Social Security

Part of Clause 21 – in the House of Commons at 12:00 am on 24 March 1977.

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Photo of Mr Eric Deakins Mr Eric Deakins , Waltham Forest Walthamstow 12:00, 24 March 1977

I think that it would be for the convenience of the House if I went back to the start of the sentence in which I was interrupted at 7 o'clock.

This deals with the core of the problem: taking the overall situation for families receiving FIS, together with housing benefits, free school meals and free milk and vitamins, we have got as near as practicable to the break-even point by arrangements that actually give some small gains at the changeover point, in many cases, to lone parent families and larger families in particular.

There are, in fact, only two small groups who could lose, and then only a few pence a week. The first group comprises about 5,000 families receiving rent and rate rebates, who could lose about 3p a week. The other group is a very small number of one-parent families receiving a rate rebate only, who could lose, at most, 7p a week. This second group is so small that we cannot make a reliable estimate of the number involved. So much for the April proposals.