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Select committee: Public Services Committee

Child Maintenance

Closed Opened 11 Mar 2025 Closed 8 Jun 2026

Public Services Committee Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗

Inquiry scope (the committee's words)
As of March 2024, there were estimated to be 3.8 million children living in separated families. A child maintenance arrangement is required for all children under the age of 16 living in separated families. However, only around 59% of families have any form of child maintenance agreement. Where parents cannot create their own private child maintenance agreement, they can access the Child Maintenance Service (CMS). The CMS is the Government run service which can calculate, facilitate, and if necessary collect, child maintenance payments between parents’. This inquiry seeks to examine the barriers to making child maintenance arrangements through the CMS and why many separated families do not have any form of arrangement. Secondly, we want to explore how arrangements made through the Child Maintenance Service can be more effectively enforced. The report Reforming the Child Maintenance Service was published on 14 October 2025.. The Government response was published on 9 January 2026. The report was debated on 8 June 2026.

Where it stands

The inquiry is closed, opened 11 March 2025.

The committee has published 1 report, most recently 3rd Report - Reforming the Child Maintenance Service on 14 October 2025.

The government's response

Letter Conveying DWP Response to Public Services Committee Letter Sent For Clarifying Answers (06 March 2026)

Published 19 March 2026. The deadline was 14 December 2025.

Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.

The Government says it regrets that it is "unable to provide more specific timelines in relation to some very important areas of reform", citing the need for legislation and safe, effective implementation.

  • On removing Direct Pay and moving cases to Collect and Pay, primary legislation will be required, and the Government is "committed to doing this as soon as the legislative programme permits". No date is given.
  • On commencing the Child Support Collection (Domestic Abuse) Act 2023, work on this "will come second" to other activities, though it will "continue to explore suitable evidence mechanisms" for possible commencement "should this be required".
  • On Administrative Liability Orders, work is ongoing and the "current plans are to introduce legislation as soon as possible". It is working with HMCTS and the Scottish Government.
  • On the child maintenance calculation consultation, it will announce further details of publication "in due course". On call waiting times, it says there are "no current plans" to expand publication of CMS statistics.

Read the government's response ↗ Report an error

Government Response - Child Maintenance Service

Published 9 January 2026.

Read the government's response ↗ Report an error

Reports

All reports

Evidence

  • 5 oral evidence sessionsLatest 25 June 2025
  • 12 witnesses
All evidence

Recent activity

Meetings and visits

Reports

1 report

Oral evidence sessions

5 sessions

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Date Session and witnesses Source
25 Jun 2025
Oral evidence session
Baroness Sherlock OBE · Department of Work and Pensions, Chris Smith · Department of Work and Pensions, Duncan Gilchrist · Department for Work and Pensions, Simon Hunter · Department for Work and Pensions 		View ↗
7 May 2025
Oral Evidence
Michelle Counley · NACSA, Naomi Wiseman · Family Law Bar Association 		View ↗
2 Apr 2025
Oral Evidence
Abby Jitendra · Joseph Rowntree Foundation, Dr Laura Robertson · Poverty Alliance 		View ↗
26 Mar 2025
Oral Evidence
Dave Hawkey · Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR), Sam Morfey · Both Parents Matter, Sarah Lambert · Gingerbread, the charity for single parent families 		View ↗
19 Mar 2025
Oral Evidence
Chris Smith · Department of Work and Pensions, Duncan Gilchrist · Department for Work and Pensions, Elaine Squires · Department for Work and Pensions, Simon Hunter · Department for Work and Pensions 		View ↗

Who gave evidence

12 witnesses

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WitnessOrganisationSessions
Chris Smith · Deputy Director of Child Maintenance, Operations Department of Work and Pensions 2
Duncan Gilchrist · Deputy Director of Child Maintenance, Policy Department for Work and Pensions 2
Simon Hunter · Director of the Child Maintenance Service Department for Work and Pensions 2
Abby Jitendra · Principal Policy Adviser Joseph Rowntree Foundation 1
Baroness Sherlock OBE · Minister of State Department of Work and Pensions 1
Dave Hawkey · Senior Research Fellow Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) 1
Dr Laura Robertson · Research Manager Poverty Alliance 1
Elaine Squires · Deputy Director for Income, Family and Disadvantage Analysis Department for Work and Pensions 1
Michelle Counley · Senior Consultant NACSA 1
Naomi Wiseman · Barrister Family Law Bar Association 1
Sam Morfey · CEO Both Parents Matter 1
Sarah Lambert · Head of Policy and Campaigns Gingerbread, the charity for single parent families 1

Correspondence

2 letters

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PublishedDirectionLetter
27 Jan 2026 To committee Letter from Chair of Public Services Committee to Baroness Sherlock - Reply to Government's Response to Committee Report (27 January 2026)
20 Jun 2025 To committee Letter from Baroness Sherlock, Minister of State, Department for Work and Pensions to Baroness Morris of Yardley, Chair, Public Services Committee on Child Maintenance Service (20 June 2025)

Meetings & visits

6 items

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DateTypeDetailSource
23 Jul 2025 Formal meeting (private meeting) Not recorded · Room 4A, Palace of Westminster
16 Jul 2025 Formal meeting (private meeting) Not recorded · Room 2A, Palace of Westminster
11 Jun 2025 Formal meeting (private meeting) Not recorded · Room 2A, Palace of Westminster
4 Jun 2025 Formal meeting (private meeting) Not recorded · Room 1, Palace of Westminster
21 May 2025 Formal meeting (private meeting) Not recorded · Room 2A, Palace of Westminster
14 May 2025 Formal meeting (private meeting) Formal Meeting (Private Meeting) · Room 1-05, Millbank House