Child Benefit: Foreigners

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) how many nationals of each A8 country were receiving child benefit for a child or children living in another EEA member state at the end of December 2009; and in respect of how many such children child benefit was being paid on that date; (320265)

(2) how many nationals of each A8 country were receiving child benefit for a child or children living in another EEA member state at the end of the most recent month for which figures are available; and in respect of how many such children child benefit was being paid on that date.

Around 7.5 million families are currently claiming child benefit for around 13 million children.

The information requested is provided in the table. These child benefit awards are made by virtue of EC social security co-ordinating regulations which the UK has administered since it joined the European Economic Community in 1973.

*As of 31 December 2009As of 28 February 2010*
Country	Number of awards	Number of children	Number of awards	Number of children
Czech Republic	174	289	180	299
Estonia	16	28	19	31
Hungary	76	119	78	124
Latvia	281	373	302	405
Lithuania	797	1,133	827	1,196
Poland	23,214	37,633	23,324	38,677
Slovakia	1,506	2,554	1,523	2,639
Slovenia	5	6	4	6
Total	26,069	42,135	26,257	43,377

Volume 506: debated on Thursday 4 March 2010