§ Mr. Formanasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what were the average real disposable weekly earnings of male manual workers for each year from 1970 to the latest available date;, and what were the comparable figures for the upper and lower quartiles, respectively.
§ Mr. Peter ReesThe, figures for a single man are as follows:
for all full-time male manual employees, aged 21 and over, from the New Earnings Survey, taking the average of the figures 69W at April at the beginning and end of each year. For 1978–79 and 1979–80 the assumed levels of earnings for October 1978 and July 1979—the most recent date available—are used. They are obtained by updating the New Earnings Survey estimate of earnings in April 1978 taking account of movements in a centred three-month moving average of the whole economy index of average earnings of all employees.
Net income is earnings less tax and national insurance contributions. The prices index used to express the figures at constant 1970–71 prices is the general index of retail prices for all items.