Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that timeframes imposed by the Child Maintenance Service are (a) proportionate and (b) matched by equivalent service standards within the Department.

We have interpreted your question to refer to the timescales the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) uses in progressing cases.

The CMS inform customers of expected timeframes for actions to be completed when changes are reported or require progressing. Customers can use the Track Changes function on MCMC at any time to view the expected completion date of changes.

The timescales to progress cases varies depending on the type of case action being taken and information required to progress any change. When CMS require additional information to progress a case, the customer is advised of the timeframe for providing the information required.

The CMS has four official key performance indicators (KPIs) to ensure that the service acts on information and progresses cases in a timely manner once received from the customer. These KPIs include standard measures for 1) assessment accuracy, 2) application clearances, 3) change of circumstances clearances and 4) Collect and Pay compliance.

The CMS has exceeded the KPI indicators, demonstrating that it is meeting the standards set by the department. We are always working to modernise our service and how we communicate with our customers. We also work closely with the wider DWP colleagues to ensure measures and timescales are compared for consistency, where appropriate.