Child Maintenance System Economic Abuse 2025-06-23
2025-06-23
Response quality
Questions & Answers
Q1
Partial Answer
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Context
The Child Maintenance Service is being used to facilitate economic abuse, affecting constituents who are victims of financial exploitation.
I have too many constituents whose financial abuse is effectively being perpetuated and facilitated by the Child Maintenance Service. I have secured a meeting with the relevant Minister in the other place, but it has been postponed. Could the Minister help me to secure a date for that meeting? I am sure that he would agree that if the system is at fault, it needs to change.
I hope the hon. Member has heard me say that we concur with the need for change. We have announced changes in the right direction today, and I will of course pick up with my fellow Minister about securing that meeting for her. I know they have already been in protracted talks about arranging it, and I will make sure it happens.
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Assessment & feedback
Response accuracy
Q2
Partial Answer
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Context
A constituent, Deborah, should receive monthly child maintenance payments but her former partner withholds payments despite a deduction-from-earnings order being in place.
My constituent, Deborah, should receive monthly child maintenance payments for her daughter, but her former partner withholds payments, despite my complaints and hers to the DWP Child Maintenance Service complaints team. The team advised me that there is nothing they can do to prevent it, despite a deduction-from-earnings order being in place. Does the Minister agree that this is a completely inadequate response that requires a ministerial review of the system?
I am sorry to hear about the case that my hon. Friend has highlighted. He will have heard the reform that I announced earlier, but I absolutely understand why he wants to raise this issue for his constituent, and if he would like to meet me to discuss it further, I would be happy to do that.
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Assessment & feedback
Response accuracy