Consumer durables common to most households such as televisions, video recorders, central heating and the presence of a phone showed little difference between lone parent families and other households with dependent children, while access to other facilities such as access to the internet at home, revealed greater differences. Differences between lone parent families and other families were:

• car or van (51% compared with 93%)

• home computer (49% compared with 75%)

• access to the internet (31% compared with 59%)

• tumble drier (60% compared with 72%)

• mobile phone (76% compared with 85%)

• central heating (92% compared with 95%)

• video recorder (94% compared with 98%)