§ Mr. WrayTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will make a statement on Her Majesty's Government's policies on child benefit.
§ Mr. JackAs my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has confirmed on a number of occasions recently, child benefit is and will remain a strong element in the Government's policies for family support. Child benefit rose by £1 a week for the eldest eligible child in each family in April, and will rise by a further £1 a week for the eldest eligible child in each family in October, with an extra 25p a week for other children. As my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer said in his Budget statement, the Government are committed to increasing the new rates of child benefit in line with the movement in the retail prices index each year, starting in April 1992. We will announce in the uprating statement the allocation of the individual amounts between the eldest eligible child and other children.