Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 27 May 2016 to Question 37474, on children: maintenance, what specific areas of case closure require less effort than earlier analysis suggested.

The impact assessment was completed in 2013, well before CSA cases started to be closed. These numbers have since been reviewed to reflect the experiences of the case closure journey. The initial estimate of £103m to review the cases has reduced to £75m as the updating work has taken less time than assumed when the impact assessment was completed. The initial estimate to set up the arrears on the CMS system was £20m and this is proving to take longer than anticipated, with the latest estimate at £26m. The revised figures are still subject to further change as we move more cases and update estimates.