§ Mrs. Millie Millerasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will take steps to implement the recommendations of the World Plan of Action adopted at the International Women's Year Conference in Mexico City for the period 1975 to 664W 1980 in connection with ensuring the recognition of the economic value of women's work in the home, and in voluntary activities not traditionally enumerated and rectifying anomalies in taxation which adversely affect women.
§ Mr. Robert Sheldon, pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 12th December 1975; Vol. 902, c. 407], gave the following information:
There are no detailed practical recommendations in the proceedings of the World Conference of the International Women's Year, held at Mexico City, which touched upon the recognition of the economic value of women's work in the home and in voluntary activities not traditionally remunerated, or upon anomalies in taxation adversely affecting women. The Government do, however, keep the tax system under constant review and are of course concerned to prevent anomalies unfairly affecting women, or any other group.
As regards the value of unremunerated women's work, the Government have always taken the view that this deserves the widest recognition. The fact that it is not included in the National Accounts, which cover only items usually exchanged for money, reflects an accounting convention applied in all other major countries. In no way does this treatment imply that unremunerated women's work is not of value to the household and to the community at large.