§ Mr. Peter Bottomleyasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will list in the Official Report the number of persons living (a) below, (b) on and (c) up to 140 per cent. above the supplementary benefit level in 1976, giving a breakdown between those above and below pensionable age and a further subdivision into family types and employment status.
§ Mr. Ralph Howellasked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) if he will publish a table in the Official Report of the numbers of poor people in 1976; and if he will classify this information according to (a) whether they live below, at 100 per cent., 110 per cent., 120 per cent., and 140 per cent. of the supple- 272W mentary benefit level and (b) according to the standard occupational and family groupings;
(2) if he will up-date the information given to the hon. Member for Sowerby, (Mr. Madden), Official Report, 22nd November 1976, c. 1000–1004, showing the number of persons living (a) below, (b) on and (c) up to 140 per cent. above the supplementary benefit level for each year since 1972, and giving a breakdown between those above and below pensionable ago, and a further subdivision into family types.
§ Mr. Orme, pursuant to his replies of 25th November 1977 [Official Report, Vol. 939, c. 938], 23rd January 1978 [Official Report, Vol. 942, c. 482] and 12th April 1978, gave the following information:
273W
ESTIMATED NUMBERS OF FAMILIES AND PERSONS WITH INCOMES AT VARIOUS LEVELS RELATIVE TO SUPPLEMENTARY BENEFIT LEVEL ANALYSED BY EMPLOYMENT STATUS Great Britain—December 1976 (thousands) Income below Supp. Benefit level Supp. Benefit recipients Receiving Supp. Benefit Income at or above Supp. Benefit level but within 10 per cent. of it Income at or above Supp. Benefit level but within 20 per cent. of it Income at or above Supp. Benefit level but within 40 per cent. of it Excluding Supp. Benefit recipients Families Persons Families Persons Families Persons Families Persons Families Persons 1. Over Pensionable Age (60 for women, 65 for men 700 870 1,660 1,950 570 810 1,360 1,890 2,240 3,180 2. Under Pensionable Age: Family head or single person: (a) normally in full-time work or self-employed 290 890 — — 160 610 450 1,670 1,230 4,450 (b) sick or disabled for more than 3 months [20] [30] 190 250 [10] [40] 70 150 130 290 (c) unemployed for more than 3 months 100 170 410 910 50 140 90 220 120 290 (d) others 250 320 360 980 [30] [30] 70 100 190 290 Total under Pensionable Age 650 1,410 950 2,140 250 820 680 2,140 1,670 5,320 Of which in large families (3 children or more) 70 42 130 700 80 430 180 970 400 2,190 Of which single parent families [40] 100 320 920 [10] [30] [30] 90 70 220 3. Total of 1. and 2. 1,350 2,280 2,610 4,090 820 1,630 2,040 4,040 3,900 8,500
274W275W
ESTIMATED NUMBERS OF FAMILIES AND PERSONS WITH INCOMES AT VARIOUS LEVELS RELATIVE TO SUPPLEMENTARY BENEFIT LEVEL ANALYSED BY FAMILY TYPE Great Britain—December 1976 (thousands) Income below Supp. Benefit level Supp. Benefit recipients Receiving Supp. Benefit Income at or above Supp. Benefit level but within 10 per cent. of it Income at or above Supp. Benefit level but within 20 per cent. of it Income at or above Supp. Benefit level but within 40 per cent. of it Excluding Supp. Benefit recipients Families Persons Families Persons Families Persons Families Persons Families Persons 1 Over pension age: Married couples 160 320 290 580 240 470 520 1,050 920 1,860 Single persons 550 550 1,370 1,370 340 340 840 850 1,310 1,320 All over pension age 700 870 1,660 1,950 570 810 1,360 1,890 2,240 3,180
276W
ESTIMATED NUMBERS OF FAMILIES AND PERSONS WITH INCOMES AT VARIOUS LEVELS RELATIVE TO SUPPLEMENTARY BENEFIT LEVEL ANALYSED BY FAMILY TYPE Great Britain—December 1976 (thousands) Income below Supp. Benefit level Supp. Benefit recipients Receiving Supp. Benefit Income at or above Supp. Benefit level but within 10 per cent. of it Income at or above Supp. Benefit level but within 20 per cent. of it Income at or above Supp. Benefit level but within 40 per cent. of it Excluding Supp. Benefit recipients Families Persons Families Persons Families Persons Families Persons Families Persons 2. Under pension age: Married couples with children 190 820 140 640 140 660 380 1,700 960 4,220 Single persons with children [40] 100 320 920 [10] [30] [30] 90 70 220 Married couples without children 70 130 80 160 [30] 60 90 180 250 490 Single persons without children 360 360 410 410 70 70 170 170 390 390 All under pension age 650 1,410 950 2,140 250 820 680 2,140 1,670 5,320 3. All over and under pension age 1,350 2,280 2,610 4,090 820 1,630 2,040 4,040 3,900 8,500 Notes to Tables: 1. All figures are rounded to the nearest 10,000. Consequently, the sum of the component parts may not equal the totals. 2. The estimates for those not receiving supplementary benefit are based on DHSS analysis of incomes and other information recorded by respondents to the Family Expenditure Survey for 1976. The estimates are subject to sampling error; those figures in square brackets are subject to very considerable proportionate sampling error. Estimates of those normally receiving supplementary benefit are derived from the Annual Statistical Enquiry of Supplementary Benefit claimants. 3. These estimates relate only to the population living in private households; families and persons in institutions are not sampled in the FES. 4. The supplementary benefit level is taken as being the supplementary benefit scale rate(s) appropriate, to the family using the long term rates for pensioners only. Income refers to net income less net housing costs less work expenses where appropriate, 5. The comparison is based on the family's normal income in the normal employment situation of the family head. For example, where the head of the family had been off work due to sickness or unemployment for less than three months at the time of the survey, the family's normal income when the head was at work was used in determining the level of income. 6. The estimates for numbers of families with income below the supplementary benefit level do NOT indicate unclaimed entitlement to supplementary benefit. For example those who are in full-time work or undertaking full-time further education would not normally have entitlement to supplementary benefit; for others not precluded from claiming, no regard is had in these estimates to factors such as disregarded income, treatment of capital or exceptional circumstances additions, each of which can affect payment of supplementary benefit. 7. Separate estimates of families with apparent unclaimed entitlement to supplementary benefit are now made annually. Those for 1975 were published in the Annual Report of the Supplementary Benefits Commission for 1976 (Cmnd. 6910): estimates for 1976 will be published in the Commission's Report for 1977. 8. The 1976 estimates of families with incomes below the supplementary benefit level are directly comparable with those for 1975 and 1974 but not with those for 1972 or 1973. In earlier years it had been assumed that the income distribution of the self-employed was the same as for other employees. Self-employed sample records were included in the analysis in 1974 for the first time and this has been repeated in 1975 and 1976. The figures on the self-employed are specially liable to error because their incomes recorded in the FES tend to be particularly low in relation to their recorded expenditure. This discrepancy is partly due to the incomes of the self-employed being recorded in many cases for a much earlier period than that to which their expenditure relates and the data in the tables for 1975 and 1976 have been adjusted to take account of this.