HC Deb 20 December 1979 vol 976 cc379-80W
Mr. Maxwell-Hyslop

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services, in each of the last five years, what has been the self-employed uptake of family income supplement in each of the following categories: with one, two, three, four and more than four children.

Mrs. Chalker

[pursuant to her reply, 13 December 1979, c. 752]: Estimates of the numbers of self-employed families receiving family income supplement in Great Britain in each of the last five years are shown in the following table. The figures for April 1979 are the latest available estimates for this year. The estimates are based on a 10 per cent. sample and are therefore subject to statistical error.

Estimated number of families
Number of children in the family October 1975 October 1976 October 1977 October 1978 April 1979
1 1,060 1,040 1,350 1,400 1,400
2 1,320 1,770 2,080 1,990 2,080
3 870 880 990 1,130 1,020
4 690 610 590 670 510
More than 4 540 470 420 310 270
TOTAL 4,480 4,470 5,430 5,500 5,280