§ Mr. Gwilym Robertsasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what estimates are available of the number of families who are in receipt of widows' pensions, unemployment or sickness pay, or similar benefit, and therefore will
258WThe recommended weekly levels of expenditure in January 1970 and January 1977, their percentage change and the corresponding change in food prices recorded in the Retail Price Index are as follows:
receive no benefit from the existing child benefit scheme; what plans he has for including these families in the scheme; and what figures are available for the cost of giving them the full £1 benefit or the average benefit of 30p per family.
§ Mr. OrmeBenefit including additions for children was in payment, at the latest dates for which information is available, as follows:
Retirement pension 26,000 Widowed mother's allowance 96,500 War widow's pension 7,000 Industrial widow's pension 6,500 Invalidity pension 81,000 Unemployment benefit 162,000 Sickness or injury benefit 153,000 The cost of paying each of these families an extra £1 a week would be over £27 million a year, or over £8 million if an extra 30p were paid.