Work and Pensions Committee investigate DWP response to coronavirus

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Published: Monday, 30 March 2020 18:04

FNF send the Work and Pensions Committee evidence to the inquiry - if you are affected, write to your MP.

The Work and Pensions Committee are looking into the Department of Work and Pensions response to coronavirus. Key issues for them will be things such as the speed of response in getting money into people's pockets as some million and a half people sign-up to Universal Credit (UC).

We have provided the Committee with a response focused on the difficulties of parents who pay Child Maintenance (CM) have lost their jobs, are self-employed and experiencing big income reductions and been furloughed on 80% of their normal salaries - the requirement for a re-assessment within the same year by the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) is a loss of 25% of income. We also highlight that during this time both parents are likely to be experiencing financial challenges in hundreds of thousands of cases and the specific affordability difficulties caused by the interaction of UC (which will be their main focus) with CM and other related factors. You can download Families Need Fathers submission on the Committee's website.

ACTION - if you are affected by this, please urge your MP, ideally using your own experience, to make representations to the Minister responsible for CM, Baroness Stedman-Scott OBE and to members of the Committee. Will Quince MP is responsible overall for Universal Credit and The Rt Hon Thérèse Coffey MP is the Secretary of State responsible for the whole department. If you live in any of these constituencies then get in touch with them - the message will get to decision-makers more directly. 

We would be grateful if you would also share your stories and any responses you receive on this with us at admin@fnf.org.uk with 'Child Maintenance' in the subject heading.

To view our latest guidance on Universal Credit and Child Maintenance and more details on what to ask your MP to do, click here.

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