Source · Select Committees · Work and Pensions Committee
Sixth Report - Children in poverty: Child Maintenance Service
Work and Pensions Committee
HC 272
Published 27 April 2023
Recommendations
8
Deferred
Para 44
Confirm plans for implementing partial child maintenance deductions in Universal Credit and their priority.
Recommendation
Competing priorities for the Universal Credit system, specifically work on fraud and error and the automation of processes to allow the expansion of the move to Universal Credit, mean the Department has not undertaken work to implement capability in the …
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Government Response Summary
The government acknowledges that legislative changes would be needed for partial deductions but states there are no estimated timescales due to current Universal Credit system work focusing on fraud, error, and migration.
Department for Work and Pensions
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9
Deferred
Para 45
Seek legislative authority to process partial Universal Credit deductions for child maintenance arrears.
Recommendation
The Department should seek, as part of any future legislative change in the Child Maintenance Service system, the authority to process partial deductions from Universal Credit for child maintenance arrears.
Government Response Summary
The government commits to amending legislation for partial deductions when it can be implemented but states there are no estimated timescales as Universal Credit development is currently focused on other priorities.
Department for Work and Pensions
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13
Deferred
Para 64
Produce an analysis of reasons for increased families lacking child maintenance arrangements.
Recommendation
The proportion of families with private arrangements has increased since the 2012 reforms but this has also been accompanied by an increase in the number of families without an arrangement. There is evidence that a significant number of Children in …
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Government Response Summary
The government stated it has not conducted specific research into the increase in families without child maintenance arrangements, although it monitors this annually and has general research on separated families. It listed reasons why some parents don't want arrangements and concluded that it does not currently plan further research on this specific increase but will consider it as part of any future policy reforms.
Department for Work and Pensions
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