Written questions

Children: Maintenance

Commons · Question 106810 · Tabled 19 Jan 2026 · Department for Work and Pensions · Official record

Answered 22 Jan 2026

Question

Asked by Zöe Franklin

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to ensure that Child Maintenance Service enforcement action is proportionate in cases involving (a) small and (b) short-term arrears.

Answer

Answered by Andrew Western, 22 Jan 2026

In cases where arrears are outstanding, the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) proactively seek to negotiate with the paying parent a feasible and affordable repayment plan, taking into account the individual circumstances of each case. For small arrears pay...