asked the secretary of State for Social Services if he will list in the Official Report the value of the child addition paid to claimants drawing the higher rates of national insurance benefit for each relevant year since 1948; and if he will express these data as a percentage of the single percentage of the single person's and the married couple's adult rate.

Following is the information:

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will bring up to date the answer to the hon. Member for Colne Valley, Official Report, 27th June 1977, column 72, on

CHILD ADDITIONS PAID TO CLAIMANTS DRAWING SICKNESS AND UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFIT
Date from which payable				Addition for first child only	Single person's adult rate	(2) as a percentage of (3)	Married couple's adult rate	(2) as a percentage of (5)
(1)				(2)	(3)	(4)	(5)	(6)
				£	£	Per cent.	£	Per cent.
July 1948	…	…	…	0·37½	1·30	28·85	2·10	17·86
August 1951	…	…	…	0·50	1·30	38·46	2·10	22·73
July 1952	…	…	…	0·52½	61·62½	32·31	2·70	19·44
May 1955	…	…	…	0·57½	2·00	28·75	3·25	17·69
February 1958	…	…	…	0·75	2·50	30·00	4·00	18·75
April 1961	…	…	…	0·87½	2·87½	30·43	4·62½	18·92
March 1963	…	…	…	1·00	3·37½	29·63	5·45	18·35
January 1965	…	…	…	1·12½	4·00	28·13	6·50	17·31
October 1967	…	…	…	1·25	4·50	27·78	7·30	17·12
April 1968	…	…	…	1·40	4·50	31·11	7·30	19·18
November 1969	…	…	…	1·55	5·00	31·00	8·10	19·14
September 1971	…	…	…	1·85	6·00	30·83	9·70	19·07
October 1972	…	…	…	2·10	6·75	31·11	10·90	19·27
October 1973	…	…	…	2·30	7·35	31·29	11·90	19·33
July 1974	…	…	…	2·70	8·60	31·40	13·90	19·42
4·75	…	…	…	3·10	9·80	31·63	15·90	19·50
November 1975	…	…	…	3·50	11·10	31·53	18·00	19·44
November 1976	…	…	…	4·05	12·90	31·40	20·90	19·38
April 1977	…	…	…	3·05*	12·90	23·64	20·90	14·59
November 1977	…	…	…	3·50*	14·70	23·81	23·80	14·71
April 1978	…	…	…	2·20†	14·70	14·97	23·80	9·24
November 1978	…	…	…	1·85‡	15·75	11·75	25·50	7·25
* Child benefit of £1·00 payable in addition.
† Child benefit of £2·30 payable in addition.
‡ Child benefit of £3·00 payable in addition.

The table does not include additions for second and subsequent children which, until April 1978, were reduced to take account of family allowances/child benefit payable for these children and were therefore lower than the first child rate. Since April 1978, the same rate has been payable for each qualifying child, whatever its position in the family.