§ 5. Mr. McAddenasked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance what steps are taken by his Department to verify that foreign claimants of family allowances actually have their families resident in this country.
§ Mr. Boyd-CarpenterAll claimants to family allowances have to make a declaration about their residence in this country and to say whether their children are living with them. People receiving allowances are required to notify the Department immediately if any of the children leave the country otherwise than for a short temporary visit; and they must complete an annual certificate showing the whereabouts of the children. Whenever it appears that the conditions may not be satisfied further inquiries are made.
§ Mr. McAddenWhile I appreciate that my right hon. Friend might be presented with some difficulty in this matter, may I ask him whether he realises that there are many thousands of citizens of foreign extraction resident in this country, most of whom have very large families, particularly the Italians? Does not he think that it would be worth while in areas of heavy concentration of foreign people to have inquiries made to make sure that the declarations made by the claimants for these family allowances are in accordance with the facts?
§ Mr. Boyd-CarpenterAs I said in the last part of my Answer, when it appears that the conditions are not satisfied further inquiries are made, although I should not like to accept from my hon. Friend that they are necessarily directed to any particular nationality.