§ Mr. Ashleyasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will estimate the number of families in the United Kingdom in which the wife is the family breadwinner, the husband is unemployed and the earnings of the wife are at a level which, if earned by the husband, would entitle the family to family income supplement; and if he will give figures showing the changes in the number of such families over the period May 1979 to May 1981.
§ Mrs. ChalkerI regret that the information requested is not available. It may, however, assist the right hon. Gentleman to know that the Department has been using a very rough figure of 10,000 in estimating the number of families that might qualify for family income supplement (FTS) as a result of the introduction of equal treatment of men and women. This was based on data from the 1977 family expenditure survey. It did not, however, refer to the United Kingdom but only to Great Britain. It also took into account not only the earnings of the wife but also other family income, including any unemployment benefit payable to the husband.
§ Mr. Ashleyasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many representations he has received, and from whom, concerning the right of married women to claim family income supplement.
§ Mrs. ChalkerWe have received some 40 letters in the last 12 months. Just over half of these were from right hon. and hon. Members and the rest from the public.