§ Mr. BlunkettTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what are his estimates of the additional costs of assessing individuals separately for(a) community charge benefit, (b) housing benefit and (c) income support.
§ Mrs. Gillian ShephardI regret that it is not possible to provide the hon. Member with the information requested. It is a fundamental principle of the income-related benefit system that married and unmarried partners are assessed together. The wide range of assumptions needed to estimate the additional costs of assessing all individuals separately for all the income related benefits means that any estimates would be both arbitrary and uncertain.