I think it appropriate to point out to readers that in the US, C-SPAN, in broadcasting Question Time in the House of Commons, showed an opposition member raising this very issue. PM Brown said that he was unaware of the particular case, but would look into it, and write to Mr. Perkins.

QUOTE (pmeja @ Oct 21 2007, 05:13 AM) *
A British student at the Bolshoi Ballet School has a government benefit taken away:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml.../nballet121.xml

QUOTE
The parents of Henry Perkins, 16, only the second British boy to win a place at the school in 230 years, have not only been refused a government grant to help with the cost of his studies but have now had their entitlement to child benefit taken away.

Officials at Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs have told Sue Perkins, a maths teacher at a comprehensive school, that she can no longer receive £72.40 a month for her son because he is resident in Russia – outside the European Union.