§ 16. Mr. Nigel EvansTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will make a statement on the procedures for the payment of child benefit in respect of children over 16 years of age in full-time education. [15756]
§ Mr. Andrew MitchellIf a child chooses to stay on in full-time education after 16, parents can continue to receive child benefit worth £560 per year towards the cost of maintaining him until education finishes or his 19th birthday, whichever is sooner.
Withdrawal of child benefit for this age group would involve the complex procedures of means testing, with the parents of many 16 to I 8-year-olds unable to gain any help.