§ Miss Richardsonasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what would be the cost, in a full year, of allowing married women with full national insurance contribution records to claim dependant's benefit in respect of children and non-employed husbands during periods of sickness or unemployment.
§ Mr. O'MalleyThe National Insurance Scheme already provides that a married woman who pays full contributions can receive an increase of sickness benefit, invalidity benefit or unemployment benefit for her husband and dependent children where her husband is incapable of self-support and is not himself entitled to benefits. I regret that the available information does not enable an estimate to be made of the cost of paying dependency benefit in other cases where the wife is the breadwinner.