Family Benefit Can Be Suspended

Northern Advocate, 23 January 1947, Page 6

Family Benefit Can Be Suspended

While the Social Security Act contains a clause which allows for the suspension or reduction of family benefit payments in the case of children absent from school without adequate reasons, this provision has not vet been annlied in Northland.

rt has been necessary, however, for parents to be informed of the provisions of the act pointing out the steps which could be taken and requesting an improvement in the child’s attendance.

This information was provided by the Registrar of Social Security at Whangarei (Mr J. E. Joyce) this morning when inquiries were made regarding a warning to parents, contained in a memorandum considered by the Auckland education board yesterday. The memorandum stated that if the Social Security Department found that a child was not attending school regularlyfi, without good and sufficient reasons, payment of the allowance could be suspended. SECTION OF ACT Section 32 of the Social Security Act, 1938. contains this provision, pointing out that the family benefit was to be used for the maintenance or education of the child. Failure to use the benefit for the purpose for which it was intended could result in its suspension, cancellation or reduction.

In a previous memorandum received by the board from the Education Department it was stated that the validity of this proposal had been questioned bv some education boards and it had 'been suggested that it might have been intended to apply only to children under the age of IG. The department considered the simplest method of obtaining compliance with the Education Act and the regulations regarding attendance at schools would be for the controlling authority of the school or principal, to forward particulars of each case to local district offices of the Social Security Department. It was decided that schools in the board’s district would work through the school attendance officer.