Written Statements
(6 years, 3 months ago)
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Tax-free Childcare Roll-out: Update
(6 years, 3 months ago)
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The Chief Secretary to the Treasury (Elizabeth Truss)
In April 2017 the Government launched tax-free childcare, which helps working parents with the cost of childcare with up to £2,000 of support per child. Today we will open the scheme to parents whose youngest child is under nine, or who turn nine today. We will be opening the scheme to all remaining eligible families on 14 February. This means all eligible parents will be able to apply for tax-free childcare before the end of this financial year.
The Government are giving more help with the cost of childcare to working parents than ever before. We introduced tax-free childcare in April 2017, and have doubled the free childcare available to working parents of three and four-year-olds to 30 hours a week. In 2019-20 we will be spending around £6 billion on childcare support—a record amount of support.
Since opening the childcare service, through which parents apply for 30 hours free childcare and tax-free childcare, more than 325,000 customers have successfully applied and are now using the service. Of these, more than 295,000 parents are eligible for 30 hours free childcare. Over 170,000 have a tax-free childcare account and we have begun activity to further raise awareness of tax-free childcare. We want to encourage more parents to take up the offer they are entitled to.
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War Pensions Scheme Uprating 2017
(6 years, 3 months ago)
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The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence (Mr Tobias Ellwood)
The new rates of war pensions and allowances proposed from April 2018 are set out in the tables below. The annual uprating of war pensions and allowances for 2018 will take place from the week beginning 9 April. Rates for 2018 are increasing by 3.0% in line with the September 2017 consumer prices index. RATES RATES (Weekly rates unless otherwise shown) 2017 2018 War Pensions Disablement Pension (100% rates) officer (£ per annum) 9,392.00 9,674.00 other ranks (weekly amount) 180.00 185.40 Age Allowances Payable from Age 65 40% - 50% 12.05 12.40 over 50% but not over 70% 18.55 19.10 over 70% but not over 90% 26.35 27.15 over 90% 37.10 38.20 Disablement Gratuity (one-off payment) specified minor injury (min.) 1,147.00 1,181.00 specified minor injury (max.) 8,559.00 8,816.00 1% - 5% gratuity 2,862.00 2,948.00 6% - 14% gratuity 6,363.00 6,554.00 15% - 19% gratuity 11,128.00 11,462.00 Supplementary Allowances Unemployability Allowance personal 111.20 114.55 adult dependency increase 61.80 63.65 increase for first child 14.35 14.80 increase for subsequent children 16.90 17.40 Invalidity Allowance higher rate 22.00 22.65 middle rate 14.30 14.70 lower rate 7.15 7.35 Constant Attendance Allowance exceptional rate 135.80 139.80 intermediate rate 101.85 104.85 full day rate 67.90 69.90 part-day rate 33.95 34.95 Comforts Allowance higher rate 29.20 30.10 lower rate 14.60 15.05 mobility supplement 64.80 66.75 allowance for lowered standard of occupation (maximum) 67.88 69.92 therapeutic earnings limit (annual rate) 6,240.00 6,526.00 exceptional severe disablement allowance 67.90 69.90 severe disablement occupational allowance 33.95 34.95 clothing allowance (£ per annum) 232.00 239.00 education allowance (£ per annum) (maximum) 120.00 120.00 Widow(er)s Benefits widow(er)s’-other ranks (basic with children) (weekly amount) 136.50 140.60 widow(er)-officer higher rate both wars (basic with children) (£ per annum) 7,259.00 7,477.00 childless widow(er)s’u-40 (other ranks) (weekly amount) 32.69 33.67 widow(er)-officer lower rate both wars (£ per annum) 2,521.00 2,597.00 supplementary pension 91.31 94.05 Age Allowance (a) age 65 to 69 15.55 16.00 (b) age 70 to 79 29.90 30.80 (c) age 80 and over 44.35 45.70 Children’s Allowance increase for first child 21.40 22.05 increase for subsequent children 24.00 24.70 Orphan’s Pension increase for first child 24.50 25.25 increase for subsequent children 26.80 27.60 unmarried dependant living as spouse (max) 134.15 138.25 rent allowance (maximum) 51.40 52.95 adult orphan’s pension (maximum) 104.90 108.05
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