§ 44. Mr. Lipsonasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the net cost of giving an allowance of 5s. per week for children under 14 years of age in excess of two, in families below the Income Tax level?
§ The Financial Secretary to the Treasury (Captain Crookshank)I am afraid that there are no statistics which would enable me to answer my hon. Friend's Question. The gross cost of 5s. per week for children 283 under 14 in excess of two, in all families, would be about £29,000,000 a year at the present time. These children include a large number in respect of whom an allowance is already being paid (by way, for example, of unemployment benefit or allowances, allowances to the dependants of men in the Fighting Services, children's allowances under contributory pensions, and so on). I am not in a position to estimate what the net cost would be if these classes were excluded, and if then the residue were restricted to families below the Income Tax level.
§ Mr. LipsonWill my right hon. and gallant Friend consider whether it is not worth while trying to obtain this information, with a view to reducing the amount paid in subsidies for food by that amount. and putting the money to this vital national purpose?
§ Captain CrookshankI have just said that the statistics are not vailable. It would require an enormous amount of labour to obtain them, which I do not think would be justified in time of war.