§ Mr. Leaveyasked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance whether he will initiate an inquiry into the special difficulties of wives with children who are deserted by their husbands; and whether he will introduce legislation to empower him to treat such mothers as though they were widowed mothers.
§ Mrs. ThatcherMy right hon. Friend has no proposals to make. For National Assistance purposes the needs of a deserted wife with children are already assessed on the same scales as a widowed50W mother. For the reasons I gave in the debate on the Second Reading of the Family Allowances and National Insurance Bill on 22nd January, it would not be reasonable to make provision in the national insurance scheme for a man to insure against the possibility that he might desert his wife.