§ Mr. Maddenasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many families, with children, in full-time work have incomes below the supplementary benefit level.
§ Mr. Orme,pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 19th November 1976, Vol. 919, c. 788], gave the following information:
The best estimate from the available data is that in December 1975 there were in Great Britain about 70,000 such families with the head employed in full-time work. This estimate, which is derived from an analysis by the Department of Health and Social Security of the incomes and other information recorded by respondents to the Family Expenditure Survey, is subject to sampling error. For families with the head in self-employment it is not possible to estimate the numbers in full-time work with incomes below the supplementary benefit level. It is, however, estimated that there were about 50,000 such families where the head was in part-time or full-time work.
578WThese estimates are rounded to the nearest 10,000 and are subject to sampling error. They are based on an analysis by the Department of Health and Social Security of Family Expenditure Survey data for 1975. The Family Expenditure Survey refers to the household population only.
The supplementary benefit level is taken as being the supplementary benefit scale rate appropriate to the family. This is compared with the family's net income less net housing costs, less work expenses.
The estimates do not indicate unclaimed entitlement to supplementary benefit since persons in full-time work are not normally eligible to claim.
The comparison is based on the family's normal income in the normal employment situation of the head. The above estimates might include families where the head has been off work due to sickness or unemployment for less than three months, if the family income when the head was at work was below supplementary benefit level.