§ Mr. Stan Thorneasked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) what is the exact sum recovered through liable relatives' procedures with single mothers on supplementary benefit; and what is the total cost of recovering it showing salaries, court costs and other costs separately;
33W(2) what steps are taken by him to ensure that supplementary benefit handbook paragraphs 14.18 and 14.21 are fully implemented by his officers when interviewing a mother;
(3) in how many cases where a single mother is interviewed, information by his officers about her sexual relationships is used in subsequent proceedings.
§ Mr. Litherlandasked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) what is the exact sum recovered through liable relatives procedures with single mothers on supplementary benefit; and what is the total cost of recovering it, showing salaries, court costs and other costs separately;
(2) if he will ensure that supplementary benefit officers comply with their instructions that a mother be told at the start of the interview that she is not obliged to answer questions about her child's father and that her entitlement to benefit does not depend on her answering these questions;
(3) in how many cases where a single mother is interviewed, information about her sexual relationships is used in subsequent proceedings.
§ Mr. Freesonasked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) why it is not made clear in the instructions to officers that a mother must be told at the start of the interview that she is not obliged to answer questions about her child's father and that her entitlement to benefit does not depend on her answering the questions;
(2) what is the exact sum recovered through liable relatives procedures with single mothers on supplementary benefit; and what is the total cost of recovering it, showing salaries, court costs and other costs separately, at the latest convenient date.
§ Mrs. Renée Shortasked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) how many officers are employed in tracking down fathers in order to get maintenance paid for their illegitimate children; at what cost per year; and if he will make a statement about their cost effectiveness;
(2) what instructions are issued to investigators regarding interviewing mothers who are unmarried concerning the paternity of their children; and if he will make a statement.
(3) in how many cases where a single mother is interviewed for supplementary benefit purposes, information about her sexual relationships is used in subsequent proceedings.
§ Mrs. ChalkerI refer the hon. Members to my reply to the hon. Members for Kingston upon Hull, Central (Mr. McNamara) and for Brent, South (Mr. Pavia) on 27 March.—[Vol. 1, c.435–36.]
§ Mr. McNamaraasked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will now end his Department's practice of asking a single mother seeking benefit intimate questions regarding her sexual relations with the putative father of her child.
§ Mrs. ChalkerSuch questions are not asked in connection with claims for benefit. They arise only in the minority of cases where a single mother recipient of supplementary benefit is not already receiving maintenance for her child from its father, where she is not taking maintenance proceedings herself, and where she does not object to the Department taking action to obtain maintenance.
34WI have already said in my reply to the hon. Member for Keighley (Mr. Cryer) on 25 March—[Vol. 1, c. 365–66]—that these proceedings are being urgently examined and that I will make a further statement when this examination has been completed.
§ Mrs. Renée Shortasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if investigating officers are allowed to ask unmarried mothers who are not receiving any support from the father of their children for a picture of him; and if he will make a statement on this practice.
§ Mrs. ChalkerA single mother claiming supplementary benefit is not required to give the Depaetment information about the father of her child as a condition. for receiving benefit. If she is prepared to give such information to the Department, does not object to the Department taking action on her behalf to obtain maintenance, and it proves necessary for a departmental official to interview the man, she may be asked for a photograph of him to lend to the Department to help identify the person she has named.
A photograph is not requested if she is already receiving maintenance for her child, or is herself taking maintenance proceedings, or if she does not wish the father to be approached by the Department.