asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is her policy with regard to the conclusions of the report by the Child Poverty Action Group on the reform of the social security system.

I have studied this report with interest and I am, of course, sympathetic to the needs of those represented by the Child Poverty Action Group. However, I must tell my hon. Friend that the implementation of the report's proposals, at a cost which the Group estimates as approaching £4 billion a year, is not a realistic option in the light of current economic circumstances and of other competing priorities for expenditure on the social services.