Anne Main – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Anne Main on 2016-02-19.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much was paid in (a) child tax credits and (b) child benefit for children within the European Economic Area outside the UK in the most recent period for which figures are available; and what assessment he has made of the effect on the level of such payments of proposed reforms to the payment of those benefits to such children under the terms of the renegotiation proposed by the European Council.

Damian Hinds

The information is not available in the form requested.

The Government’s new settlement means that EU nationals whose children live abroad will ultimately receive Child Benefit at a rate that reflects the conditions – including the standard of living and child benefit paid – of the country where their child lives. This will restore fairness to the system. Meanwhile, Child Tax Credit is being phased out, and we do not have to pay the new Universal Credit for children living in other countries. That means as Universal Credit is fully rolled out, the only benefit we will pay for children living in other Member States will be the indexed rate of Child Benefit.