§ Mr. Peter AtkinsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security when he will publish the Social Security Advisory Committee's report about his proposals to restructure benefits for lone parents and his response to it. [31796]
§ Mr. LilleyI am today publishing the committee's report and my response to it, together with draft regulations. From April 1997, the lone parent premium in the income-related benefits will be replaced by an additional element to be incorporated into the family premium. One parent benefit will be replaced by an additional element to be incorporated into the main child benefit rates. The benefits system is relatively more generous to lone parents than to couples. The regulations will provide a more flexible mechanism for adjusting the relative level of support provided to these different types of households. I intend, over time, and without cash losses to individuals, to narrow the gap between benefits that go to lone parents and those that go to couples.