§ Mr. Ashleyasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many people are receiving family income supplement; what pecentage this figure is of those eligible; what is the percentage and number of family income supplement recipients who are lone parents; and if he will estimate the percentage of lone parents who receive family income supplement.
§ Mrs ChalkerThe number of families receiving family income supplement (FIS) at 25 August 1981, the latest date for which figures are available, was about 111,000. It is not possible to say what percentage this represents of those families who might have been eligible at that date. Of the 111,000 families receiving FIS, some 55,000, ie about half, were headed by a lone parent. This was probably of the order of about 6 per cent. of all oneparent families.