£1 million A Week Spent On "Absurd" Child Benefits

£1m A Week Spent On 'Absurd' Child Benefits


UK taxpayers are forking out £1m a week in child benefit to parents whose children live overseas, research suggests.


5:44am UK, Monday 04 February 2013



Video: Migration Watch UK says payments to children living abroad are 'absurd'
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Tens of thousands of children who live abroad but receive benefits claimed by immigrant families in Britain are costing British taxpayers more than £1m a week, campaigners claim.

The research by Migration Watch UK comes after the Government admitted just under 30,000 families are claiming benefits and tax credit for 50,000 children who live outside the UK but within the European Union (EU), as well as Iceland and Norway.

It costs the UK taxpayer £55m a year to fund this system, which is only replicated in four other EU countries - 22 nations require the child to be resident in order to qualify.

Migration Watch UK chairman Sir Andrew Green said: "It is absurd that child benefit is paid to children who do not even live in the UK.

"At a time that UK taxpayers are being asked to tighten their belts, the Government is paying out over £1m per week to support children in other countries where costs are, in any case, often much lower.

"The majority of EU countries have the good sense to ensure that the child in question must be resident in that country in order to qualify and it is about time the UK did the same."

Poland is home to the highest number of children in the region who are receiving benefits claimed in the UK, with more than half the total, 25,659, receiving welfare.

Child benefit in the UK is worth £81.20 per month for the first child and £53.60 for the second and subsequent children. This is roughly four times higher than Polish rates.

Migration Watch calculated that child benefits paid to 40,171 children living overseas costs the UK £36.6m per year and child tax credit costs £18.6m per year.

The UK, Czech Republic, Germany, Latvia and the Netherlands allow child benefit to be paid for children who live elsewhere in the EU.

The original figures were disclosed by Treasury minister Sajid Javid in a written answer to Keith Vaz, chairman of the Home Affairs Select Committee.

The data will add to concerns about the impact of an expected wave of immigration from Romania and Bulgaria when temporary controls lapse at the end of the year.

Last week, a HMRC spokeswoman said EU rules allow EEA nationals to claim child benefit if they meet the relevant conditions and pay compulsory national insurance contributions.

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Yet another example of inane EU Government.

And 250,000 Bulgarians will begin their migration to the UK....but as a minister has said....DON'T WORRY ABOUT......these plenty off jobs to go round!!!


The NHS is not crumbling, its just an illusion....

kitti wrote:And 250,000 Bulgarians will begin their migration to the UK....but as a minister has said....DON'T WORRY ABOUT......these plenty off jobs to go round!!!


The NHS is not crumbling, its just an illusion....

Kitti, is there ONE Department in Government working efficiently.? Even the Food Standard Agency has been castigated for not picking up on the Horsemeat scandal.

Has the Border Agency been given notice for the scandalous news that there is a backlog of 300,000 applications and 20,000 now living in the U.K. have not been traced.

Now that's odd because to claim Child Benefit I had to prove that my children were normally resident with me. CB goes to the parent/carer who has a residence order in the UK, usually. So, why are we paying for non-resident children?

AnnaEsse wrote:Now that's odd because to claim Child Benefit I had to prove that my children were normally resident with me. CB goes to the parent/carer who has a residence order in the UK, usually. So, why are we paying for non-resident children?

Another stupid EU directive AnnaEsse, "The UK, Czech Republic, Germany, Latvia and the Netherlands allow child benefit to be paid for children who live elsewhere in the EU."

So only 5 Countries out of 27 accept this procedure.

This has been an ongoing obscenity for years.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1224503/Taxpayers-20m-benefits-Polish-children--stepped-foot-Britain.html#axzz2K3N48QO4

Jaqui Smith, when Home Secretary acknowledged that it was happening, but stated that the figures quoted only represented 0.01% of the welfare budget. (I seem to remember her saying something along these lines on tv, but cannot find any citations on the net.)

Panda wrote:

AnnaEsse wrote:Now that's odd because to claim Child Benefit I had to prove that my children were normally resident with me. CB goes to the parent/carer who has a residence order in the UK, usually. So, why are we paying for non-resident children?

Another stupid EU directive AnnaEsse, "The UK, Czech Republic, Germany, Latvia and the Netherlands allow child benefit to be paid for children who live elsewhere in the EU."

So only 5 Countries out of 27 accept this procedure.

NL only stopped paying child benefit for children who live in Marocco a few years ago. Quite a few of those children were found not to exist.

tigger, Britain is such a soft touch for Benefits, that's why they all want to come here.
A friend of mine works in the DHSS and told us a while ago about the Pakistani family who were claiming benefits straight away. There were 5 in all, Husband, Wife and 3 children. When my Friend worked out what Benefits they would be receiving it worked out almost £800 a month. Housing Benefit, Council Tax relief, unemployment benefit and child benefit.
The Husband said, "Oh, you forgot my Mother-in-Law, my Friend said "well where is she"? the Husband said " Oh, she.s coming over soon.!!!!!