Select committee: Work and Pensions Committee
Child Maintenance Service
Open
Opened 31 Jul 2025
Work and Pensions Committee Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Inquiry scope (the committee's words)
Millions of children and parents are served by the Child Maintenance Service. But is it working as effectively as it could be so that the best interests of the child are being met? The Government has recently proposed changes to how the Child Maintenance Service administers payments. This inquiry will look at those proposals and more broadly how to boost the Service’s effectiveness in increasing payment compliance rates and improving the way it deals with families. Read the call for evidence for more detail about the inquiry
Where it stands
The inquiry is open, opened 31 July 2025.
The committee has not published a report yet.
Evidence
- 3 oral evidence sessionsLatest 28 October 2026
- 5 written submissions
- 14 witnesses
Recent activity
- Work and Pensions Committee28 October 2026, Oral evidence
- Work and Pensions Committee14 October 2026, Oral evidence
- Work and Pensions Committee14 October 2026, Written evidence · CMS0124
Oral evidence sessions
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| Date | Session and witnesses | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 28 Oct 2026 |
Work and Pensions Committee
Baroness Sherlock OBE · Department of Work and Pensions,
Duncan Gilchrist · Department for Work and Pensions,
Lucy Appleton · Child Maintenance Service,
Paula Sussex CBE,
Simon Hunter · Department for Work and Pensions
|
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| 14 Oct 2026 |
Work and Pensions Committee
Donald Hirsch · abrdn Financial Fairness Trust,
Dr Christine Davies · Royal Holloway University of London,
Dr Samantha Callan OBE · Family Hubs Network,
Elisabeth Cooper · St John’s Buildings Chambers,
Mari Haapanen · University of Turku,
Michelle Counley · NACSA
|
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| 15 Jul 2026 |
Work and Pensions Committee
Abigail Wood · Gingerbread,
Sam Morfey · Surviving Economic Abuse,
Sara D'Arcy · Surviving Economic Abuse
|
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Written evidence
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Who gave evidence
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| Witness | Organisation | Sessions |
|---|---|---|
| Abigail Wood · CEO | Gingerbread | 1 |
| Baroness Sherlock OBE · Minister of State | Department of Work and Pensions | 1 |
| Donald Hirsch · Policy Adviser | abrdn Financial Fairness Trust | 1 |
| Dr Christine Davies · Honorary Senior Lecturer in Mathematics | Royal Holloway University of London | 1 |
| Dr Samantha Callan OBE · Director and Co-Founder | Family Hubs Network | 1 |
| Duncan Gilchrist · Deputy Director of Child Maintenance, Policy | Department for Work and Pensions | 1 |
| Elisabeth Cooper · Barrister | St John’s Buildings Chambers | 1 |
| Lucy Appleton · Deputy Director Enforcement | Child Maintenance Service | 1 |
| Mari Haapanen · Project Researcher | University of Turku | 1 |
| Michelle Counley · Senior Consultant | NACSA | 1 |
| Paula Sussex CBE | Not recorded | 1 |
| Sam Morfey · CEO, Both Parents Matter | Surviving Economic Abuse | 1 |
| Sara D'Arcy · Head of External Affairs | Surviving Economic Abuse | 1 |
| Simon Hunter · Director of the Child Maintenance Service | Department for Work and Pensions | 1 |