Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the projected monthly income is from charges in the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) once all cases have transferred from the legacy schemes to the CMS.

The introduction of fees and ongoing collection charges are designed to act as an incentive for parents to pause and consider the different options available to them for a child maintenance arangement, rather than applying to the statutory Child Maintenance Service 'by default'. Charges make a small contribution to a service that is heavily subsidised by the taxpayer.

It is not possible to forecast with confidence the projected monthly income from fees and charges in the Child Maintenance Service as this is sensitive to several factors, which includes the volumes of applications, the size of the caseload and client behaviour. It will also be sensitive to outcomes from the Child Support Agency case closure process, as cases are not automatically transferred.