asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what would be the cost of giving married women the right to claim an independent social security income.

Married women who satisfy the contribution conditions are of course entitled to claim national insurance benefits like anyone else. The cost of giving all married women the right to claim an independent social security income would depend on the level of that income and the conditions attached to its award, for example, whether it was means-tested and how it fitted in with existing social security benefits and the income tax structure. There are nearly 14 million married women in Great Britain, of whom about half are in employment, either full or part-time.