Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what data the Government holds on gender disparities in Child Maintenance Service cases; and what steps she is taking to ensure that the system treats both mothers and fathers equally and without bias.

In the quarter ending December 2024, of the 680,000 Paying Parents 93% were male.

The Child Maintenance Service aims to provide a high-quality service to all of its parents. The CMS treats parents equally as individuals based on their roles within the scheme and makes no reference to gender. The Department has a specific duty to assess the impact of proposed policies and services and any changes to them on equality. This ensures the Department meets the Public Sector Equality Duty.