HC Deb 05 July 1999 vol 334 cc359-60W
Mr. Field

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security of those households below half average income whose main source of income is welfare benefits, what proportion have income from earnings; and what is the(a) mean and (b) median amount of those earnings. [89529]

Angela Eagle

Eight per cent. of households with below half average income whose main source of income is benefits have income from earnings. This proportion is the same both Before Housing Costs (BHC) and After Housing Costs (AHC).

Both BHC and AHC, the mean of those earnings (for those households below half average income whose main source of income is benefits) is £55 per week and the median £52 per week (BHC) and £51 per week (AHC).

Notes:

  1. 1. All figures are estimates and are taken from the Households Below Average Income (HBAI) data set which is based on the Family Resources Survey (FRS). The FRS does not include Northern Ireland. 1996–97 is the latest year for which information is available.
  2. 2. For the purposes of this analysis, benefits are deemed to be the 'main source of income' where they form more than 50 per cent. of a household's total gross income.
  3. 3. The income measure used to determine whether or not a household is below half of the national average is weekly net (disposable) equivalised household income (that is to say income that is adjusted to reflect the composition of the household). It is 360 standard HBAI practice to give results for income both before and after housing costs, in order to allow for the effect of variations in housing costs between households.
  4. 4. Monetary values are given in April 1998 prices and refer to gross weekly household earnings.

Mr. Field

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what percentage of households below half average income have any earnings; and what the(a) median and (b) mean amount of their earnings is. [89530]

Angela Eagle

Twenty six per cent. of households with below half average income have income from earnings. This proportion is the same both Before Housing Costs (BHC) and After Housing Costs (AHC). The median of those earnings is £125 per week BHC (for those below half average income) and £138 per week (AHC). The mean of those earnings is £145 per week (BHC) and £160 per week (AHC).

Notes:

  1. 1. All figures are estimates and are taken from the Households Below Average Income (HBAI) data set which is based on the Family Resources Survey (FRS). The FRS does not include Northern Ireland. 1996–97 is the latest year for which information is available.
  2. 2. The income measure used to determine whether or not a household is below half of the national average is weekly net (disposable) equivalised household income (that is to say income that is adjusted to reflect the composition of the household). It is standard HBAI practice to give results for income both before and after housing costs, in order to allow for the effect of variations in housing costs between households.
  3. 3. Monetary values are given in April 1998 prices and refer to gross weekly household earnings.