Asked by: Earl of Listowel (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether an individual who has non-parental caring arrangements for two or more children of a family member will be denied tax credits at the birth of their next child.
Answered by Lord Bates
The government’s policy is to provide support to a maximum of two children in tax credits to ensure that those who receive income related benefits face the same financial choices as those supporting themselves solely through work. The government acknowledges the immense value of care given by non-parental carers. The government has therefore included an exception to this policy for third and subsequent children taken on through kinship care arrangements, recognising that people taking on additional children in this way are not able to make the same choices about the number of children in their family.