§ Caroline FlintTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if lone parents will be able to claim the new child care tax credit for a period of time before returning to work. [101049]
§ Dawn PrimaroloThe new Working Tax Credit, including the child care element, can be claimed by lone parents who are in qualifying remunerative work for at least 16 hours a week. To meet that test, the person has either to be working 16 hours a week at the date of claim or to have accepted an offer of work at that date and the work is expected to start within 7 days.
People who are on paid maternity leave, paid adoption leave or paid paternity leave, and who met the Working Tax Credit remunerative work requirement before their leave started, will be able to claim during their leave for child care costs for the children in the family they were responsible for before the arrival of their new child.