§ Dr. McDonaldasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what would be the costs to the Exchequer of payment of the child benefit as an additional benefit to those in receipt of widows' pension, State retirement pension and supplementary benefit.
§ Mr. OrmePayment of child benefit is made to those in receipt of widow's pension, retirement pension and supplementary benefit, but the dependency increase with widows' and retirement pensions for the first child was reduced to take account of the introduction of child benefit, and the payment was also taken into account in assessing title to supplementary benefit. To pay £1 a week additional dependency benefit in each of these cases would cost in the region of £34 million a year.