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Poverty

Answer

This information is given in the following tables.

Table 1: Number and proportion of 55 to 59-year-olds in households below 60 per cent. of median income
			Before housing costs	After housing costs
Coverage	Year	Total number of 55 to 59 year olds (million)	Number below 60% of median income (million)	Percentage below 60% of median income	Number below 60% of median income (million)	Percentage below 60% of median income
GB	1997-98	2.9	0.5	16	0.5	18
	1998-99	3.0	0.5	16	0.5	18
	1999-00	3.1	0.5	15	0.5	17
	2000-01	3.1	0.5	16	0.6	18
	2001-02	3.3	0.5	16	0.6	18
UK	2002-03	3.7	0.6	15	0.6	17
	2003-04	3.9	0.6	16	0.7	18
	2004-05	3.8	0.6	15	0.6	16
	2005-06	3.9	0.6	15	0.6	17
	2006-07	3.9	0.7	17	0.7	18
Source:
Households Below Average Income, DWP

Table 1: Number and proportion of 60 to 649-year-olds in households below 60 per cent. of median income
			Before housing costs	After housing costs
Coverage	Year	Total number of 60 to 64year olds (million)	Number below 60% of median income (million)	Percentage below 60% of median income	Number below 60% of median income (million)	Percentage below 60% of median income
GB	1997-98	2.7	0.5	19	0.6	22
	1998-99	2.7	0.5	19	0.6	21
	1999-00	2.8	0.5	19	0.6	22
	2000-01	2.8	0.5	18	0.6	21
	2001-02	2.8	0.6	21	0.6	22
UK	2002-03	2.9	0.6	19	0.6	21
	2003-04	3.0	0.6	19	0.6	20
	2004-05	3.0	0.5	18	0.6	19
	2005-06	3.1	0.6	18	0.5	18
	2006-07	3.2	0.6	18	0.6	18
Source:
Households Below Average Income, DWP

Table 1: Number and proportion of 65 to 69-year-olds in households below 60 per cent. of median income
			Before housing costs	After housing costs
Coverage	Year	Total number of 65 to 69 year olds (million)	Number below 60% of median income (million)	Percentage below 60% of median income	Number below 60% of median income (million)	Percentage below 60% of median income
GB	1997-98	2.6	0.5	19	0.6	22
	1998-99	2.5	0.5	20	0.5	21
	1999-00	2.5	0.5	19	0.6	22
	2000-01	2.5	0.5	20	0.5	21
	2001-02	2.5	0.4	18	0.5	20
UK	2002-03	2.5	0.5	19	0.5	20
	2003-04	2.5	0.5	18	0.4	18
	2004-05	2.6	0.4	17	0.4	16
	2005-06	2.7	0.5	18	0.4	16
	2006-07	2.6	0.5	18	0.4	16
Notes:
1. These statistics are based on Households Below Average Income data.
2. Data for Northern Ireland has only been collected since 2002-03, so the information shown is for the United Kingdom from 2002-03 to 2006-07, and for Great Britain for 1997-98 to 2001-02.
3. Small changes should be treated with caution as these will be affected by sampling error and variability in non-response.
4. The reference period for Household Below Average Income figures is single financial years.
5. The income measures used to derive the estimates shown employ the same methodology as the Department for Work and Pensions publication 'Households Below Average Income' (HBAI) series, which uses disposable household income, adjusted (or "equivalised") for household size and composition, as an income measure as a proxy for standard of living.
6. The figures are based on OECD equivalisation factors.
7. Figures have been presented on both a Before Housing Cost and After Housing Cost basis. For Before Housing Cost, housing costs (such as rent, water rates, mortgage interest payments, structural insurance payments and ground rent and service charges) are not deducted from income, while for After Housing Cost they are.
8. The Government's preferred measures of low income for pensioners are based on incomes measured after housing costs. Measuring income on an after housing costs basis is appropriate, as two thirds of pensioners own their property outright and so face lower housing costs to meet from their current income while still deriving value from their home. This is different to the current working age population and to the situation for pensioners in the past. Considering pensioners' incomes compared to others after deducting housing costs allows for more meaningful comparisons of income between working age people and pensioners, and between pensioners over time
9. As part of PSA Delivery Agreement 17 three indicators of low income poverty will be monitored: the percentage of pensioners below 60 per cent. contemporary median income, 50 per cent median income and 60 per cent. of 1998-99 median income uprated in line with prices.
10. Numbers of individuals in each age range have been rounded to the nearest 100,000 individuals, while proportions of individuals in each age range have been rounded to the nearest percentage point.
Source:
Households Below Average Income, DWP

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

479 c1199-202W; 207147

Session

2007-08

Subjects

Poverty Older people

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk