HC Deb 29 March 1994 vol 240 cc703-4W
Mr. Morley

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will show the average income of(a) farmers and (b) farm workers in (i) cash and (ii) real terms, using 1985 as a constant, in each year since 1980 showing these incomes as a percentage of the average wage.

Sir Hector Monro

Estimates of the earnings of full-time hired agricultural workers in Scotland are derived from the control test inspection sample survey carried out under the Agricultural Wages (Scotland) Act 1949. Those figures are given in the table.

None of the estimates of average farm income is comparable with the average wage. The table presents estimates of cash income to farm businesses in Scotland for 1986–87 onwards. Estimates for previous years are not available on a consistent basis.

Earnings of Hired Full-time Agricultural Workers in Scotland
Year Estimated annual cash income1 all types of Farm Current terms2 (£/Week) Real terms at 1985 prices2 3 week) Percentage of average wage4
(£ '000s per farm) (£ per week) (£ per week)
1980 — 81.63 115.53 78.5
1981 — 89.44 113.15 78.5
1982 — 98.08 114.24 78.8
1983 — 107.41 119.62 80.9
1984 — 114.36 121.32 80.0
1985 — 122.17 122.17 79.8
1986 16.9 129.33 125.07 79.2
1987 21.1 134.56 124.92 77.6
1988 20.5 142.91 126.47 76.3
1989 22.6 154.79 127.11 76.2
1990 27.2 171.51 128.67 77.5
1991 26.3 189.06 133.97 80.0
1992 28.6 195.57 133.58 78.0
61993 5— 204.50 137.50 79.7

1 Accounting years end, on average, in February of the following year. Cash income represents the total receipts less the total expenditure (excluding net investment expenditure) of the farm business. Source: Farm Accounts Survey.

2 Includes payments for basic, overtime and holiday hours, plus the value of annual bonus, perquisites and other payments. It also includes the value of the employer's contribution to the employees' rates, community charge and council tax where the value is known.

3 Deflated by the all items RPI (1985 = 100)

4 Average earnings of full-time manual employees on adult rates (compiled on a basis of men aged 21+ and women aged 18+ prior to 1983) in all industries and services in Great Britain whose pay was not affected by absence for the survey period. Source: New Earnings Survey.

5Not available

6Provisional

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