§ Mr. Ralph Howellasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what was the number of single-parent families in the United Kingdom in 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983 and 1984, showing in each case the total numbers of persons who belong to single-parent families.
§ Mr. John PattenInformation is available only in respect of Great Britain.
Taking account of results from the 1981 census and information from the general household survey, the best estimates at present available of numbers of one-parent families with dependent children are as follows:
Number 1979 840,000 1980 870,000 1981 900,000 1982 930,000 The number of persons belonging to a one-parent family is estimated to have remained at around 2.4 million over the period, as a result of a slight decline in the average number of persons per family. Estimates for later years are not yet available.
Further work relating to one-parent families is being carried out and will be published in the near future.