Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will estimate the saving to the public purse of restricting child benefit to three children in the next financial year.

The current number of child benefit recipients, broken down by the number of children, is available in the Child Benefit Geographic Statistics August 2014 statistical release, available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/407549/Child_Benefit_Geographical_Statistics_Aug_2014_formatted.xls. This publication provides figures accurate as at August 2014 and are the most recent available.

Child Benefit is set at a fixed rate for all families in receipt of the award. All families will receive £20.50 per week for their eldest eligible child and £13.55 per week for each subsequent child. These rates are fixed until April 2015 and have been in place since April 2014. The subsequent rate of Child Benefit is currently paid to all children other than the first.