§ Mr. CousinsTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the expenditure on alcohol in the family expenditure and resources surveys in each region and nation in the last five years in(a) cash, (b) real and (c) percentage of household expenditure terms. [42614]
§ Ruth KellyThe information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Jim Cousins, dated 13 March 2002:
1115WAs National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent question on expenditure on alcohol from The Family Expenditure Survey. (42614)The information available on a consistent basis from the Family Expenditure Survey is for financial years 1996–97 onwards, and is given in the attached table. Sample size in individual regions is small and data from three years have been combined to increase the reliability of the estimates. The estimates are still subject to sampling variability, however.The Family Expenditure Survey, like other surveys of households and individuals, is known to understate alcohol expenditure. For earlier years estimates have been published for the previous Standard Statistical Regions, replaced by Government Office Regions from 1996–97 onwards. They are available at current prices and as percentages of total expenditure in Family Spending 1995–96 and earlier reports, which are available in the House of Commons Library.
Expenditure on alcohol by UK countries and Government office regions: three year averages 1996–97 to 2000–01 (based on weighted data) Average weekly household expenditure ($) Current prices At 2000–01 prices Percentage of total expenditure Government office region 1996–97 to 1998–99 1997–98 to 1999–2000 1998–99 to 2000–01 1996–97 to 1998–99 1997–98 to 1999–2000 1998–99 to 2000–01 1996–97 to 1998–99 1997–98 to 1999–2000 1998–99 to 2000–01 East Midlands 13.20 14.50 14.40 14.30 15.30 14.70 4 4 4 West Midlands 13.70 14.20 14.70 14.70 14.90 15.00 4 4 4 East 11.90 12.50 13.00 12.80 13.20 13.30 3 4 3 London 14.10 15.30 16.40 15.20 16.10 16.80 4 4 4 South East 13.10 13.80 14.10 14.10 14.50 14.50 3 4 3 South West 12.70 13.30 14.20 13.70 13.90 14.50 4 4 4 England 13.90 14.50 14.90 15.00 15.30 15.20 4 4 4 Wales 13.30 14.20 13.40 14.40 14.90 13.80 4 4 4 Scotland 13.70 14.70 15.10 14.80 15.40 15.50 4 5 5 Northern Ireland 11.20 12.40 13.20 12.10 13.10 13.60 4 4 4 United Kingdom 13.80 14.50 14.80 14.80 15.20 15.10 4 4 4 Source:
ONS, Family Expenditure Surveys 1996–97 to 2000–01