Deserted Wives

Press, Volume CV, Issue 31002, 7 March 1966, Page 14

Deserted Wives

Sir,—Mr Pyne, in his reply (published on February 23) to “interested,” might have given an instance of how much a deserted wife and family has to live on. The Social Security Department apparently expects a deserted wife with five children to live on £7 a week; I know of a family in this situation. The mother has satisfied the department that she is a deserted wife, and the department expects her to feed and clothe six people on £7 a week, after paying £3 rent. After six months of this the mother has given up the struggle. Now her home will be broken up: the children will go to an orphanage, and the mother, her health broken, will go into hospital. —Yours, etc., M. ROSSITER. February 23, 1966. [The district registrar of the Social Security Department (Mr E. B. Pyne) says: “The rates of benefit payable to widows and deserted wives are shown on page 10 of the booklet posted to householders recently. This quotes the amount payable where there are five dependent children as £564 4s a year (£lO 17s a week) in addition to family benefit of £3 15s a week. This beneficiary may qualify for supplementary assistance, and I would "welcome an opportunity of discussing this with her.”]