HC Deb 24 July 1975 vol 896 cc281-3W
Mr. Edge

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list in detail the Government's proposals for achieving the Government's long-term economic objective of a fair distribution of income and wealth.

Mr. Dell

In successive Budgets great emphasis has been placed on the need for a fairer distribution of income and wealth. In particular, major redistributive policies have been introduced in the field of direct and indirect taxation, capital taxation, and pensions. Moreover, in policies to deal with inflation great weight has been given to the need to protect the less well off and disadvantaged. In these and other ways the Government have pursued effective redistributional policies, and they propose to maintain and develop these policies in the years ahead. As a basis for this ongoing commitment the Royal Commission under Lord Diamond has been asked to undertake an analysis of the current distribution of personal income and wealth and of the available information on past trends.