AQW 50282/22-27

Ms Kate Nicholl
Alliance Party
South Belfast

Tabled Date: 02/07/2026
Answered On Date: 08/07/2026
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister for Communities to detail any work ongoing to review the Child Maintenance Service, including the evidential requirements placed on parents.

Answer:

My Department continues to work closely with the Department for Work and Pensions to ensure that reforms to the Child Maintenance Service, especially those aimed at strengthening compliance and improving enforcement, are progressed. This is with the aim of ensuring maintenance reaches the children who rely on it.

Reforms to the Direct Pay service that would provide additional protection for victims against domestic abuse and the introduction of Administrative Liability Orders are two significant areas currently under review.

Evidential requirements vary depending on the circumstances of the case and situation. There are no current plans to amend existing evidential requirements.