Source · Select Committees · Work and Pensions Committee
Recommendation 25
25
Acknowledged
Paragraph: 101
Collect and Pay fees remain unjustified for child maintenance cases involving domestic abuse
Conclusion
It is particularly difficult to understand how fees, intended to incentivise the use of Direct Pay, can be justified in cases where the Department appears to have accepted such arrangements are not appropriate, such as in cases of domestic abuse. The Department should introduce a mechanism to waive Collect and Pay fees for customers who have been subject to domestic abuse, or whose children have suffered abuse, be they paying or receiving parents. The evidence base for this should be the same as the evidence base that the Government sets out for cases to skip Direct Pay and move straight to Collect and Pay.
Government Response Summary
The government states it will look at the current charging structure and its interaction with proposed changes for victims of domestic abuse, as part of developing secondary legislation for the Child Support Collection (Domestic Abuse) Bill. It does not commit to immediately waiving fees.
Paragraph Reference:
101
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government
Acknowledged
The Government takes the issue of domestic abuse extremely seriously and is committed to ensuring survivors of abuse get the help and support they need to use the CMS safely. Domestic abuse is not necessarily a barrier to having a successful direct pay arrangement and as we have set out above, there are measures in place to help ensure the users of the direct pay service are protected from abuse. The CMS ensures there is no unwanted contact between parents and provides advice on bank accounts with a centralised sort code to reduce the risk of their location being traced. The Government is clear that charges are the right approach for current users of the collect and pay service, however we have already committed to looking at the current charging structure and how it interacts with the proposed changes for victims of domestic abuse that are being brought forward through the Child Support Collection (Domestic Abuse) 16 Children in poverty: Child Maintenance Service: Government Response Bill. This will be done alongside development for the secondary legislation to implement the measures. As we have set out above, the work is likely going to be complex and require engagement with a range of stakeholders should the bill receive royal assent.