Children: Maintenance
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department will make n assessment of the potential merits of increased reporting of Financial Investigation Unit decisions and variation outcomes by the Child Maintenance Service.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood
Where a parent provides credible evidence that income has been misrepresented, the case may be referred to the Financial Investigations Unit (FIU). The FIU investigates whether the financial information used in the child maintenance assessment is correct and will either confirm the existing assessment or identify grounds for a revised liability.
Investigation timescales vary according to the complexity of the case. All credible allegations are investigated thoroughly and proportionately, with relevant evidence fully considered before a decision is made, helping to ensure accurate and evidence-based outcomes. The Child Maintenance Service's primary objective remains securing maintenance for children, and more intrusive investigatory action may, in some cases, risk disrupting ongoing payments.
FIU referrals and outcomes, for the last financial year, can be found at GOV.UK, table 7 in the following link: Child Maintenance Service statistics: data to March 2026 - GOV.UK
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