The Child Maintenance Service has been a fundamentally broken system requiring urgent action. During the pandemic, nearly 750,000 children in the UK rely on CMS payments; if these were properly enforced, it would lift 60% of cases out of poverty. The CMS is failing families under pressure from reduced service capacity due to staff redeployment for universal credit and jobseeker’s allowance processing during the pandemic.

Congratulates the hon. Member for Motherwell and Wishaw on securing this important debate, thanks the Minister for his work with victims of domestic abuse, highlights the strain on single parents during the pandemic, emphasises the need to recognise that CMS staff are working in difficult times but stresses the importance of supporting paying and care parents at this time.

Congratulates the hon. Member for Motherwell and Wishaw on securing an important debate, highlights the difficulties caused to single parent households by reducing CMS staff during the pandemic, raises concerns about missed payments and arrears owed to receiving parents, calls for urgent action from the Government to ensure that parents pay their fair share of child maintenance, questions how the Department is working to reconcile staff shortages with a reduced assessment period.

Francois praised the CMS for its flexibility over the old CSA, noting fewer complaints. However, he highlighted issues with non-compliant parents evading payments by becoming self-employed or registering as company directors to obscure their income. He raised a specific case of Laura Panza who has been owed significant arrears for her daughter's maintenance and called for a meeting with Baroness Stedman-Scott.

Although not directly responsible, Guy Opperman assured MPs that the relevant Minister will meet within 28 days to address specific cases brought to their attention by individual MPs.

Mullan addressed £350 million of CMS arrears, £2.5 billion of CSA legacy debt, and the need for tougher action against non-paying parents who could pay but do not. He criticised the writing off of debts owed to children and highlighted Gingerbread's campaign efforts in raising awareness. Mullan also questioned why it is only up to one parent whether the other is pursued for maintenance payments.

The pandemic has caused significant disruption to child maintenance payments, leaving families in poverty. There is an understaffing issue with the Child Maintenance Service (CMS), leading to a lack of enforcement on missed payments and difficulties for parents in proving job loss or inability to pay. Families are suffering from delays in payment updates and reassessment processes due to system glitches and ministerial incompetence.

The economic impact of the pandemic has increased pressure on single-parent families, who are predominantly women and more likely to work in sectors hit hardest by covid. Wendy highlights a constituent's case where delays in resolving an 18-year-old debt due to bureaucratic processes and lack of accountability have caused significant frustration. The constituent had to come to her MP for resolution, indicating the need for improved processes that do not require such extensive engagement.

I congratulate the hon. Member for Motherwell and Wishaw on setting the scene so well. The Child Maintenance Service is an extremely important service to the lives of many children. Too many parents struggle financially while awaiting CMS involvement due to relationship breakdowns. My local CMS team does their utmost but are often hampered by delays from employers or accountants. Pandemic-induced civil servant delays and equipment shortages have exacerbated the situation, causing stress for single parents waiting for financial support with no way to increase tax credits. I thank my local CMS team and express concern over food bank vouchers doubling in issuance due to loss of payments not compensated by other benefits. The system needs drastic short-term alteration to help children in poverty more effectively.

I pay tribute to Marion Fellows for her tenacity on this issue and hope the strength of arguments today inspire action from the Government. I support a minimum maintenance payment and a review of the Child Maintenance Service. Abusive ex-partners have been given greater help during the pandemic, with 86% of lone parents saying CMS allows financial control or abuse post-separation. Survivors and charities say this has intensified during lockdown due to the CMS operating on a skeleton crew. The Scottish Parliament’s Equalities and Human Rights Committee reported abusers increasing control over women's movements and discouraging help-seeking. Gingerbread and Mumsnet found just 11% of parents described their experience as positive, with 72% saying it worsened mental health. A judicial review is being sought due to the CMS failing to collect payments from absent parents. During the pandemic, single parents faced greater difficulties due to staff redeployment by DWP and lack of support.

The debate focuses on the impact of the pandemic on child maintenance services, highlighting the importance of staff resilience and the critical nature of child maintenance payments in lifting families out of poverty. Ms Buck expresses gratitude for the work done by CMS staff during challenging times and emphasises the critical role of child maintenance arrangements affecting three quarters of a million children. She mentions that one in five single-parent families on benefits is lifted out of poverty due to these payments, indicating that such services cannot be paused without immediate consequences. Concerns are raised about the decision to run a skeleton service during the pandemic, leading to reduced financial obligations by non-resident parents without evidence, and she questions the government's assessment of this impact. Ms Buck also critiques the pre-pandemic cuts in staff numbers, stating that these reductions made it harder for the CMS to respond effectively to emergencies. She highlights poor performance data from 2015 onwards and notes a striking increase in compliance due to an uptick in paying parents being on benefits.

Congratulated Ms Fellows on securing the debate and thanked colleagues for participating. Emphasised that the Government aims to help separated parents, with a focus on children's welfare. Highlighted improvements in CMS statistics before the pandemic, noting £1 billion arranged through direct pay services in 2019-20. Addressed the impact of the pandemic, including redeployment of CMS staff and support for those impacted by universal credit changes. Acknowledged ongoing challenges such as domestic abuse and the need to restart court hearings post-pandemic. Described recovery efforts since July 2020, noting restoration of full service and introduction of new digital services.

Thanked the Minister for his response and reiterated the importance of focusing on children's welfare. Acknowledged the need to continue dialogue with Baroness Stedman-Scott to improve the service, particularly in tackling non-payment by irresponsible parents. Emphasised the ongoing importance of the debate for improving outcomes for separated families.