HC Deb 21 April 1988 vol 131 c551W
Mr. Harry Greenway

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services what are the trends in spending since 1986 on(a) targeted and (b) untargeted financial support for families with children; and how they are expected to develop from April.

60. Mr. Wood

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services how much(a) was spent in 1986–87, (b) will be spent in 1987–88, and (c) is expected to be spent in 1988–89 on providing financial assistance to families with children.

Mr. Scott

[holding anwer 8 March 1988]: It is estimated that in 1986–87 around £5 billion was spent on families with children through income-related benefits (covering the needs of the parents as well as of the children themselves) and around £5 billion in non-income-related benefits (principally child benefit). Comparable figures for later years are not available.