§ Ms. Harmanasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what steps his Department is taking to monitor the operation of the directive on equal treatment for men and women in social security matters; and what types of statistics are being compiled by his Department.
§ Mr. WhitneyNormal managerial monitoring arrangements are being complemented with studies by the Department's policy inspectorate. In the case of supplementary benefit and family income supplement records are being kept of the number of successful and unsuccessful claims by women for themselves and their partners, and in the case of supplementary benefit the number of cases in which there has been a change of claimant from the man to the women. In the case of national insurance benefits statistical returns have been amended to reflect the equal treatment provisions.