§ Mr. Charles Irvingasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the cost to the State of supporting the wives and families of men in prison.
§ Mr. DeakinsThe annual cost at December 1976 of supplementary benefit paid to prisoners' wives with children was £7 million. A separate figure for wives without children is not available since claims by lone women without dependants are not separately analysed. As regards other benefits, such as family income supplement and child benefit, no information is available, since the fact that the 169W husband is in prison is not required for administrative purposes.