TNAG-0788-FCO40-992-Development-of-social-policy-in-Hong-Kong-proposed-contribut-1978 — Page 102

ower rate of £9·30 a week can be paid if one of the day or night requirements is satisfied for a period of at least six months.

Attendance allowance is not taxable.

How to claim

Claim forms are available from local social security offices.

Further information: Leaflet NI205.

See "Invalid Care Allowance" (page 16) where a person of working age has to care for someone getting attendance allowance and cannot, as a result, go out to work.

Child benefit

Child benefit replaced family allowances from April 1977 and is payable for all children. It is not a national insurance benefit and, subject to the exclusions mentioned below, is not means tested.

The conditions

The benefit is payable to a person responsible for a child. This can either be a person with whom the child is living or a person who contributes towards the child's support at a rate of not less than the weekly rate of child benefit payable for the child. The child must be:

under age 16; or

under age 19 and still at school, college or university full-time (but not if sponsored by an employer, receiving a non-contributory invalidity pen- sion (see page 22) or undergoing advanced education such as a degree or teacher-training course or any course of a standard above GCE “A” level or equivalent).

Anyone responsible for a child can claim, but a person with whom a child lives will have priority over a person who is contributing towards a child's upkeep. Where the child lives with both his parents, the claim should be made by the mother. Child benefit may not be payable if:

the child is in the care of a local authority and either living in accom- modation provided by the authority or placed by the authority with a voluntary organisation or with foster parents; or

the person claiming the benefit (or the spouse of that person) is exempt from UK income tax because he/she works for a foreign government or international organisation; or

the person claiming the benefit (or one of the child's parents) has not lived in this country for more than 26 weeks in the 52 weeks preceding the claim (although special rules apply to people who become employed or self- employed before they have been here for 26 weeks or if they have come from certain other countries including EEC countries).

Amount payable

The weekly rates are:

first or only child £1·00; and

each other child £1.50

The weekly rate from April 1978 will be:

for all children £2.30

Child benefit is not taxable.

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