30. Mrs. Slaterasked the Minister of Food the percentage of income spent on food by the social classes A, B, C and both sub-divisions of D, calculated on the basis of the 1951 budgets taken by the National Food Survey Committee.
§ Major Lloyd GeorgeThese groups are classified according to the occupation and income of the head of the household, and particulars of total family income are not available.
Mrs. SlaterDoes not the right hon. and gallant Gentleman agree that in Table 21 of the National Food Survey there is enough evidence to prove that those in the higher income groups spend a very much less percentage on food than those in the poorer income groups; and that this should be borne in mind in relation to the cost of living, and particularly the effect of the rising cost of food on the poorer income groups?
§ Major Lloyd GeorgeThat, of course, is what the Government had in mind when they increased family allowances and pensions. That was their purpose. It is no use the hon. Gentleman laughing —does he deny it? The fact is that we did more than was done under the previous Government. It is very difficult to argue from what the hon. Lady was saying, because only the income of the heads of households was included on the 1951 basis, whereas, in fact, the family income of about half the households with earners comes from more than one wage-earner. In 1952 we tried an experiment, which we continued in 1953, to try to get the household income, which, of course, gives a much better percentage.