§ Mr. Frank FieldTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list the real income changes in the value of benefits to(a) single person, (b) a single parent with one child, (c) a single parent with two children, (d) a married couple and (e) a married couple with one and two children between 1979 and the latest available date; and if he will estimate the real increase in the average take-home pay of (i) a single person, (ii) a single parent and (iii) a married couple, including child benefit, over the same period. [27221]
§ Mr. Roger EvansIt is not possible to provide information in the form requested. Average earnings are not available by family type and benefits payable to different family types will depend on their individual circumstances and, in some cases, family composition.
421WGovernment policy is to uprate benefits each year in line with inflation. In addition, since 1988, extra help now worth over £1 billion in real terms has been made available to low-income families with children through income-related benefits.