Speech in Commons Chamber - Thu 04 Dec 2014
Financial Conduct Authority Redress Scheme
"It is a privilege to follow the hon. and learned Member for Harborough (Sir Edward Garnier). He said that the Treasury should be leaning on the Financial Conduct Authority. I wonder where the Financial Conduct Authority itself should be leaning, because it has a considerable incentive to get this right.
…..."Mark Reckless - View Speech
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Speech in Commons Chamber - Thu 04 Dec 2014
Financial Conduct Authority Redress Scheme
"I was not aware that Barclays was one of only two banks in that category. I am talking about a particular instance involving my constituents. They have an award, including interest, of £140,000, but they are only allowed to get that £140,000 if they give up their claim for consequential …..."Mark Reckless - View Speech
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Speech in Commons Chamber - Wed 03 Dec 2014
Autumn Statement
"If the economy is doing as well as the Chancellor says, why are we borrowing more than France, Italy, Spain and Greece?..."Mark Reckless - View Speech
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Written Question
Wednesday 14th May 2014
Asked by:
Mark Reckless (UK Independence Party - Rochester and Strood)
Question
to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate by country of residence of the child he has made of the number of migrants residing in the UK who claimed benefits on behalf of children living abroad during 2013.
Answered by Baroness Morgan of Cotes
HMRC are not able to provide the information in the manner requested. HMRC do not record the nationality of the claimant receiving Child Benefit for children living in another member state.
Published Child Benefit statistics provide annual estimates of the number of families and children claiming. The latest available (August 2012) show that there were 7.92 million families, responsible for 13.77 million children and qualifying young people receiving Child Benefit.
The main purpose of Child Benefit is to support families in the UK. Consequently, the rules generally do not provide for them to be paid in respect of children who live abroad.
Nevertheless, Child Benefit is a family benefit under EC Regulation 883/2004. This regulation protects the social security rights of nationals of all member states of the European economic area, including the UK, and Switzerland when they exercise their rights of free movement under EU law.
HMRC holds information on the number of Child Benefit awards under EC Regulation 883/2004. As at 31 December 2013, there were 20,400 ongoing Child Benefit awards under the EC Regulation in respect of 34.268 children living in another member state.
This is a fall of 3,682 (15.3%) awards in respect of 5,903 (14.7%) fewer children since 31 December 2012.
The breakdown by member state is as follows:
*We have withheld the number where it is fewer than 5, as there is risk that the information could be attributed to an identifiable person, which would prejudice their right to privacy and would therefore be a breach of Principle 1 of the Data Protection Act.
Child Benefit
Country of residence of children | Number of awards | Number of children |
| | | |
Austria | 23 | 37 |
Belgium | 75 | 140 |
Bulgaria | 186 | 245 |
Croatia | *5 | *5 |
Cyprus | 39 | 61 |
Czech Republic | 124 | 203 |
Denmark | 13 | 23 |
Estonia | 45 | 65 |
Finland | 12 | 23 |
France | 789 | 1429 |
Germany | 283 | 495 |
Greece | 44 | 69 |
Hungary | 136 | 196 |
Iceland | *5 | *5 |
Italy | 156 | 273 |
Latvia | 797 | 1091 |
Liechtenstein | 0 | 0 |
Lithuania | 1215 | 1712 |
Luxembourg | 7 | 14 |
Malta | 15 | 22 |
Norway | 30 | 61 |
Poland | 13174 | 22093 |
Portugal | 202 | 309 |
Republic of Ireland | 1231 | 2505 |
Romania | 230 | 392 |
Slovakia | 692 | 1232 |
Slovenia | 11 | 21 |
Spain | 600 | 1019 |
Sweden | 49 | 95 |
Switzerland | 77 | 150 |
The Netherlands | 142 | 288 |
| | | |
Totals | 20400 | 34268 |
As announced in the 2014 Budget, to prevent EEA migrants claiming benefits they are not entitled to, the Government will increase compliance checks to establish whether EEA migrants meet the entitlement conditions to receive Child Benefit
Under domestic law, in order to claim Child Benefit EEA Migrants must be present in the UK, ordinarily resident and have a right to reside in the UK and their children must live in the UK.
The recent changes to migrants' access to benefits announced by the Government sends a strong message that the UK benefit system is not open to abuse, as well as deterring those who may seek residence in the UK primarily to claim benefits.
Strengthening compliance checks will help prevent EEA migrants from claiming, and continuing to claim, benefits they are not entitled to. Checks will be applied to both new claims and existing awards.
Speech in Commons Chamber - Wed 26 Mar 2014
Charter for Budget Responsibility
"We have to make these cuts because the expenditure has been unmanaged. As my hon. Friend the Member for Ipswich (Ben Gummer) says, for the first time there will be more within the supposed “annually managed” category than the amount that is subject to departmental expenditure limits. The measure that …..."Mark Reckless - View Speech
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Speech in Commons Chamber - Wed 26 Mar 2014
Charter for Budget Responsibility
"As we learnt in the Budget, the amount we will spend on benefits for the disabled—as the Minister of State, Department for Work and Pensions, my right hon. Friend the Member for Wirral West (Esther McVey), will know well—is £1.5 billion more than was estimated in the autumn statement just …..."Mark Reckless - View Speech
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Speech in Commons Chamber - Wed 26 Mar 2014
Charter for Budget Responsibility
"My hon. Friend is completely right. The Labour party used to be the workers’ party, but it has become the welfare party. It has become the defender of the public sector. When Parliament discussed these matters 90 years ago and before, the radicals were those who were trying to control …..."Mark Reckless - View Speech
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Speech in Commons Chamber - Thu 05 Dec 2013
Autumn Statement
"Long before the last election, my right hon. Friend raised the unfairness of overseas residents buying the most expensive London properties without paying capital gains tax. Is he surprised that it has been left to him to close those loopholes and ensure that overseas residents pay both capital gains tax …..."Mark Reckless - View Speech
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Speech in Commons Chamber - Mon 22 Apr 2013
Section 5 of the European Communities (Amendment) Act 1993
"The Financial Secretary cites a number of reports that credit apparently enormously large gains to the single market and, potentially, other trade arrangements. May I ask him to look at the original reports with a certain scepticism? When I used to work with him, I think he would have been …..."Mark Reckless - View Speech
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Speech in Commons Chamber - Mon 22 Apr 2013
Section 5 of the European Communities (Amendment) Act 1993
"Does the hon. Gentleman believe that the solution is to borrow more?..."Mark Reckless - View Speech
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