§ Mr. Squireasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will list those organisations which have, in response to Cmnd. 8106, recommended that all parents should have the right to weekly child benefit payments if they so wish.
§ Mrs. Chalker[pursuant to her reply, 13 March 1981, c. 430]: The following organisations have included in their comments the suggestion that a switch to four-weekly payments should be optional for all parents:
- Child Poverty Action Group
- CPAG Area Groups at Havant, Leeds, Leicester and Twickenham
- National Federation of Sub-Postmasters
- National Council for Voluntary Organisations
- Citizens Advice Bureaux at Aylesbury and District; Barking and Dagenham; Rickmansworth; Salisbury and Shrewsbury and District
- National Federation of Women's Institutes.
- Burrowbridge Women's Institute
- National Union of Conservative and Unionist Association, Women's National Advisory Committee
- The Labour Women's Committee for Wales
- Women's Liberal Federation
- Welsh Women's Aid
- Women's Aid Groups at Abergavenny, Aberwystwyth, Bangor and District, Cardiff, Harringay, Newcastle, Newport, Rhyl and District
- Labour Party Constituency Branches at Aintree, Caernarvon, Merthyr Tydil and Newcastle
- Family Welfare Association
- Family Service Units
- Health Visitors Association
- Scottish Consumer Council
- Scottish Council for Single Parents
110 - General and Municipal Workers
- Confederation of Health Service Employees
- Society of Civil and Public Servants
- National Union of Teachers
- Co-operative Political Committee
- Wallasey Branch of Co-operative Party
- The Fawcett Society
- Darlington Society of Visually Handicapped
- The Royal British Legion
- National Pharmaceutical Association
§ Mr. Squireasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many individuals and organisations have submitted views on the proposals to pay child benefit monthly; and what proportion of these was in favour of all parents being free to choose weekly benefit payments.
§ Mrs. Chalker[pursuant to her reply, 13 March 1981, c. 430]; About 550 individuals, organisations and local authorities have submitted views on the proposals in Cmnd. 8106 for the payment of child benefit. Most of these responses have expressed doubts about the acceptability of payment every four weeks; and about a third have suggested that payment at this frequency should be voluntary or that more people should be able to choose weekly payment within a general system of paying child benefit every four weeks.