§ Mr. Robert McCartneyTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is his Department's policy in respect of family credit regulations and child minders who are family members; and if he will make it his policy to treat unregistered family member child minders as registered child minders for family credit purposes. [5099]
§ Mr. MossWhen calculating family credit entitlement, charges paid by a claimant to a partner or by a partner to a claimant for any child for whom either of them is responsible are not allowed. Charges paid to other members of a family may be allowed providing the care is given on premises registered under the Children and Young Persons Act (Northern Ireland) 1968 (c.34 (NI)). There are no plans at present to change this policy.