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Dept of Social Security

Answer

Mr. Wicks: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what are the current average net incomes for (a) two and one-parent families with dependent children, (b) childless non-pensioner couples and (c) single non-pensioners in each decile of income; and how these have changed in real terms in each five-year period over the past 30 years. [16697] Mr. Keith Bradley: Our objective is to improve living standards for the many, not just the few, and we aim to offer educational and employment opportunities for all. The information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is set out in the tables. These show the average net equivalised household incomes and changes over time for individuals by family type. The income distribution is disaggregated into deciles separately for each family type. Income is as defined and measured in the Department's Households Below Average Income (HBAI) series, based on household income adjusted for household size; HBAI data are not available for years before 1979 or for every year since then. Income before housing costs (£ per week equivalised) _________________________________________________________________________________________________. Decile group medians Total Decile 1 Decile 2 Decile 3 Decile 4 Decile 5 Decile 6 Decile 7 Decile 8 Decile 9 Decile 10 populatio n (mean) Two and one 99 131 157 183 215 243 275 320 383 547 267 parent families with dependent children 1994-95 (£ per week) Change 5 6 5 2 5 5 6 8 7 8 6 1998-89 to 1994-95 (per cent.) Change 1979 0 0 6 14 19 22 26 30 37 47 28 to 1988-89 (per cent.) Childless 124 188 237 279 314 352 396 455 550 780 384 non- pensioner couples 1994-95 (£ per week) Change 12 7 7 8 6 6 6 7 9 15 9 1988-89 to 1994-95 (per cent.) Change 1979 -4 8 11 11 16 20 25 31 39 47 30 to 1988-89 (per cent.) Single 99 144 179 214 253 293 334 384 466 653 313 non- pensioners 1994-95 (£ per week) Change 1 3 0 -2 1 5 6 5 8 12 6 1988-89 to 1994-95 (per cent.) Change 1979 -3 -2 5 14 16 18 21 28 32 43 24 to 1988-89 (per cent.) _________________________________________________________________________________________________. Income after housing costs (£ per week equivalised) _________________________________________________________________________________________________. Decile group medians Total Decile 1 Decile 2 Decile 3 Decile 4 Decile 5 Decile 6 Decile 7 Decile 8 Decile 9 Decile 10 populatio n (mean) Two and one 69 97 119 149 178 206 236 273 332 481 226 parent families with dependent children 1994-95 (£ per week) Change -3 -1 -4 1 4 6 7 7 8 10 6 1988-89 to 1994-95 (per cent.) Change 1979 -9 -5 4 10 14 18 19 23 26 32 21 to 1988-89 (per cent.) Childless 90 156 206 244 281 313 350 404 491 699 340 non- pensioner couples 1994-95 (£ per week) Change 3 3 5 7 7 6 6 7 10 15 9 1988-89 to 1994-95 (per cent.) Change 1979 -10 8 12 13 17 19 22 25 29 33 24 to 1988-89 (per cent.) Single 52 102 142 184 222 259 302 348 421 605 275 non- pensioners 1994-95 (£ per week) Change -29 -9 -8 -5 0 3 5 6 9 12 5 1988-89 to 1994-95 (per cent.) Change 1979 -19 -9 3 13 14 17 19 22 24 31 20 to 1988-89 (per cent.) _________________________________________________________________________________________________. Notes: 1. For 1988-89 the information is provided for two calendar years combined; 1994-95 represents the financial years 1994-95 and 1995-96 combined. 2. The survey does not track the same people over time; those at a particular point in the distribution in one year are not the same people as in another year. 3. All estimates are subject to sampling error. Numbers can also be affected by the choice of equivalence scale used to adjust household incomes for household size. Source: Households Below Average Income--July 1997 prices.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

16697; 302 c381-2W

Session

1997-98

Subjects

Families Income Personal income Married people Lone parents Single people Standard of living

Contains statistics

Yes