Mr. Wm. Rossasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will seek to amend the law to allow two-parent families to claim family income supplement where only the mother is employed.
§ Mr. DeakinsThe December 1978 directive of the Council of the European Communities on the progressive implementation of the principle of equal treatment for men and women in matters of social security applies to the supplementary benefits scheme but not to the family income supplements scheme—FIS. However, "Social Assistance", the report by officials of my Department of their review of the supplementary benefits scheme, makes it clear that it will be necessary and desirable to amend the law on FIS when equal treatment is introduced into the supplementary benefits scheme.