HC Deb 05 December 1977 vol 940 cc589-90W
40. Mr. Peter Bottomley

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what has been the average consumer expenditure per annum for a retired couple on fuel and light since February 1974.

Mr. Golding

Information is not available in the precise form requested for retired couples. Information is, however, available from the Family Expenditure Survey for a closely related group of households. These are "retired households" consisting of two adults in which more than half the total household income is provided by persons above the age of 60 and describing themselves as retired or unoccupied. For such households, the annual expenditure on fuel and light for the years 1974, 1975 and 1976 was £123, £156 and £172, respectively. The figures are subject to sampling error.