Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much his Department estimates it will raise in child maintenance service charges in (a) the UK, (b) Scotland, (c) England, (d) Wales and (e) Northern Ireland in each of the last three years.

Paragraphs 101 to 108 of the CSA Case Closure, Introducing CMS Fees, Supporting Family Based Arrangements Impact Assessment give an estimate of the income expected to be raised through the introduction of fees. This Impact Assessment, published on 22 November 2013, is available at

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/259694/cm-case-closure-and-charges-regs-ia-final.pdf

No separate estimate for has been made for Scotland, England, Wales or Northern Ireland.

Parents can avoid all fees and charges by making a family-based child maintenance arrangement, which they can be helped to achieve by contacting Child Maintenance Options. Where this is not possible, on-going collection and enforcement charges can be avoided by using ‘Direct Pay’.