HC Deb 28 July 1977 vol 936 cc592-3W
Mr. Richard Wainwright

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will publish in the Official Report the value of family allowances and child benefits for a two and four-child family as a percentage of net and gross average industrial earnings for each year since 1946.

FAMILY ALLOWANCE* FOR A TWO- AND FOUR-CHILD TWO-PARENT FAMILY
AS A PERCENTAGE OF GROSS† AND NET‡ AVERAGE EARNINGS
Family allowance for a two-child Family allowance for a four-child
Family as a percentage of Family as a percentage of
Year (October) Gross earnings Net earnings Gross earnings Net earnings
1946§ 4.2 4.1 12.6 11.2
1947 3.9 3.8 11.7 10.5
1948 3.6 3.6 10.9 10.1
1949 3.5 3.5 10.5 9.8
1950 3.3 3.3 10.0 9.4
1951 3.0 3.0 9.0 8.5
1952 4.5 4.4 13.4 12.2
1953 4.2 4.2 12.7 11.6
1954 3.9 3.9 11.7 10.8
1955 3.6 3.6 10.8 10.8
1956 3.4 3.4 11.8 10.8
1957 3.2 3.2 11.1 10.3
1958 3.1 3.2 10.9 10.2
1959 3.0 3.0 10.3 9.7
1960 2.8 2.9 9.6 9.1
1961 2.6 2.8 9.1 8.8
1962 2.5 2.7 8.8 8.5
1963 2.4 2.5 8.4 8.1
1964 2.2 2.4 7.7 7.6
1965 2.0 2.3 7.1 7.1
1966 2.0 2.2 6.9 6.9
1967 1.9 2.1 7.7 7.8
1968 3.9 4.5 12.6 12.9
1969 3.6 4.2 11.7 12.2
1970 3.2 3.9 10.3 11.3
1971 2.9 3.5 9.4 10.0
1972 2.5 3.0 8.1 8.8
1973 2.2 2.7 7.1 8.0
1974 1.9 2.3 6.0 6.9
1975 2.5 3.3 7.6 9.0
1976 2.2 2.9 6.7 7.5
1977║ 3.5 4.5 7.8 9.0
* Gross family allowances. Child benefit from April 1977.
† Estimates based on the average gross weekly earnings of male adult, fulltime manual workers as determined by the Department of Employment October Inquiry into the earnings of manual workers employed in manufacturing and certain other industries and the Monthly Index of Average Earnings.
‡Gross earnings plus family allowance less tax and national insurance contributions.
§ August 1946.
║April 1977, latest available date.