§ 38. Mr. Robert Hughesasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will re-examine the rule whereby a married woman in full-time employment, whose husband is unemployed, is prohibited from claiming sickness benefit for her husband and children as dependants; and if he will make a statement.
586W
§ Mr. OrmeThe Government's views on this question were set out fairly fully in my hon. Friend's speech during the debate on the Commission Document No. R/48/77 on 13th December 1977 and in the speech of Lord Wells-Pestell in the debate on the Fourth Report of the House of Lords Select Committee on the European Communities on 24th January 1978 in another place.—[Vol. 941, c. 452–3;House of Lords, Vol. 388, c. 315–27.] We have no proposals to put forward for amendment of the rules at this stage.