Source · Select Committees · Work and Pensions Committee
Recommendation 29
29
Accepted
Paragraph: 113
Trial different CMS helpline opening hours, including weekends, to improve accessibility
Recommendation
The current opening hours of the CMS helpline were criticised in our roundtable discussions, particularly from parents who had work commitments. We recommend the Government trial different opening hours for the CMS, to include weekends. This could be achieved by reducing the opening hours on some weekdays.
Government Response Summary
The government states that CMS opening hours are regularly reviewed based on demand and that they have recently extended telephony service to 6pm on weekdays. However, it does not commit to trialling weekend opening hours as recommended.
Paragraph Reference:
113
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
In line with the CMS’s customer service strategy, opening hours are regularly reviewed based on the demand requirements of its customers across multiple channels including 24/7 availability of the online portal. CMS have recently extended their telephony service to 6pm on weekdays to meet this demand. 18 Children in poverty: Child Maintenance Service: Government Response