§ Lord SIMON of GLAISDALEasked Her Majesty's Government:
What was the cost of social services (including supplementary benefit) to one-parent families in Northern Ireland in the months of February 1978 and February 1979 respectively.
§ Lord MELCHETTThe information requested is not available and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost. The only available statistics show the numbers of one-parent families taking up particular benefits:
Since the amount of child benefit increase was £2 per week one-parent families would have received an additional sum of about £68,000 in January. The amount paid to one-parent families under the other schemes cannot be quantified from present records.
In receipt of Number Date of Count 1. Child Benefit Increase 8,491 January 1979 2. Supplementary Benefits 8,014 November 1978 3. Family Income Supplement 921 November 1978 4. Widowed Mother's Allowance 4,765 November 1978 5. Widow's Benefit 400 November 1978
§ Lord SIMON of GLAISDALEasked Her Majesty's Government:
What is the average number of one-parent families living in Northern Ireland in the months of February 1978 and February 1979 respectively.
§ Lord MELCHETTThis information is not available, but current estimates are that there might be between 15,000 and 20,000 one-parent families in Northern Ireland.