HC Deb 17 December 1980 vol 996 cc199-200W
Mr. Field

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if, in regard to the following devices which have been successfully used by handicapped people, Elkroscan, Carbra-Linguaduc, Mac, Splink, Mavis, Pet, Apple, RM be open to serious objections on grounds of equity and cost. A benefit at that level and limited to divorcees would be unfair in relation to

  1. i. other lone parents who had never married or were merely seperated; and
  2. ii. poor two-parent families, for example the long-term unemployed.
Its net cost has not been estimated but is bound to run to several hundred million pounds a year.

There is, of course, already a wide range of financial and other support available to lone parents. This includes child benefit, child benefit increase, supplementary benefit and family income supplement on advantageous terms, rent and rates rebates and other welfare provisions. Last month's uprating included a number of improvements which were of particular help to one-parent families. Their social security benefits alone are now running at a level of about £1,350 million a year.