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Written question asked by David Davis (Conservative) on Friday, 21 November 2025, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 25 November 2025. It was answered by Andrew Western (Labour) on Wednesday, 7 January 2026 on behalf of the Department for Work and Pensions.

Independent Case Examiner: Standards

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what is the average time between a Child Maintenance Service complaint being received by the Independent Case Examiner and the issuing of a final decision.

Answer

As of 31 October 2025, Child Maintenance Service (CMS) cases in investigation waited an average of 25 weeks from the date they were received by the Independent Case Examiner’s office to the date they were allocated to an Investigator. This is a significant improvement compared to January 2024, when CMS cases in investigation had waited an average of 66 weeks from receipt date to the date they were allocated to an Investigator. The Independent Case Examiner’s office continually seeks to improve this further.

In CMS cases cleared between 01/04/25 – 31/10/25, it took an average of 33 weeks from the date complaints were received into the Independent Case Examiners office to the date a decision was made and issued. The 33 weeks is made up of 25 weeks awaiting allocation to an Investigator and 8 weeks in investigation.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
93348
Session
2024-26
Grouped for answer
Yes
Subjects
Standards Independent Case Examiner
Contains statistics
Yes
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk