To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Oldham, West of 20 December concerning short-term foster parents, what arrangements he has made regarding requirements for (a) availability for work and (b) actively seeking work in the periods between placements.

The general rule is that people claiming benefits on grounds of unemployment have to be available for and actively seeking employment. No special arrangements apply to short-term foster parents, who are treated in the same way as natural parents.