HC Deb 28 January 1998 vol 305 cc256-7W
Mrs. Fyfe

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) if she plans to alter the child benefit extension period school leaving dates to bring these regulations into line with the Education (School Leaving Date) Order 1997; and if the existing rules will still apply in Scotland where there has been no change to school leaving dates; [24012]

(2) how many school leaving dates there will be per year in future for the purposes of child benefit regulations in the case of young persons who leave relevant education after the terminal date based on their date of birth. [24014]

Mr. Keith Bradley

The Education (School Leaving Date) Order 1997 relates only to children in England and Wales who are approaching the end of their compulsory full-time education. There is no necessity for any change to the regulations governing the Child Benefit Extension Period, which apply to school leavers aged 16 or 17 throughout Great Britain.

From September 1997, children in England and Wales who reach age 16 during the academic year are required to remain in full-time education until the end of the summer term. Those who choose to remain in education beyond compulsory school leaving age may leave at any time.

Child Benefit Regulations prescribe three fixed dates on which Child Benefit may cease for a child leaving full time education. These are the first Monday in January, the Monday after Easter and the first Monday in September. When a child leaves school at the end of the summer term, Child Benefit may continue up to the first Monday in September, providing the child does not start work or youth training and the other conditions of entitlement are met.

Mrs. Fyfe

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how benefit entitlement will be affected in the case of a young person educated in Scotland who moves to England or Wales after being entitled to leave school under Scottish law, but who is still too young to have left in England or Wales. [24013]

Mr. Keith Bradley

The benefit entitlement of a person who has legally left school in Scotland will not be affected if they move to England or Wales before they would be able to legally leave school in that country. This is because the date that a person legally leaves school in Scotland will continue to be used to decide when young people cease being treated as a "child" for benefit purposes, regardless of which part of Great Britain they claim in.