AQW 25048/22-27

Ms Sian Mulholland
Alliance Party
North Antrim

Tabled Date: 25/03/2025
Answered On Date: 24/04/2025
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister for Communities to detail (i) the number of child maintenance appeals lodged with the Child Maintenance Service (CMS); and (ii) the length of time taken to resolve child maintenance appeals lodged with the CMS to their final conclusion, in each of the last two years.

Revised Answer:

Appeals on a maintenance calculation decision made by the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) are dealt with independently by The Appeals Service (TAS), within the Department for Communities.

Upon receipt of a Notice of Appeal from TAS, CMS will prepare a response outlining the Departments position in respect of the maintenance calculation decision. This is known as the Departments submission. CMS have an internal target to respond to TAS within 12 weeks of the notice of appeal being received.

The Appeals Service NI does not have a standard operating timescale for dealing with a Child Maintenance Appeal.