§ 9. Mr. Costainasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his estimate of how much a single man, and a married man with one, two and three children under 11 years of age, respectively, needed to earn on 1st May, 1971, to offset the increase in the cost of living compared wth men in similar circumstances earning, respectively, £1,500, £3,000 and £5,000 a year in 1964, taking into account changes in the internal purchasing power of the £ sterling, income tax, surtax and family allowances.
§ Mr. Patrick JenkinAs the reply contains a number of figures I will, with permission, circulate them in the OFFICIAL REPORT.
§ Following are the figures:
| REQUIRED EARNINGS IN MAY, 1971 (ANNUAL RATE) | ||||
| Annual earnings in 1964 | Single person | Married, one child | Married, two children | Married, three children |
| £ | £ | £ | £ | £ |
| 1,500 | 2,117 | 2,133 | 2,139 | 2,148 |
| 3,000 | 4,182 | 4,198 | 4,207 | 4,218 |
| 5,000 | 7,376 | 7,297 | 7,268 | 7,242 |