§ 1. Mrs. Renôe Shortasked the Minister of Social Security if she will take steps to ensure that needy families in receipt of supplementary pensions and/or widow's pensions and who have young children, receive the full benefit of legislation improving family allowances.
§ 7. Mr. Winnickasked the Minister of Social Security if she will take steps to restore the supplementary benefits to widowed and separated mothers, which were reduced as a result of the family allowance increases.
§ Mrs. HartNo. The reason is that supplementary benefits are intended to bring a person's income up to a guaranteed level and must therefore be adjusted when other income, including that from family allowances, increases. My hon. Friends will know, of course, that the specific purpose of the family allowance increases is to help the families of low wage earners who are poorer than those on supplementary benefit.