Britain is still paying child benefit for 34,000 children who live elsewhere in the European Union, despite every major political party wanting to stop the handouts.

David Cameron, Ed Miliband and Nick Clegg have repeatedly called for end to money being sent abroad by EU migrants working in the UK who leave their children in their home country, two-thirds of which are in Poland.

But with any deal on scrapping the rules which force Britain to export benefits far from certain, it will continue to cost taxpayers up to £30million every year until an agreement can be reached with all of the 27 other EU member states.

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New figures show two-thirds of child benefit sent abroad go to Poland, where ministers have rejected British suggestions that the payments should end

Mr Cameron is due to hold talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel tomorrow when she visits London.

They will tour the British Museum before meeting in Downing Street, when the Tory plan for a renegotiation of Britain's membership of the EU will be on the agenda.

The Prime Minister has made clear that tackling benefits for migrants, especially those exported to families in other countries, will be a key demand.

Under EU rules, the benefit has to be paid to European nationals who are working in Britain and paying National Insurance – even if their families are based abroad.

Latest figures obtained by MailOnline reveals that child benefit is paid to 20,660 families with 34,199 children living outside Britain.

Child benefit is paid at £20.30 a week for the first child and £13.40 for every other child, regardless of parental income.

It means the total bill for children living overseas could be up to £30million-a-year, although under the EU rules not all awards are made at the full UK rates.

According to figures for September 2014 obtained by MailOnline under a Freedom of Information request, the total number of claims has risen slightly since December 2013. However, the numbers down down by around a sixth since the general election in 2010.

Amazingly, two-thirds of all claims are made for children in Poland.

Claims from Romania and Bulgaria have risen sharply in the past four years, as work curbs were lifted at the start of 2014.

David Cameron is due to hold talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel tomorrow when she visits London

WHERE THE PARTIES STAND Conservative Prime Minister David Cameron: 'We need are changes that are good for Britain and good for Europe, they do involve treaty change and proper, full-on treaty change for that matter. 'Crucially, you don't get child benefit in respect to children that you leave at home with your, your family in other countries.' Lib Dem Deputy PM Nick Clegg: 'There’s this thing about us paying child benefit to people who are working here but have got children elsewhere. 'Obviously that’s absurd. I would like to deal with that overnight, but you have to wait for the treaties to change. Labour's shadow work and pensions secretary Rachel Reeves: 'We will work with European countries to end the absurdity of child benefit and child tax credits being claimed for children living in other countries.' Advertisement

There were 213 claims for 279 children in Bulgaria in September, up from just 79 claims for 113 children in July 2010.

Similarly, the number of claims from Romania rose from 75 to 236, covering 404 children.

Mr Cameron has made tackling the problem a central aim of his plans to renegotiate Britain's membership of the EU if he remains as Prime Minister after May's election.

But his promised in-out referendum is not due to take place until the end of 2017, meaning any breakthrough on stopping the payments remains years off.

Speaking on Sunday, Mr Cameron he told BBC One's Andrew Marr show: 'We need are changes that are good for Britain and good for Europe, they do involve treaty change and proper, full-on treaty change for that matter.'

He added: 'Crucially, you don't get child benefit in respect to children that you leave at home with your, your family in other countries.'

The comments came almost a year to the day since he made the same argument on the same programme.

In January 2014 Mr Cameron said it was 'wrong' that Britain paid child benefit for Polish workers for their 'family back at home in Poland'.

The comments attracted a furious response from Polish foreign minister Radoslaw Sikorski who tweeted: 'If Britain gets our taxpayers, shouldn't it also pay their benefits? Why should Polish taxpayers subsidise British taxpayers' children?'

He added: 'UK social security rules apply to all resident EU citizens. No need to stigmatise Poles. What about British children abroad?'

Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg has suggested Polish parents who claim child benefit for their families in their home country should not receive the same amount as British workers while Labour leader Ed Miliband also wants the child benefit payments to be stopped

In November last year, Labour's Rachel Reeves used an article on MailOnline to set out her party's approach to curbing benefits for migrants.

It included 'ending child benefit and child tax credits from being sent abroad'.

Lib Dem leader Mr Clegg also backs the idea, and has gone further, suggesting that until the payments can be stopped, Polish parents who claim child benefit for their families in their home country should not receive the same amount as British workers.

The Deputy Prime Minister has ordered officials to find a legal way to slash the ‘absurd’ payments made for children who do not live in the UK.

He said it was not fair that Britain pays £80-a-month per child, but in Poland child benefit is worth only £18.



