Kirith Entwistle

Absolutely; it is just another vehicle being used by perpetrators to continue that post-separation abuse. At its heart, this debate is about the lives of children growing up in se…

Absolutely. My hon. Friend raises yet another issue with the CMS and highlights just how badly the system is set up. Mothers struggle on alone, absorbing financial pressure themse…

Absolutely. The system is fundamentally broken. Children must be at the heart of any decision made about them. It is important to recognise that many parents, particularly single…

That is such a powerful point, and I am really sorry on behalf of my hon. Friend’s constituent. Sadly, that is not an isolated case. Some say that they are asked to pay far more t…

I completely agree. These issues are not theoretical; I see them repeatedly in cases raised by my own constituents in Bolton. One constituent, who I will call Emily, left an abusi…

The hon. Member is absolutely right. I will come on to that issue shortly. Surely we must ask whether this is really the standard we are willing to accept. Another fundamental wea…

Absolutely. Even more troubling is that 45% of the parents in that research said that the CMS’s involvement had actually led to an increase in abusive behaviour. Those figures sho…

That is exactly why this debate matters. I will come on to some of the points my hon. Friend raised. When a public service not only allows, but actively facilitates, the continuat…

As I mentioned earlier, there is a big issue with how the CMS communicates with both parents.

My hon. Friend raises a particularly important point. I will come on to the collect and pay service and how that is also broken. The result of how the CMS deals with shared care i…

I beg to move, That this House has considered the effectiveness of the Child Maintenance Service. It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mr Stringer. I declare an interes…