Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate she has made of the number of Child Benefit claims that were suspended by HM Revenue and Customs on the basis of suspected emigration and were subsequently found to be compliant; what assessment she has made of the potential merits of the decision to suspend payments before completing PAYE cross-checks; what steps she is taking to ensure that Child Benefit compliance activity is based on complete and accurate data; and what steps she is taking to ensure prompt reinstatement and appropriate redress for families whose Child Benefit was wrongly suspended.

HMRC’s Chief Executive wrote to the Treasury Select Committee on 14 November 2025 about this matter including the corrective action that HMRC has taken and its approach to redress. This letter was subsequently published by the Committee on 18 November 2025.

For the number of Child Benefit claims I refer the Honourable Member to the answer I gave to Question 104272 on 14 January 2026.

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