AQW 17936/22-27

Ms Kate Nicholl
Alliance Party
South Belfast

Tabled Date: 11/11/2024
Answered On Date: 02/12/2024
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister for Communities to detail the rationale behind the policy of the Child Maintenance Service to only pursue missing payments if recipients of child maintenance use the pay and collect process.

Answer:

The Collect and Pay Service for child maintenance payments is a default option used when the non-resident parent agrees to the arrangements, or the Child Maintenance Service is satisfied that without the arrangement’s, child maintenance is unlikely to be paid in accordance with the child maintenance calculation. This could arise when child maintenance payments have been missed under the Direct Pay Service.

Under the Direct Pay Service, the Child Maintenance Service is only responsible for calculating child maintenance payments with the non-resident parent making the maintenance payment directly to the parent with care.