To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 17 December 2020 to Question 131324 on Children: Maintenance, how many child maintenance overpayments via direct pay have been reimbursed through (a) agreement between payments and (b) the courts.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many child maintenance overpayments via direct pay there have been since 2018.

The Department does not have information available regarding Direct Pay cases with overpayments. When customers opt to use the Direct Pay service and a balance of unpaid child maintenance accrues or an overpayment occurs, normally customers need to make repayment arrangements between themselves.

The Child Maintenance Service do not record information where reimbursement occurs due to agreement between parents or where they have contacted her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunal service (HMCTS) on Direct Pay cases.

A parent can request reimbursement from Child Maintenance Service on a Direct Pay case in certain scenarios. However, there is no available published data on such reimbursements.