HC Deb 26 May 1989 vol 153 cc750-1W
Mr. Nicholas Bennett

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the net income of pensioners in the United Kingdom in each of the following percentiles of pensioner income:(a) 10th, (b) 25th, (c) 50th, (d) 75th, (e) 90th.

Mr. Peter Lloyd

The average total net income of pensioner tax units' in each section of the pensioner income distribution2 is as follows:

Weekly net income £ (at 1986 prices)
Lowest
10 per cent. 51.35
25 per cent. 57.65
50 per cent. 63.05
75 per cent. 68.40
90 per cent. 76.25
Source: Family Expenditure Survey 1986.
1 A pensioner tax unit is a single person of state pension age or a couple where the man is of state pension age.
2 The pensioner income distribution is divided into sections using equivalised net income.

Mr. Nicholas Bennett

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what percentage of United Kingdom pensioners have no other income other than their state retirement pensions, and what information he has as to the comparable figures for other European Community countries.

Mr. Peter Lloyd

Just under 20 per cent. of retirement pensioners have no other source of income than state benefits. I regret that comparable information for other European Community countries is not available.

Source: Family Expenditure Survey 1986.

Note 1: the data cannot be broken down further to provide the proportion of pensioners' income derived from the basic state pension.