Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Ninth Report - Child Maintenance
Public Accounts Committee
HC 255
Published 22 June 2022
Government response
Treasury minutes: Government response to the Committee of Public Accounts on the Ninth report from Session 2022-23 · published 14 Oct 2022
Recommendations & Conclusions
22
Conclusion
Not Addressed
The Department’s legislation for child maintenance is designed to encourage parents to use Direct Pay...
Conclusion
The Department’s legislation for child maintenance is designed to encourage parents to use Direct Pay first, but around half of Direct Pay arrangements are either not sustained or not effective. The Department told us that it preferred parents using its …
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Government Response Summary
Despite stating agreement, the government's response primarily focuses on existing processes for identifying domestic abuse, reviewing completed work, and improving communications for those on Direct Pay, rather than addressing the core observation that around half of Direct Pay arrangements are ineffective or not sustained, especially for parents who would have preferred Collect & Pay.
HM Treasury
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23
Conclusion
Not Addressed
We asked the Department why it was taking so long to identify missed payments and...
Conclusion
We asked the Department why it was taking so long to identify missed payments and transfer customers onto Collect & Pay.47 The Department informs parents that they should get in touch if their Direct Pay arrangement fails but some do …
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Government Response Summary
Despite stating agreement, the government's response focuses heavily on existing domestic abuse support processes and general communication to parents on Direct Pay, rather than addressing the committee's observation that the department does not monitor Direct Pay payments and takes too long to identify missed payments, leading to significant arrears.
HM Treasury
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