Roughly £100 billion is spent each year in the UK dealing with problems relating to sexual promiscuity and 
relationship breakdown, according to research [1] by the Jubilee Centre.
Author Guy Brandon attacked society’s uncritical endorsement of sexual freedom which he argues has resulted in massive public costs.
The costs include dealing with family breakdown, sexually transmitted infections (STI), absenteeism, domestic violence and educational underachievement.
The study also reveals that the £100 billion figure is double the combined annual spend on tackling alcohol abuse, smoking and obesity.
In the paper Mr Brandon said: “The costs of sexual freedom and relationship breakdown to the taxpayer and wider economy are complex and difficult to calculate, but £100 billion annually is probably a reasonable starting point: about twice as much as alcohol abuse, smoking and obesity combined.”
He added: “This represents an enormous moral hazard and, as a result, unsustainable and unjust public expenditure.”
Citing the need for reduced individualism and stronger family ties, he suggests the example of Singapore where housing policy and tax breaks are used to encourage people to relocate closer to relatives.
Mr Brandon said such an initiative was already being used in the commercial world by John Lewis, and encouraged other employers to follow suit.
He also commended four Internet providers for offering customers the option to block adult content at the point of subscription.
“This and similar initiatives could be accompanied by a small rebate in customers’ bills, funded by the state” he said.
The research also laments the “changing landscape of sexual freedom” as well as rising divorce and STI numbers.
Dr Peter Saunders, CEO of the Christian Medical Fellowship, said the paper would “undoubtedly stimulate debate”.
In 2010, Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith said that children from broken families were suffering poor outcomes and that this cost the UK up to a £100 billion a year, a Government minister says.
Children raised in single parent households are nine times more likely to begin a life of crime than those who were raised by both parents, according to a stark warning by Mr Duncan Smith.
Speaking yesterday the Work and Pensions Secretary slammed Labour for undermining the role of the family, warning it had led to more crime, more poverty and poorer prospects for children.
Mr Duncan Smith said: “It is important that we recognise the role of marriage in building a strong society, especially if we want to give children the best chance in life.”
“Sadly the last Government seemed determined to undermine marriage – for example, by removing references to it from official forms.”
He added: “Evidence shows that family influences educational outcomes, job prospects, and even life expectancy.”
He also cited evidence, collected by a number of official bodies, showing the difficulties faced by children from lone-parent families.
Mr Duncan Smith said: “Lone-parent families are more than twice as likely to live in poverty than two-parent families.”