§ Mr. Frank FieldTo ask the Secretary of State for Education if she will list the number of(a) applications, and (b) successful claims for (i) family credit and (ii) each of the other income-related benefits for each month since October 1994 in respect of parents claiming up to £40 child care cost which can be offset against earnings when claiming family credit and other income related benefits; if she will detail by each £10 the size of the child care costs offset; and if these data could be divided between two and one parent families.
§ Mr. Roger Evans[holding answer 23 February 1995]: I have been asked to reply.
Available information on family credit for the four-month period to 31 January 1995, the latest date for which figures are available, is set out in the tables. It does not include claims made by 31 January but decided after that date. Figures for individual months are not reliable at this level of disaggregation. Information is not available for disability working allowance, housing benefit or council tax benefit.
776W
Family credit: Help with child care charges: number of families Lone parents Couples Total Families receiving higher family credit awards as a result of the help with childcare charges 10,200 300 10,500 Families not eligible because they did not satisfy the qualifying conditions 1— 1— 6,780
Family credit: Help with child care charges: number of families Lone parents Couples Total Families not receiving help with childcare charges because they were already receiving the maximum family credit1 1— 1— 2,380 1Notes:
These families may receive help through housing benefit and council tax benefit.
Family credit: amount of child care charges offset against earnings Amount of child care charges offset Number of families1 Up to £10 1,620 £10.01–£20.00 1,820 £20.10–£30.00 2,000 £30.01–£40.00 5.0602 All cases 10,500 Notes:
1 Information broken down by lone parents and couples is not reliable at this level of desegregation.
2Includes 3,300 families where child care charges were in excess of the £40 maximum offset.
Source:
Five per cent. sample of family credit awards made between 1 October 1994 and 31 January 1995.
It will take some time before the new help with child care charges takes full effect as existing family credit recipients can claim only the child care help when their current 26-week award expires, while many potential beneficiaries need to find work of 16 hours or more and to make appropriate child care arrangements.