Social Security Act 1975

41 Beneficiary's dependent children

(1) Subject to section 30(1) of this Act and to the following provisions of this Part, the weekly rate of any benefit to which this subsection applies shall, for any period for which the beneficiary has a family which includes a child or children, be increased in respect of that child, or each respectively of those children, by the appropriate amount specified in relation to the benefit in question in Schedule 4, Part IV, column (2) or (3).

(2) Subsection (1) above applies to—

(a) unemployment benefit;

(b) sickness benefit;

(c) invalidity pension;

(d) maternity allowance;

(e) widow's allowance; and

(f) Category A, B or C retirement pension.

(3) In the application of subsection (1) of this section to a maternity allowance, references to a child or children shall include references to any child or children born to the beneficiary on the occasion of the confinement by reason of whose actual or expected occurrence she became entitled to the allowance.

(4) Subject to section 43 below, the weekly rate of a widowed mother's allowance payable by virtue of section 25(1)(a) shall be increased for any period in respect of the child or, if more than one, each respectively of the children falling within paragraph (a), (b) or (c) of section 25(2) for the time being included in her family by the appropriate amount specified in relation to that allowance in Schedule 4, Part IV, column (2) or (3).

(5) Subject to section 43, the weekly rate of a child's special allowance shall, for any period for which the beneficiary has a family which includes 2 or more children with respect to whom the conditions specified in section 31(6) and (c) are satisfied, be increased in respect of each respectively of those children other than the elder or eldest by the appropriate amount specified in relation to that allowance in Schedule 4, Part IV, column (3).

(6) Where the beneficiary by whom an increase of benefit under this section is claimed is a married woman residing with her husband, it shall be an additional condition with respect to receipt of that increase that her husband is incapable of self-support.