§ Mr. Maddenasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many families, with children, in full-time work have incomes below the supplementary benefit level.
§ Mrs. Millie Millerasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many men who are fathers of eight or more children are in receipt of social security benefits, namely, supplementary benefit, rent and rate rebates and free school meals and milk.
§ Mr. DeakinsAbout 1,000 men with eight or more dependent children were receiving supplementary benefit in December 1975. The number of such families receiving free milk is not known. Questions about rent and rate rebates and free school meals are for my right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for the Environment and Education and Science respectively.
§ Mr. Ralph Howellasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will confirm that an unemployed man with a wife and two children whose rent is £4.72 and rates £1.90 would have a net spending power of £36.64 per week when on supplementary benefit after 15th November; and how this compares with the same week one year earlier.
§ Mr. OrmeNo. From 15th November 1976 an unemployed man with a wife and two children aged 4 and 6 receiving supplementary benefit would have a net weekly spending power of 789W £30.02 after payment of rent and rates. A year previously the family would have had a net weekly spending power of £25.84.
§ Mr. Ralph Howellasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will confirm that a man with a wife and two children whose previous wage was £55 per week and whose rent is £4.72, rates £1.90 and work expenses £1.75 will have £8.62 more spending power if unemployed in the week beginning 15th November 1976 than in the same week one year earlier.
§ Mr. OrmeNo. A man with a wife and two children aged 4 and 6 and with earnings of £55 per week who became unemployed in the week beginning 15th November 1976 would have a net weekly spending power of £37.16. A man in similar circumstances who became unemployed a year earlier in the week beginning 17th November 1975 would have had a net weekly spending power of £32.50, that is £4.66 less. In making his calculation the hon. Gentleman has not taken into account the figures published on 8th March 1976 which amended the figures he was given on 11th November 1975. —[Vol. 907, c.96–102; Vol. 899, c. 540–46.]
§ Mr. Ralph Howellasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will confirm that a man with a wife and two children and whose rent is £5.38 and rates £2.18 will have a net spending power of £52.23 for an indefinite period when on supplementary benefit, regardless of his previous earnings; and if he will compare this figure with his net spending power for the same week one year earlier.
§ Mr. OrmeI assume the hon. Gentleman has in mind the family consisting of a man, wife and four children, for which information was given in my reply of 15th October 1976. —[Vol. 917, c.245–50.]—From 15th November 1976 the net weekly spending power of such a family, while receiving supplementary benefit, would be £44.66 after payment of rent and rates. A year previously the family would have had a net weekly spending power of £38.64.
§ Mr. Ralph Howellasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will confirm that a man with a wife and two 790W children whose previous wage was £25 per week and whose rent and rates are average and whose travelling to work expenses are £1.75 will have £7.70 more spending power if unemployed in the week beginning 15th November than in the same week one year earlier.
§ Mr. OrmeA married man with two young children and with previous earnings of £25 who became unemployed in the week beginning 15th November 1976 would have a net weekly spending power—that is, after he had met his rent and rates—£7.70 greater than a man in similar family circumstances who had become unemployed in the week beginning 17th November 1975 after previously earning £25 if in the former case he has a rent of £4.72, rates of £1.90 and the work expenses mentioned by the hon. Member and in the latter case a rent of £4.33, rates of £1.64 and work expenses of 75p a week; and if, but only if, in both cases there was full entitlement to the appropriate flat-rate unemployment benefit and entitlement to the family income supplement, rent rebate, rate rebate, free school meals and free welfare milk was fully taken up.