AQW 39608/22-27

Ms Sian Mulholland
Alliance Party
North Antrim

Tabled Date: 02/02/2026
Answered On Date: 06/02/2026
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister for Communities to detail (i) any further legislation, including any commencement or operational regulations, required to bring into force the provisions of the Child Support Enforcement Act (Northern Ireland) 2025 relating to Administrative Liability Orders; (ii) the current status of that work; and (iii) a timetable for when those provisions are expected to become operational.

Answer:

A Statutory Rule and a Commencement Order will be required for the Child Maintenance Service to bring into operation the Administrative Liability Orders introduced by the Child Support Enforcement Act (Northern Ireland) 2025.

My Department will maintain parity with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) when bringing forward the necessary legislation.

The DWP are working with His Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service and the Scottish Government to establish a process for implementing Administrative Liability Orders and plan to introduce regulations to Parliament as soon as possible.