 Dec 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what modelling has the Department conducted on using real-time earnings data to enable immediate recalculation, including (a) real-time PAYE and (b) self-assessment data.
Child Maintenance Service: Electronic Government
5 Dec 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what long term reforms to Child Maintenance Service digital services are being considered, including in relation to (a) online self service for parents, (b) real time information sharing with HMRC, and
Department for Work and Pensions: Members' Constituency Work
5 Dec 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what measures are in place to ensure that constituency casework can be resolved efficiently, including integration of ministerial databases, improved online access, and prompt communication of case upda
Department for Work and Pensions: Correspondence
9 Dec 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what performance metrics his Department uses to evaluate the timeliness and quality of support provided to Members of Parliament when handling child maintenance queries.
Children: Maintenance
9 Dec 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what is the current total value is of child maintenance arrears.
Children: Maintenance
9 Dec 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate her Department has made of the proportion of child maintenance arrears that are (a) likely to be recovered in full, (b) partly recoverable and (c) unlikely to be recovered.
Children: Maintenance
9 Dec 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of the total value of child maintenance arrears has been outstanding for (a) under 12 months, (b) 1 to 3 years, (c) 3 to 7 years and (d) more than 7 years.
Children: Maintenance
9 Dec 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of child maintenance owed is collected within (a) 3, (b) 6 and (c) 12 months of assessment.
Children: Maintenance
15 Dec 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many paying parents have a nil assessment for child maintenance, including by each reason for a nil assessment.
Debt Collection
15 Dec 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of enforcement, including the recovery rate following (a) liability orders, (b) bailiff action and (c) deduction orders.