Parliamentary Search

Written question asked by Joe Robertson (Conservative) on Friday, 28 August 2026, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 2 September 2026. It was answered by Lilian Greenwood (Labour) on Tuesday, 8 September 2026 on behalf of the Department for Work and Pensions.

Children: Maintenance

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps the Child Maintenance Service takes to (a) recover historic arrears owed to a parent by a paying parent who has since become the receiving parent and (b) resolve cases where a parent is required to make new payments under a collect and pay arrangement while arrears owed to them by the other parent remain outstanding and unrecovered.

Answer

The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) will continue to pursue historic child maintenance arrears where appropriate, including where a parent who owes arrears has subsequently become the receiving parent in another case. Depending on the circumstances, CMS may seek repayment through voluntary arrangements or the use of its statutory collection and enforcement powers.

In cases where a parent is required to make payments through Collect and Pay while arrears remain owed to them by the other parent, CMS may consider the use of offsetting. Offsetting allows child maintenance payments and arrears to be adjusted in specified circumstances, including where one parent is making ongoing payments to a parent who owes them arrears.

Where offsetting is not appropriate or cannot be applied, CMS will manage the current maintenance liability and the outstanding arrears separately, while continuing to pursue recovery of the arrears and taking account of the welfare of any children affected.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
24623
Session
2026-27
Subjects
Children Arrears Maintenance
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk