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Select committee: Public Services Committee

3rd Report - Reforming the Child Maintenance Service

Published 14 October 2025

Public Services Committee Child Maintenance Report on parliament.uk ↗

At a glanceGovernment response published 9 January 2026 (deadline 14 December 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

Sources