§ Dame Joan Vickersasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how much money has to be paid out by his Department because maintenance orders which have been awarded by the courts have not been paid.
§ Mr. DeanIt is not possible to make a reliable estimate on the information available, as the only social security benefit at present paid in these circumstances is supplementary benefit, and the reasons for payment of this are not analysed. My hon. Friend may, however, wish to know that on the evidence of information obtained annually of the amount of supplementary benefit paid out to various categories of claimants, it is estimated that in 1970 about £93¼ million was paid to persons where it was necessary to pursue the question of liability to maintain. This sum was paid after taking into account about £8 million in maintenance payments received by them. The Department also recovered a sum of about £8¼ million from persons liable for maintenance, so that the net cost to public funds was about £85 million. How much of this sum of £85 million was paid as a direct consequence of the failure to meet maintenance or affiliation orders is not known.
A sample survey carried out in June, 1970 showed that the women then in receipt of supplementary benefit had 102,500 maintenance orders of which 46,000 were being complied with regularly (to the extent of 75 per cent. or more) and 38,000 were not being paid at all, and they also had 26,500 affiliation orders of which 12,500 were being complied with regularly and 9,500 were not being paid at all.