§ 81. Sir W. Bromley-Davenportasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many immigrants have had a second wife admitted to the United Kingdom on the grounds that such a a marriage is legal; and to what extent the second legal wife will benefit as far as the receipt of child allowances, Income Tax allowances, National Assistance and other social security benefits are concerned.
§ Mr. Roy JenkinsThe immigration statistics do not distinguish wives of polygamous marriages. I understand that the tax allowance for a married man and an entitlement to supplementary benefit are the same whether the man has one or more wives; but the Supplementary Benefits Commission have power to take212W account of special circumstances in particular cases. National Insurance benefits on a husband's insurance are payable only to the wife of a monogamous marriage. For family allowances, children are normally regarded as being in the mother's family; but, if they can be treated as legitimate issue of the father, they qualify for allowances in either the father's or the mother's family, not both.