Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of extending the 12-month time period within which a child maintenance agreement within a consent order cannot be overruled by the Child Maintenance Service.

The right of application to the statutory scheme of child maintenance by either parent where a consent order is 12 months or more old ensures that maintenance arrangements best reflect parents’ current circumstances. This aligns with the Child Maintenance Service’s annual review of the paying parent’s liability based on their latest available income figure. We have no plans to change the 12 month time period.