HC Deb 27 May 1977 vol 932 cc693-4W
Mr. D. E. Thomas

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many lone parents over the latest available 12-month period (a) made a first claim for family income supplement; (b) stopped claiming family income supplement; and in each case how many were lone mothers and how many were lone fathers.

Mr. Deakins

I regret that the information is not available in the form requested. Between March 1976 and February 1977 inclusive about 17,900 successful claims were made by lone parent families for whom there existed no record of a family income supplement (FIS) award in the period immediately prior to that claim. About 17,300 were fatherless and about 600 were motherless families. It is not known how many of these families had never previously claimed FIS. During the same period some 15,400 fatherless families and about 300 motherless families either did not renew or did not successfully renew a FIS award just terminated. It is not known how many of these families subsequently made a successful claim.

Mr. D. E. Thomas

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many lone parents over the latest available 12-month period have transferred from family income supplement to supplementary benefit and from supplementary benefit to family income supplement; and in each case how many were lone mothers and how many were lone fathers.

Mr. Deakins

I regret that no statistics are kept of transfers from one benefit to the other.