§ Mrs. Chalkerasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if she will estimate from the most recent family expenditure survey data the main sources of income for one-parent families.
§ Mr. O'MalleyNo firm estimate of the total number of one-parent families is available for later than 1971, but the628W figure of 650,000 which was given in my reply to the hon. Member on 13th February has been broken down according to the proportions of one-parent families with each main source of income as estimated in the Family Expenditure Survey 1974. This information is shown in the following table:
MAIN SOURCE OF INCOME No. of families (thousands) Fatherless families other than widows' Families Earnings … 180 Maintenance … 40 Supplementary benefits … 210 Other … 10 All … 440
Widows' families Earnings … … 20 Widows' benefits … … 90 Other … … 10 All … … 120
Motherless families Earnings 80 Supplementary benefits 10 All 90 Total number of one-parent families 650 NOTES
1. Main source is defined as the largest single item of income.
2. These estimates are based on the 1974 Family Expenditure Survey date and are subject to sampling error: figures are rounded to the nearest 10,000.
3. Differences between these estimates and those for 1971 (published in table 5.1 of the Finer Report) are not neecssarily significant.—[Vol. 905, c. 415.]