§ Mr. Arthur Lewisasked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will give the minimum and maximum social security payments, including child allowance, payable to a family of 19 children; and, on the assumption that the father is unemployed and claiming full unemployment benefits, what the total receipts would be per week.
§ Mrs. ChalkerIt is not possible, on the basis of the hon. Member's hypothesis of one family containing as many as 19 children, to provide information in the form requested. The main social security benefits for which an unemployed married couple with children may qualify are unemployment benefit and/or supplementary benefit. The wife would receive child benefit. The levels at which these benefits might be payable would depend on the extent to which the various qualifying conditions were satisfied. For example, it would he essential to know the number of dependent children living with the man and his wife and what their ages were. It would also be necessary to know whether the other qualifying conditions, which are outlined on pages 12, (unemployment benefit), 2 (supplementary benefit) and 8 (child benefit of "Which Benefit?" (leaflet FB2)), were satisfied.
I am sending the hon. Member the latest edition of this leaflet. This also gives some details of the new rates of benefit which have just been introduced. I would also refer the hon. Member to the reply given to him by my right hon. Friend the former Minister for Social Security and the Disabled on 15 February 1980, [Vol. 978, c. 842].