asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what was the value of family income supplement for a one, two, four and six child family as a percentage of (a) gross and (b) net average industrial earnings for each year since 1971.

						Average FIS payment as % of gross earnings
Calendar year					Average gross earnings† (October)	Families with
						1 child	2 children	4 children	6 children
1971*	…	…	…	…	£30·93	6·2	5·0	5·0	6·3
1972	…	…	…	…	£35·82	6·3	5·2	5·2	6·1
1973	…	…	…	…	£40·92	6·2	5·6	6·0	6·9
1974	…	…	…	…	£48·63	6·1	5·6	6·3	7·3
1975	…	…	…	…	£59·58	6·3	6·0	6·5	7·0
* Average payments are the average of a calendar year. For 1971, the averages are based on the last quarter only
† Average gross earnings are those of male manual workers aged 21 and over covered by the Department of Employment's regular annual October enquiry into earnings and hours of manual workers

The following table shows, FIS average payments as a percentage of net income—earnings plus family alowances net of

	1 Child Family		2 Child Family		4 Child Family		6 Child Family
(1)	(2)	(3)	(4)	(5)	(6)	(7)	(8)	(9)
Calendar	Average net income	Average FIS payment as percentage of (2)	Average net income	Average FIS payment as percentage of (4)	Average net income	Average FIS payment as percentage of (6)	Average net income	Average FIS payment as percentage of (8)
	£		£		£		£
1971	24·38	7·9	25·85	6·0	29·30	5·3	32·38	6·0
1972	28·51	8·0	29·98	6·2	33·43	5·6	36·52	6·0
1973	31·86	8·0	33·30	6·9	36·91	6·7	39·73	7·1
1974	36·67	8·0	38·47	7·1	42·65	7·2	46·37	7·6
1975	43·48	8·6	45·72	7·8	50·67	7·7	55·15	7·5

The figures for net income are based on the assumptions that the families have gross earnings as shown in table 1; are receiving basic tax allowances only; consist of man and wife with:1 child: aged under 11.2 children: both aged under 11.4 children: 2 aged under 11,2 11–15.6 children: 4 aged under 11, 2 11–15.