Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will review the current regulations relating to carer's allowance as they apply to people who temporarily withdraw from full-time education as a result of caring responsibilities.

Full-time students are not normally entitled to benefits as a means of supporting themselves whilst studying. This is because primary financial support for students comes from the educational maintenance system, which is designed for their needs, rather than through the social security system. Someone who has only temporarily withdrawn from a course, but has not abandoned it, is normally still treated as being in full-time education.