§ Mrs. Renée Shortasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will resume annual publication of the numbers of poor families and children.
§ Mrs. ChalkerI assume that the hon. Member is referring to the DHSS analyses of data from the family expenditure survey—FES—on incomes relative to supplementary benefit levels. There are limits to the value of these analyses and better information should emerge from the family finances survey. These and other reasons explained in my right hon. Friend's reply to the hon. Member for Walsall, North (Mr. Winnick) on 13 November 1979 led to our decision to compile the FES analyses biennially rather than annually. We do not consider that there are sufficient grounds for reversing that decision.—[Vol. 973, c. 565–66.]