§ Mr. Thurnhamasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what estimate he has made of the extra cost to employers of paying family credit to their employees.
§ Mr. NewtonIt is not practicable to estimate any extra administrative costs for employers since they will cope differently with the payments depending on their payroll arrangements, and because the number of employees involved will vary. Many employers will have no family credit recipients amongst their employees. We have undertaken to keep the payment procedures as simple as possible for employers, and thereby keep any extra work to a minimum. We shall be consulting further with employers' organisations and others about the details.