§ Mr. Ralph Howellasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the basis of the official figure of £1.75 per week quoted for work expenses; and whether this figure includes the extra cost of the midday meal, the extra cost of clothing and trade union dues as well as transport.
§ Mr. OrmeI assume that hon. Gentleman is referring to the figure of £1.75 for work expenses which is included in the tax/benefit model used by my Department to illustrate the interaction of taxes and benefits for specimen families. This figure, which relates solely to the cost of getting to work, represents the average expenditure on public transport for travel to and from work of those heads of families in full-time work who use such transport. It has been derived from the National Travel Survey, which was a comprehensive inquiry about people's travelling habits carried out in 1972–73 by the office of Population Censuses and Surveys for the Department of the Environment. The average expenditure found in that Survey has been updated to an April 1976 equivalent by the transport and vehicle component of the retail prices index.