Question follow-through · 125047

Child Maintenance Service: Maladministration

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to help ensure that the child maintenance service a) minimises and mitigates administrative or otherwise errors and b) that parents using the child maintenance service are not in

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
10 Apr 2026
Target answer date
14 Apr 2026
Answer
20 Apr 2026 · 10 calendar days after tabling

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

Recorded timeline

  1. 10 Apr 2026

    Question tabled

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to help ensure that the child maintenance service a) minimises and mitigates administrative or otherwise errors and b) that parents using the child maintenance service are not in

  2. 14 Apr 2026

    Target answer date

    Date supplied by the official written-questions record.

  3. 20 Apr 2026

    Answer published

    The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) has a range of controls in place to minimise administrative and other errors. CMS uses verified income information from HM Revenue and Customs and other government systems and applies statutory calculation rules in asse...

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

Members: Correspondence

21 May 2026 · To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when he plans to respond to correspondence of 1 and 28 February 2026 from the hon. Member for Cheadle on the DWP Complaints Team.

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

Children: Maintenance

16 Jul 2026 · To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of trends in the level of the wellbeing of parents engaged with the Child Maintenance Service, including those experiencing financial hardship and arrears.

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

Children: Maintenance

16 Jul 2026 · To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what mental health support and signposting is available to parents identified by the Child Maintenance Service as experiencing financial distress.