Written Question·Department for Work and Pensions·UIN 101760

Children: Maintenance

Tabled: 2 January 2026
Answered: 13 January 2026
Named Day

Question

Tom Tugendhat

ConservativeTonbridge

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the number of paying parents using (a) cash-based and (b) undeclared income sources to avoid maintenance payments; and what steps the Child Maintenance Service is taking to

Answer

Andrew Western
The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) focuses on maximising compliance and identifying hidden earnings through measures such as datasharing with HMRC.Information about the paying parent's gross income is taken directly from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) for...

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