HC Deb 12 January 1981 vol 996 cc461-2W
Miss Richardson

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will update to 1980–81 the figures on child tax allowances and child benefit provided in his reply of 14 January 1980 to the hon. Member for Barking, Official Report, c. 640–3.

Mr. Peter Rees

The figures are as shown below.

Child tax allowances have been replaced by child benefit, except for a few residual cases, so the value of child support does not not generally depend on the age of the child.

Value of child benefit as a percentage of gross earnings of male manual workers
percentage
One child Two children Four children
1979–80 3.9 7.8 15.6
1980–81* 3.5 7.0 14.0
* Provisional.

The figures for 1979–80 have been revised now that the results of the April 1980 new earnings survey are available.

The assumed level of average earnings for 1980–81 has been obtained by up-dating to September 1980 the new earnings survey estimate of average earnings of full-time male manual workers in April, taking account of movements in a centred three-month moving average of the seasonally adjusted whole-economy index of average earnings of all employees.