§ Mr. Rookerasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will publish in the Official Report the number of families receiving family income supplement; and if he will (a) indicate how many of these families are also paying tax and (b) express the number of families receiving family income supplement as a percentage of those eligible.
§ Mr. OrmeIt is estimated that, at the end of March 1978, 94,000 families were receiving family income supplement (FIS), of whom just over two-thirds had incomes above the tax threshold when they claimed FIS—which would have been at any time up to 12 months earlier. It is not known whether they remained taxpayers throughout the year or how many families with incomes below the tax threshold when they claimed FIS subsequently became taxpayers. Moreover, the estimate takes account of personal and child
452Wsion before the end of the year, and my right hon. Friend has written to the Canadian Minister of National Health and Welfare within the last few days to inform her of this.