§ Dr. GibsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what was the average payment per week of(a) Family Credit and (b) child care allowance via Family Credit in Norwich in the last year of Family Credit. [115099]
§ Angela EagleIt is not possible to provide a reliable estimate of the average Family Credit award at a local authority level. However, for Great Britain as a whole, the average amount of Family Credit received was £62.05 at August 1999 and for the East Government Office Region the average amount of Family Credit received at August 1999 was £61.29.
Within Family Credit, eligible child care is treated as disregard and can be offset against earnings when Family Credit is calculated. Due to the relatively small numbers, it is not possible to provide a reliable estimate of the amount of child care disregard either by local authority or by region. However, for Great Britain as a whole, the average amount that recipients benefited from the child care disregard was £22.04 at August 1999.
Notes:
1. Average weekly payment figures are based on an average of four quarters of November 1998 to August 1999.
2. Numbers are based on a 5 per cent. sample and are therefore subject to a degree of sampling error.
3. Family Credit was replaced by Working Families Tax Credit in October 1999.
4. The amount of Family Credit quoted represents the average amount for all Family Credit recipients—including those with the child care disregard.
Source:
Family Credit 5 per cent. sample of awards.