Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he has considered the potential merits of an independent review of the Child Maintenance Service, including its systems, governance and complaints process.

The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) is subject to regular independent scrutiny and review.

The CMS has recently been examined by a range of independent bodies, including the National Audit Office, the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman, and Parliamentary Committees. The Department also commissioned an independent review by Dr Samantha Callan into the CMS's support for victims and survivors of domestic abuse and has taken forward a number of improvements in response to the review's recommendations.

The Government welcomes constructive challenge and recommendations from Parliament, independent reviewers, and oversight bodies, and carefully considers their findings when improving the service. At present, the Government has no plans to commission a further independent review of the CMS.