HC Deb 22 November 1965 vol 721 cc1-2W
13. Mr. Hale

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance why an Oldham family, unable to marry, have been deprived of family allowance for one child on the ground that they are regarded by her as two economic families.

Miss Herbison

As my hon. Friend the Joint Parliamentary Secretary has explained to my hon. Friend, the situation in this case derives from fundamental principles of the Family Allowances Act, including, particularly, the provision that children living with a parent are in his or her family. These provisions will naturally be examined in the course of the review of social security benefits, but any departure from them would clearly have far reaching implications which I should have to study very carefully before I could undertake to propose any change in the, present law.