HC Deb 12 March 1996 vol 273 cc596-600W
Sir Andrew Bowden

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will provide an updated analysis for each quintile of pensioner incomes for single pensioners, pensioner couples and all pensioner units on the same basis as that given on 7 February 1995,Official Report, columns 196–200, table 1. [18220]

Mr. Heald

The information is in the tables.

When comparing this reply to the information given on 7 February 1995 it should be noted that the "single" and "couple" table headings for the numbers of pensioner units in each quintile were transposed in the previous reply.

Table 1: The Average Incomes of Pensioners 1979–1993 (by quintile-quintile l=lowest)—(£ per week July 1993 prices)
(a) Single pensioners
Income source Quintile 1 Quintile 2 Quintile 3 Quintile 4 Quintile 5 Total
1979 1993 1979 1993 1979 1993 1979 1993 1979 1993 1979 1993
Net income BHC (mean) 49.60 60.50 59.70 78.80 65.00 92.20 75.00 111.60 124.10 216.00 74.60 111.80
Net income AHC (mean) 39.20 44.90 48.70 59.90 52.80 68.60 61.30 95.30 110.10 202.90 62.40 94.30
Net income BHC (median) 51.20 63.10 61.00 80.70 67.70 93.10 75.40 110.00 107.60 172.60 67.70 93.10
Net income AHC (median) 41.30 49.80 48.70 59.70 53.60 67.40 61.70 94.50 95.40 160.90 53.60 67.40
1 Indicates that sample sizes are too small to provide reliable estimates. Figures are shown only to demonstrate how totals are arrived at. All figures before housing costs (BHC) unless otherwise stated. After housing costs = AHC.

1. All average amounts are means except where otherwise stated.

2. Components may not sum to totals owing to rounding.

3. Pensioner units are defined as single people over state pension age (SPA) and couples in which the husband, or head, is over SPA.

4. Estimates of percentage growth are based on unrounded income figures and may not therefore be the same as those calculated from the rounded amounts in the table.

5. Estimates of growth in total net incomes by quintile are based on medians. Estimates of growth of components of income and total incomes of all pensioners are based on means.

6. Estimates are based on the Family Expenditure Surveys.

(b) Pensioner couples
Income source Quintile 1 Quintile 2 Quintile 3 Quintile 4 Quintile 5 Total
1979 1993 1979 1993 1979 1993 1979 1993 1979 1993 1979 1993
Earnings1 0.30 1.50 1.30 0.90 6.00 7.50 28.40 16.50 96.80 55.40 26.50 16.30
Benefit income 86.60 97.10 94.40 116.50 94.20 119.00 89.30 118.80 79.80 110.20 88.90 112.30
Investment 2.80 5.80 3.70 7.90 5.90 20.20 10.80 30.10 65.60 139.90 17.70 40.70
Occupational 2.70 8.40 7.40 20.70 19.40 36.80 38.90 83.40 97.60 197.70 33.10 69.30
Other1 0.30 0.20 0.40 0.30 1.70 0.70 0.90 1.20 1.10 1.20 0.90 0.70
Gross income 92.60 112.90 107.30 146.20 127.20 184.30 168.20 250.00 341.00 504.50 167.00 239.40
Deduction 6.20 10.30 5.70 11.10 8.50 14.60 18.60 25.40 81.90 88.50 24.10 29.90
Net income BHC (mean) 86.40 102.60 101.50 135.20 118.70 169.60 149.60 224.60 259.10 416.00 142.90 209.40
Net income AHC (mean) 72.60 84.40 85.50 116.60 102.90 154.90 132.60 214.30 235.10 401.50 125.60 194.20
Net income BHC (median) 86.60 105.60 100.60 134.40 116.70 169.90 147.50 220.20 224.10 366.80 116.70 169.00
Net income AHC (median) 72.90 92.10 84.60 115.80 100.60 155.50 131.60 209.60 203.50 349.90 100.60 155.50
1 Indicates that sample sizes are too small to provide reliable estimates. Figures are shown only to demonstrate how totals are arrived at. All figures before housing costs (BHC) unless otherwise stated. After housing costs = AHC.

Notes:

1. All average amounts are means except where otherwise stated.

2. Components may not sum to totals owing to rounding.

3. Pensioner units are defined as single people over state pension age (SPA) and couples in which the husband, or head, is over SPA.

4. Estimates of percentage growth are based on unrounded income figures and may not therefore be the same as those calculated from the rounded amounts in the table.

5. Estimates of growth in total net incomes by quintile are based on medians. Estimates of growth of components of income and total incomes of all pensioners are based on means.

6. Estimates are based on the Family Expenditure Surveys.

(c) All pensioner units
Income source Quintile 1 Quintile 2 Quintile 3 Quintile 4 Quintile 5 Total
1979 1993 1979 1993 1979 1993 1979 1993 1979 1993 1979 1993
Earnings1 0.30 0.30 0.50 0.70 0.90 2.40 10.70 6.20 52.90 38.00 13.10 9.50
Benefit income 63.60 73.40 72.30 88.50 70.40 93.80 71.20 100.00 68.40 96.90 69.20 90.50
Investment 2.30 4.50 2.80 5.90 3.10 8.10 8.60 20.90 44.70 97.40 12.30 27.40
Occupational 1.30 4.50 3.90 11.30 6.50 15.70 17.50 46.00 61.70 133.90 18.20 42.30
Other1 0.40 0.30 0.20 0.40 0.50 0.30 1.40 0.90 0.90 0.80 0.70 0.50
Gross income 67.90 83.00 79.80 106.70 81.30 120.40 109.40 173.90 228.50 367.00 113.40 170.20
Deductions 5.90 8.20 5.10 8.40 5.30 8.80 10.30 16.90 49.20 65.80 15.10 21.60
Net income BHC (mean) 62.00 74.80 74.70 98.40 76.10 111.60 99.10 157.00 179.30 301.20 98.20 148.50
Net income AHC (mean) 54.20 60.20 59.50 71.00 63.70 98.70 85.40 144.10 158.30 285.90 84.20 131.90
Net income BHC (median) 54.40 67.30 63.40 86.10 69.40 98.50 86.30 142.40 165.30 262.40 69.40 98.50
Net income AHC (median) 44.60 54.00 49.30 61.70 54.50 81.60 69.30 126.00 145.20 250.40 54.50 81.60
1 Indicates that sample sizes are too small to provide reliable estimates. Figures are shown only to demonstrate how totals are arrived at. All figures before housing costs (BHC) unless otherwise stated. After housing costs = AHC.

1. All average amounts are means except where otherwise stated.

2. Components may not sum to totals owing to rounding.

3. Pensioner units are defined as single people over state pension age (SPA) and couples in which the husband, or head, is over SPA.

4. Estimates of percentage growth are based on unrounded income figures and may not therefore be the same as those calculated from the rounded amounts in the table.

5. Estimates of growth in total net incomes by quintile are based on medians. Estimates of growth of components of income and total incomes of all pensioners are based on means.

6. Estimates are based on the Family Expenditure Surveys.

Average income change (per cent.)—Single Pensioners (S), Pensioner Couples (C) and Pensioner Units (U)
(b) Growth in Pensioner Income 1979–1993
Quintile 1 Quintile 2 Quintile 3
S C U S C U S C U
Earnings1 -100 425 -12 -25 -32 22 -23 26 178
Benefit Income 18 12 15 22 23 22 35 26 33
Investment Income 98 109 100 135 111 111 102 243 162
Occupational Pension 270 215 245 264 180 190 180 90 142
Other1 -43 -30 -36 203 -37 56 -21 -59 -32
Gross Income 22 22 22 33 36 34 43 45 48
Deductions 24 66 39 47 93 63 65 72 68
Net Income BHC (median) 23 22 24 32 34 36 38 45 42
Net Income AHC (median) 21 26 21 22 37 25 26 54 50

Average income change (per cent.)—Single pensioners (S), Pensioner Couples (C) and Pensioner Units (U)
Quintile 4 Quintile 5 Total
S C U S C U S C U
Earnings1 -44 -42 -41 -4 -42 -28 -10 -38 -27
Benefit income 33 33 40 50 38 42 32 26 31
Investment income 90 177 144 106 113 118 105 130 123
Occupational pension 195 115 163 133 103 117 152 109 133
Other1 -33 38 -39 -62 8 -11 -30 -18 -24
Gross income 49 49 59 73 48 61 51 43 50
Deductions 56 37 64 67 8 34 59 24 43
Net income BHC (median) 46 49 65 60 64 59 50(mean) 47(mean) 51(mean)
Net income AHC (median) 53 59 82 69 72 72 51(mean) 55(mean) 57(mean)
1 Indicates that sample sizes are too small to provide reliable estimates. Figures are shown only to demonstrate how totals are arrived at. All figures before housing costs (BHC) unless otherwise stated. After housing costs=AHC.

1. All average amounts are means except where otherwise stated.

2. Components may not sum to totals owing to rounding.

3. Pensioner units are defined as single people over state pension age (SPA) and couples in which the husband, or head, is over SPA.

4. Estimates of percentage growth are based on unrounded income figures and may not therefore be the same as those calculated from the rounded amounts in the table.

5. Estimates of growth in total net incomes by quintile are based on medians. Estimates of growth of components of income and total incomes of all pensioners are based on means.

6. Estimates are based on the Family Expenditure Surveys.

Table 2: The numbers of pensioner units in each quintile of the net equivalised income distribution for pensioners.
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q5
(a) Pensioner couples
Under 75 300,0001 350,000 350,000 400,000 400,000
75 and over 1250,000 1200,000 1150,000 1100,0001 1100,000
Total 550,000 550,000 550,000 550,000 550,000
(b) Single pensioners
Under 75 400,000 500,000 400,000 450,000 500,000
75 and over 500,000 400,000 450,000 400,000 400,000
Total 900,000 900,000 900,000 900,000 900,000
(c) All pensioner units
Under 75 700,000 800,000 750,000 900,000 950,000
75 and over 750,000 600,000 650,000 550,000 450,000
Total 1,400,000 1,400,000 1,400,000 1,400,000 1,400,000
1 These estimates are based on unreliably small sample sizes, and therefore should be treated with caution.

1. Estimates have been rounded to the nearest 50,000. Figures may not sum to totals due to rounding.

2. These estimates are taken from the Family Expenditure Survey and are for private households in the UK.