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Written question asked by Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour) on Tuesday, 1 September 2026, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 3 September 2026. It was answered by Lilian Greenwood (Labour) on Wednesday, 9 September 2026 on behalf of the Department for Work and Pensions.

Child Maintenance Service: Standards

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he has considered the potential merits of routinely publishing data relating to CMS errors, complaints, system failures, and maladministration; and what assessment he has made of the impact this has on families.

Answer

The Department publishes quarterly CMS complaints statistics, including the number of complaints received and closed, the proportion upheld or partially upheld, and cases considered by the Independent Case Examiner DWP Complaints Statistics - GOV.UK. . Independent scrutiny is also provided through the Independent Case Examiner's annual reports, which set out findings on maladministration and systemic issues identified through complaints.

Additional statistical data is also published in the Child Maintenance Client Funds Accounts Child maintenance: client funds accounts - GOV.UK.

The Department systematically carries out impact assessments on user groups, including within the CMS. It recognises that service issues may affect customers and uses complaints, feedback and operational performance information to identify issues and improve service delivery.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
26111
Session
2026-27
Subjects
Standards Child Maintenance Service
Contains statistics
Yes
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk