Breakdown of child maintenance reforms

The Government claims it will save £145m if it makes sweeping changes to the child maintenance system.

Those changes are:

• Child Support Agency being replaced by a Child Maintenance Service. A million cases will be transferred to the new service.
• 4% of all payments will be kept by the Government to cover the cost of dealing with disputes.

• £20 fee to lodge a claim - as an incentive for estranged couples to come to a deal without the state's help.
• Parents who fail to pay maintenance will be charged an additional 20% on top of their children's maintenance, which the government will keep.

Read: Controversial child maintenance reforms to be debated