§ Mr. GregoryTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if child benefit is paid to mothers serving prison sentences; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. ScottChild benefit can be paid to mothers in custody who have a child living with them in prison. Child benefit is intended to help people responsible for bringing up children. A mother who is looking after her child in prison has a significant responsibility for its welfare.
§ Mr. Matthew TaylorTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what would be the cost of ceasing to treat(a) child benefit and (b) one parent benefit as a resource for income support, assuming unemployment levels of (a) 1,000,000, (b) 1,250,000, (c) 1,500,000, (d) 1,750,000 and (e) 2,000,000.
§ Mr. Peter Lloyd[holding answer 9 June 1989]: Using the May 1987 annual statistical enquiry, which is the latest statistical data available, and the level of unemployment (2.86 million) existing at that time, the annual cost of disregarding child benefit and one parent benefit in income support would be £870 million and £160 million respectively at the current rates in payment. It is not possible to estimate the costs for the requested unemployment levels because the number of families entitled to these benefits and their composition do not alter in proportion to the changes in the number of unemployed people.