Written Question·Department for Work and Pensions·UIN 81597

Children: Maintenance

Tabled: 13 October 2025

Answered: 23 October 2025

Named Day

Question

Steff Aquarone

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether the child maintenance service provides (a) oversight and (b) review mechanisms to help ensure (i) consistency and (ii) accountability in the application of caseworker discretion to arrears repay

Answer

Andrew Western

The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) adheres to the DWP Quality Framework, which deploys a three-line defence model for all decisions affecting the calculation and payment of maintenance.The Debt Steer provides a policy-based framework for arrears negotiat...

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