HC Deb 24 May 1974 vol 874 cc336-7W
Sir B. Rhys Williams

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) if she will publish tables comparable to those published in reply to Written Questions Nos. 26 and 27 on 17th May—[c. 571–76.]—showing the effects of increasing family allowances, with and without accompanying withdrawal in child tax allowances, for single-parent families with one, two and four children;

(2) if she will publish tables showing the effect of raising family allowances, respectively, to £1 and £2 weekly for every child, with and without accompanying withdrawal of child tax allowances, for families over a standard range of incomes, showing the effects of excluding family allowances from calculations of eligibility for the other principal social benefits for families.

Mr. Robert C. Brown

As soon as the information is obtained I will publish it in the OFFICIAL REPORT.

Sir B. Rhys Williams

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what would be the cost of excluding family allowances from the calculation of entitlement to the principal social benefits for families.

Mr. Robert C. Brown

The estimated cost of increased payments to existing recipients of supplemetary benefit and family income supplement would be about £23 million a year. The cost of family income supplement for new beneficiaries might be about £1 million, but a reliable estimate cannot be made of the numbers who would become entitled to supplementary benefit for the first time.

Mr. Boscawen

asked the Secretary of Stale for Social Services what would be the cost of raising family allowances to £1 for the first and subsequent children without clawback or reducing supplementary benefits; secondly, with claw-back but without reducing supplementary benefits; and thirdly with clawback and reducing supplementary benefits correspondingly.

Mr. Robert C. Brown

On the assumption that national insurance dependency benefits would be adjusted in all cases and that the amount clawed back in respect of family allowances for first children would be the same as it is now for other children, the cost would be about £245 million, £135 million and £115 million respectively.