§ Mr. David PorterTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) if he will make it his policy, as part of a review of the payment of a higher level of child benefit only to first-born children, to conduct a study into the relative costs of raising multiple-birth children in families; and if he will make a statement;
(2) how he assesses the needs of multiple-birth children and their families in determining the levels of all benefits for which he has responsibility.
§ Mr. BurtA range of social security benefits provide increasing help for families with increasing numbers of children, whether of single or multiple births. In the case of the income-related benefits, which help less well-off families, support for children increases as they grow older. These families may in addition receive a maternity payment of £100 from the social fund in respect of each baby expected, born or adopted.
The higher rate of child benefit applies to the eldest child for whom payment is made at any time, not just the first-born. So it underpins the role of this benefit in recognising that all families with children face additional expenditure compared with other families. We have no plans to review the present structure.
England 1Percentage Scotland 1Percentage Wales 1Percentage 19902 Community charge Nil 0.0 2,000 0.4 Nil 0.0 Social fund5 284,000 8.2 75,000 15.6 24,000 9.7 Fuel6 153,000 4.4 59,000 12.2 11,000 4.4 19913 Community charge 18,000 0.5 13,000 2.7 3,000 1.2 Social fund5 333,000 8.9 84,000 17.3 26,000 10.1 Fuel6 176,000 4.7 52,000 10.7 14,000 5.4 19924 Community charge 262,000 5.7 52,000 9.9 22,000 7.4 Social fund5 495,000 10.8 103,000 19.6 38,000 12.8 Fuel6 238,000 5.2 51,000 9.7 17,000 5.7 1 As a percentage of the total number of Income Support recipients in each country. 2 Source: Income Support Annual Statistical Enquiry 1990 (except for the Community Charge figure which is based on Management Information Statistics collected by the Benefits Agency the end of May 1990). All figures have been rounded to the nearest '000. 3 Source: Income Support Annual Statistical Enquiry 1991 (rounded to the nearest '000). 4 Source: The figures used are based on Management Information Statistics collected by the Benefits Agency at the end of August 1992. These figures, which have been rounded to the nearest '000, are provisional and may be subject to amendments. 5 It is not possible to exclude from the Social Fund figures repayments made by people not in receipt of Income Support. 6 In compiling the figures for fuel, those cases with a deduction for both gas and electricity have been counted twice.