Is this the ConDem Governments why to keep unemployment figures low

[pompeyfaith]

Greetings All,

 

My son who is 19 and just finished collage phoned up to sign on today to claim unemployment benefit and was told he could not until the 5th September when his child benefit claim ends.

 

Now back last summer he was able to sign on between finishing one course in May and starting another in September.

 

We lost child benefit and CTC for this period which is fine as he was looking for temporary work

 

So if he could do this last year why not this year he was told that I would have to phone child benefit to stop that claim first which we did but they said he could not stop the claim so he cant sign on.

 

So if he is considered still a child by the CB office why has the CTC for him stopped.

 

It appears to me they want two bites at the apple surely if he is still getting CB we should still be able to get CTC but no

 

Something is not right here and it sounds to me that this condem government is doing this to keep unemployment figures artificially low.

 

Anyone else had an experience of this ?

 

It stinks because now he cant sign on and until september he aint getting anything but we have to suffer the loss of his CTC which is quiet a bit each month.

 

PF

Edited July 23, 2010 by pompeyfaith

[insyder]

This has nothing to do with the new coalition government. This is the child benefit extension period. When a person reaches 19 then child benefit would normally stop but with the extension period this continues until the day before the new term.

 

Between courses the child benefit and child tax credits can be stopped and they can claim JSA, this is because there is no surety that they will start a new course in September. The child benefit was not coming to an end though so no child benefit extension period was invoked.

 

Technically at 19 they stop being a child so Child Tax credits stopped. the extension is actually there to help bridge the gap between full time education and what may follow.

[pompeyfaith]

insyder

 

Exacty at 19 they stop being a child so CB should stop also so they can claim JSA after all its a job that he wants

 

When did this extension start and why did the government keep it quiet because its the first ive heard of it

[pompeyfaith]

no this was a tactical move by the government to keep figures low knowing that they are likely to go up by a considerable amount at this time of the year

 

They also know come september many will have found jobs or gone on to uni

[insyder]

Not sure when the extension period was introduced, it's been around since the early nineties at least. It's something that automatically kicks in when a student leaves education and makes sure that benefits are not removed immediately.

 

The government are not keeping it quiet, as you state. It's something that everyone is entitled to once they leave full time education. A better question might be "Why is child benefit still being paid instead of the much higher weekly amount of JSA?"

[pompeyfaith]

well that is a good question because now that we get no ctc for him and he cant get jsa and the fact he eats us under the table times now will be hard unless he is a very lucky guy and gets a job

[pompeyfaith]

As much as you try and protect the gov it still does not take away the fact he is a 19 yr old adult and should be entitled to jsa if unemployed which he is right now and has no intention of going on to further education as he wants to get a job

 

Now i dont condone it but its no wonder there is benefit fraud when the gov keep moving the goal posts

[dragonkeeper]

You would think during such a period where CB is still inforce a 19 yr old should be able to sign on to JSA and have CB topped up to JSA rate.

Then that both parent and 19 yr old receive money.

Just treated as premium to CB

[insyder]

As much as you try and protect the gov

 

I'm not protecting the government I'm just setting the record straight about the extension period (CBEP) which you seem to believe has just been written into law as soon as the coalition hit the door at Number 10. I have also made it clear that I don't believe that the CBEP is not a perfect system.

 

Go grind your axe somewhere else.

[pompeyfaith]

Insyder

 

Grinding my axe if thats what you think then i appologize but it does not take away the government kept this hush hush had they of made it well known we as a family could have prepared for it and adjusted the budget accordingly and no matter what government brought it in it was done for the reason i stated above

[pompeyfaith]

my son is between a rock and a hard stone because HMRC and the council treat him as an adult and rightly so but the DWP do not

 

How can we teach him responsibility and get him out of bed if the DWP will not help him seek employment

[pompeyfaith]

I have brought a very important issue to the forefront that will effect many and whether you like it or not im sure the many average families out their will appriciate it because it needs debating

[insyder]

HM Revenue & Customs: Child Benefit when your child reaches age 16

 

Not exactly Hush, hush is it?