§ Mr. David Steelasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what would be the cost of introducing a one-parent family allowance if its value was made equivalent to the allowance paid to widowed mothers and if it was accompanied by payments of £4 for each child within the family of those women qualifying.
§ Mr. Alec JonesThe annual cost, net of savings in other social security benefits, of giving such an allowance to all one-parent families is estimated to be of the order of £300 million.
§ Mr. David Steelasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the 298W estimated reduction in the number of single women drawing supplementary benefit if a one-parent family allowance was introduced modelled on the payments made for widowed mothers for themselves and their children.
§ Mr. Alec JonesThe number of single women with children drawing supplementary benefit, 62,000 in November 1973, would be reduced by about three-quarters.