§ Mr. Peter Bottomleyasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will update to 1982–83 the information on national insurance child support provided in the reply to the hon. Member for Barking (Miss Richardson) on 28 July 1981, Official Report, c. 430; and if he will state the cost in November 1982 to November 1983 of restoring the level of child support for (a) short-term (b) long-term national insurance beneficiaries to that which would have obtained had the method of uprating not been changed from November 1980.
§ Mr. NewtonThe information requested for the period November 1982 to November 1983 is as follows:
Average number of children whose parents received child dependency additions to national insurance benefit Long-term 445,000 Short-term 680,000 Average number of children whose parents received child dependency additions to national insurance benefit but not to supplementary benefit Long-term 425,000 Short-term 280,000 Estimated cost (allowing for savings on supplementary benefit) Short-term £25 million Long-term £40 million