§ Mr. Wigleyasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if she will publish in 270W the Official Report a table showing the percentage relationship between married couples' pension levels and the average industrial wage for each year since 1945.
§ Mr. Alec Jones:The information is as follows:
RETIREMENT PENSION OF A MARRIED COUPLE AS A PERCENTAGE OF AVERAGE EARNINGS* Year (October) Retirement pension as a percentage of gross earnings Per cent. 1945 (July) … … … 16.5 1946 … … … 34.8 1947 … … … 32.8 1948 … … … 30.4 1949 … … … 29.5 1950 … … … 27.9 1951 … … … 30.1 1952 … … … 30.2 1953 … … … 28.5 1954 … … … 26.4 1955 … … … 29.1 1956 … … … 27.3 1957 … … … 25.8 1958 … … … 31.2 1959 … … … 29.5 1960 … … … 27.5 1961 … … … 30.1 1962 … … … 29.2 1963 … … … 32.5 1964 … … … 30.1 1965 … … … 33.2 1966 … … … 32.0 1967 … … … 34.2 1968 … … … 31.7 1969 … … … 29.4 1970 … … … 28.9 1971 … … … 31.4 1972 … … … 30.4 1973 … … … 30.5 1974 … … … 32.9 *Estimated earnings of male adult, full—time manual workers in manufacturing and certain other industries based on the Department of Employment's regular October enquiry.