Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Child Maintenance System: Economic Abuse

Monday 23 June 2025 · 2 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 2 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Sarah Green asked the Minister to help secure a date for a postponed meeting regarding financial abuse facilitated by the Child Maintenance Service.
  • Douglas McAllister raised a case of a constituent, Deborah, whose former partner withholds child maintenance payments despite complaints to the DWP Child Maintenance Service.
  • The Minister offered to meet with Douglas McAllister to discuss the issue further and highlighted recent reforms announced by the government.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Sarah Green Lib Dem Chesham and Amersham
Children & Families
Context

The Child Maintenance Service is being used to facilitate economic abuse, affecting constituents who are victims of financial exploitation.

Question

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.

Answer from The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (Andrew Western)

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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Q2 Douglas McAllister Lab West Dunbartonshire
Benefits & Welfare Children & Families
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.

Question

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?

Answer from The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (Andrew Western)

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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