HC Deb 27 November 1989 vol 162 cc139-40W
18. Mr. Jessel

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what percentage of the total budget of his Department is used to provide for the needs of one-parent families; and what was the corresponding percentage for 10 and 20 years ago.

Mrs. Gillian Shephard

Data on a consistent basis are available only for the years from 1981–82. In that year spending on lone-parent families accounted for 4.8 per cent. of total benefit expenditure compared with 7.5 per cent. for 1988–89. For the purposes of this comparison the benefits paid to lone-parents have been counted as one-parent benefit, supplementary benefit income support, housing benefit, child benefit, maternity benefit and family income supplement family credit. The comparison excludes benefit paid to widows with children because insufficient information is available.

23. Mrs. Mahon

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security when he intends publishing the results of his Department's internal review of benefits for single parents.

Mrs. Gillian Shephard

Social security benefits, including those for lone-parent families, are kept constantly under review to ensure that they respond to need while encouraging independence. So, for example, my right hon. Friend's recent uprating statement recognised the special needs of lone-parent families by increasing the lone-parent premium in housing benefit from next April from £8.60 to £9.70 a week and raising the amount lone parents can earn before housing benefit is affected from £15 to £25 a week from October 1990. These changes will give further help to working lone parents with high housing costs.