asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what help she has been able to give to single-parent families, who do not pay tax, during 1975–76.

Most one-parent families who do not pay tax are receiving social security benefits of one kind or another, in particular supplementary benefit or widowed mother's allowance. Substantial increases were made in these benefits last month; and there is to be a further increase later this year. Families on supplementary benefit will also stand to gain from the improvements which have been or are to be made in the supplementary benefit scheme which fulfil recommendations made by the Finer Committee: in particular, the supplementary benefits earnings disregard is to be doubled later this year. A number of one-parent families will gain from last month's increase of family allowances, and from the July increase in family income supplement, depending on their circumstances in each case.