Written Question·Department for Work and Pensions·UIN 116324

Child Maintenance Service and HM Revenue and Customs: Information Sharing

Tabled: 26 February 2026

Answered: 3 March 2026

Question

Dr Al Pinkerton

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of data-sharing between the Child Maintenance Service and HM Revenue and Customs in detecting income manipulation.

Answer

Andrew Western

As a principal part of the service design, the department uses data from HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) and its own benefits data to assess 91% of Paying Parents earned income and benefit status, which are key parts of the maintenance calculation. We als...

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