§ Baroness Jegerasked Her Majesty's Government:
What action they propose to take regarding payments for married women who give up their paid employment to care for invalid relatives.
§ Baroness TrumpingtonAn extension of the existing invalid care allowance to married women is estimated to cost an additional £100 million a year net of savings on other benefits. It is not self-evident that, even if such resources were available, extension would be the best use of those resources to help carers in the valuable work they do. The judgment of the European Court as to whether the current legislation contravenes the European Community Equal Treatment Directive is not expected until June.