§ Lord HALEasked Her Majesty's Government:
What is the number and definition of the United Kingdom working population used in estimating the amount per head of the social wage in 1976–77 and what are the classes and numbers of population excluded from this computation.
§ The PARLIAMENTARY UNDERSECRETARY of STATE, DEPARTMENT of the ENVIRONMENT (Baroness Birk)The number of people in the United Kingdom working population, used in estimating the figure of £1,460 per head for the social wage in 1976–77 was 26.11 million. The definition of the working population is that used in the Department of EmploymentGazette and includes employees in employment, employers and self-employed, Her Majesty's Forces, and registered unemployed excluding adult students. The figure used is an average for the financial year 1976–77.
The main categories excluded from the computation of the social wage are children, adult students, pensioners and other adults such as housewives and the long-term sick and disabled who are not working and not registered as unemployed, and certain categories of employed persons such as civil servants temporarily stationed abroad and some private domestic servants. These total about 30 million people, of whom about 13.5 million are under
2262WA1977 Survey prices the figures would be as follows:
16 years old and about 8.5 million are over normal working age.