Written question WQ100378
- Asked by
- Nick CarterPlaid
- To be answered by
- Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Minister for Social Justice and Equality
- Tabled
- Due
- Answered
- Time to answer
- 6 days
Question
Has the Welsh Government calculated how much child benefit is unclaimed by eligible families, and what initiatives has it considered to help those eligible to claim money that would support families and local economies?
Answer
Answered by Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Minister for Social Justice and Equality (Sioned Williams)
As child benefit is a non-devolved benefit delivered by the UK Government, we do not routinely hold data on eligibility and take-up. However, we know from analysis undertaken by stakeholders such as Policy in Practice that many families in Wales are not claiming all their entitlements including Child Benefit.
Income maximisation is a key commitment for Welsh Government in terms of tackling poverty. We are delivering a range of policy initiatives to ensure that people in Wales are aware of and can access their full financial entitlements which includes non-devolved benefits such as Child Benefit. The initiatives include a national benefit take-up communications campaign, free training for frontline staff, data analysis to identify households that may not be claiming what they are entitled to, alongside advice and support to help people navigate the claiming process.