§ Mr. Austin Mitchellasked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether, pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Grimsby on 1 March, Official Report, c. 66, he will publish in the Official Report such information as is readily available relating to welfare payments for children.
§ Mr. NewtonIn November 1982, 346,000 children were living in families receiving family income supplement and in August 1982 1.75 million children were in families receiving supplementary benefit, but in neither case is it possible to isolate the particular amounts being paid in respect of those children. In 1982–83 the average number of national insurance child dependency additions, including those paid with unemployment benefit, was 1.2 million; the average weekly amount paid to families
United Kingdom price = 100 Country Ventolin Inhaler Adalat 10mg caps Indocid 25 mg caps Aldomet 250 mg tabs Aldomet 500 mg tabs Dixarit tablets France 54 60 91 85 n/a Belgium 54 60 68 55 55 Holland 129 107 99 93 85 Germany 96 122 132 n/a 78 Italy 31 n/a 83 69 n/a Denmark 108 111 145 127 85 It will be seen that on this basis United Kingdom prices tend to be comparable with or lower than those in Holland, Germany and Denmark, but higher than those in France, Belgium and Italy where medicines have been subject to rigorous price control for several years.