§ Mr. WebbTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will estimate the number of pensioners in each region in Great Britain who have income(a) before housing costs and (b) after housing costs below half the national average. [61154]
§ Mr. DenhamThe information is in the table.
33W
Numbers of pensioners with below half average income, analysed by Government office region, 1995–96 and 1996–97 Government office region Before housing costs After housing costs North *100,000 140,000 North West and Merseyside 240,000 300,000 Yorkshire and the Humber 220,000 240,000 East Midlands 160,000 200,000 West Midlands 200,000 240,000 Eastern 200,000 240,000 London 180,000 320,000 South 240,000 320,000
Numbers of pensioners with below half average income, analysed by Government office region, 1995–96 and 1996–97 Government office region Before housing costs After housing costs South West 220,000 260,000 Wales *120,000 140,000 Scotland 200,000 240,000 Notes:
1. The data are from the Households Below Average Income dataset based on the Family Resources Survey (FRS).
2. The sample sizes for pensioners by region are small. The numbers given are the average of the numbers of pensioners below the contemporary thresholds in 1995–96 and 1996–97. The data marked with an asterisk are based on particularly small samples where the dataset's estimates of numbers below half average income varied significantly between the two years.
3. Figures have been rounded to the nearest 20,000 but are not necessarily accurate to that level.
4. The FRS grossing regime is designed to match population estimates by age band at national level, not at regional level.