Mochdre man's child benefit nightmare

Dec 18 2008 by David Simister, North Wales Weekly News

Vincent Lattuca, wife Amanda and son Cameron

A MOCHDRE man who returned to the UK earlier this year has spoken of his ordeal trying to claim child benefit for his son.

Vincent Lattuca, 37, flew back to Britain in September after five years in Tenerife but said his attempts to reclaim benefits for his 10-year-old son last Friday have been rebuffed by the authorities.

“I’ve been told that I’ve been put on the same list as immigrants and I’ll be undergoing exactly the same checks as them, despite the fact I was born and raised in the UK, have a British birth certificate and passport and just as much right to claim as anyone else,” he said.

“With that in mind it could take weeks or even months to get everything sorted, and it doesn’t help when the people I speak to don’t seem to know what they’re doing. At this rate, it’s more like playing the lottery.”

Mr Lattuca spent five years working in Tenerife for a tourism firm which arranged excursions and holiday homes on the island, but returned to Wales in September and began work as a sales assistant three days later.

He says that despite legally being entitled to child benefit for son Cameron he has been told by HM Revenue and Customs that he will be made to wait while he undergoes immigration checks.

“I feel like I’ve been treated like a third class citizen. Being told I’m not eligible for my little boy’s benefit makes me feel really bad, when in fact I’ve done nothing wrong,” he added.

“All I want is what my son is entitled to but at the moment it seems pot luck whether I’ll get it or not.”

HM Revenue and Customs said it could not comment on cases directly. “The main purpose of child benefit and child tax credit is to support families living in the United Kingdom, and so the general rules for such support mean it is not paid in respect of children who live outside the United Kingdom,” said a spokesperson.

david.simister