Social Security Benefits: Cohabitation

Mary Creagh
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what change in his Department's expenditure on benefits resulted from treating cohabiting couples the same as married couples for the purpose of benefit calculation in (a) 2005-06 and (b) 2006-07.

Mr. Plaskitt
Treating cohabiting couples in the same way as married couples for the purpose of benefit entitlement is a longstanding principle. There has therefore been no change in the Department's expenditure on benefits for cohabiting couples.