Family benefits
This page highlights some of the current parliamentary material available on family benefits. This includes select committee reports, briefing papers on current legislation and other subjects produced by the parliamentary research services, and the latest Early Day Motions put down by MPs.
Standard Notes
| 26.02.2013 | Child Benefit and Child Tax Credit for children resident in other EEA countries |
| Domestic legislation provides that both Child Benefit and Child Tax Credit cannot normally be paid in respect of children resident abroad. However, under provisions in EU law on social security coordination within the European Economic Area (EEA), Child Benefit and Child Tax Credit may be payable to EEA migrants in the United Kingdom in respect of their dependent children resident in another Member State. |
| 07.02.2013 | Draft Universal Credit Regulations 2013 |
| Starting in selected 'Pathfinder' areas from April 2013, Universal Credit (UC) will begin to replace a range of means-tested benefits and tax credits for working age families. The Draft Universal Credit Regulations set out the detailed rules for the new benefit. |
| 07.02.2013 | The housing element of Universal Credit |
| This note highlights some of the key differences between the current Housing Benefit system and the housing element of Universal Credit. |
| 16.11.2012 | Localisation of the Social Fund |
| As a result of measures in the Welfare Reform Act 2012, certain elements of the discretionary Social Fund scheme will be replaced by new locally based provision delivered by local authorities in England and the devolved administrations in Scotland and Wales. |
| 09.11.2012 | Universal Credit: an introduction |
| Starting from next year, Universal Credit (UC) will begin to replace a range of means-tested benefits and tax credits for working age families. The intention is to simplify and streamline the benefits system for claimants, making it easier for people to understand; to reduce the financial and administrative barriers to work; to tackle in-work poverty; and to bear down on fraud and error. |
Research Papers
| 04.01.2013 | Welfare Benefits Uprating Bill |
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| 03.12.2009 | Child Poverty Bill: Committee Stage Report. Bill 10 2009-10. |
| The Bill fulfils the Government's commitment made in September 2008 to enshrine the 2020 child poverty target in legislation. It establishes four separate child poverty targets to be met by 2020/21, requires the UK Government to publish a regular UK child poverty strategy, requires the Scottish and Northern Irish Ministers to publish child poverty strategies, establishes a Child Poverty Commission to provide advice, requires the UK Government to publish annual progress reports, and places new duties on local authorities and other 'delivery partners'' in England to work together to tackle child poverty. |
| 30.06.2009 | Child Poverty Bill. Bill 112 of 2008-09 |
| This briefing on the Child Poverty Bill has been prepared for the Second Reading debate on the Bill in the House of Commons. |
| 23.11.2007 | Health and Social Care Bill, Bill 9 of 2007-08 |
| Health and Social Care Bill. (Bill 9 of 2007/08). House of Commons Library Research Paper 07/81. |
| 05.01.2005 | Child Benefit Bill (Bill 13 of 2004/05) |
| The Child Benefit Bill (Bill 13 of 2004/05). House of Commons Library Research Paper 05/02. |
Early Day Motions
| 23.01.2012 | WORKING TAX CREDIT AND COUPLES WITH CHILDREN |
| That this House believes that the principle of universal credit is correct, that families should be rewarded on a proportionate basis for the amount of work that they areable to do; ... |
| 16.01.2012 | UNIVERSAL CHILD BENEFIT RECONSIDERATION |
| That this House welcomes the Prime Minister's suggestion that the Government may modify its unfair proposals to axe child benefit where one parent earns about 44,000; recognises that ... |
| 03.11.2010 | FINANCIAL SUPPORT FOR SOCIAL CARE |
| That this House welcomes the pledge to provide an additional 2 billion to social care but recognises that this support could be lost by the removal of family household income through ... |
| 13.10.2010 | SUPPORT FOR FAMILIES WITH CHILDREN |
| That this House believes that the Chancellor of the Exchequer's proposed removal of child benefit payments for households where one parent earns around 44,000 is unfair, discriminates ... |
| 11.10.2010 | CHILD BENEFIT AND BENEFIT REFORM |
| That this House notes the benefits cuts being made under the guise of benefit reform; and further notes that the most recent announcement from the Chancellorof the Exchequer on the ... |
Lords Library Notes
| 06.02.2013 | Welfare Benefits Up-rating Bill (HL Bill 78 of 2012-13) |
| The Welfare Benefits Up-rating Bill implements an announcement by the Chancellor in the 2012 Autumn Statement that increases in certain working-age welfare benefits and tax credits would be limited to 1 percent, rather than increasing them in line with inflation. This Library Note is intended to provide background information in advance of the Bill's second reading in the House of Lords on 11 February 2013. |
