§ Mr. Tebbitasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if, pursuant to his replies of 16th December 1976 and 2nd March 1977, he will now update the tables he then published in the Official Report in answers to Questions from the hon. 185W Member for Chingford, which showed changes in the real value of take-home pay of an average worker.
§ Mr. Robert Sheldon, pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 2nd May 1977; Vol. 931, c.81],gave the following information:
The revised figures are as follows:
Real take-home pay at February 1977 prices £ per week December 1973 … … 62.24 December 1974 … … 64.89 December 1975 … … 60.05 December 1976 … … 58.80 February 1977 … … 56.92 The figures have been calculated on the same basis as those given in reply to the hon. Member's previous Questions on 16th December 1976—[Vol. 922, c. 785–6]—and 2nd March 1977—[Vol. 927, c. 239–40]—except that the average earnings figure and the price index now relate to February 1977. In addition the figures take account of revisions to the Department of Employment's seasonally adjusted index of average earnings which have slightly reduced estimates of average earnings in December of each year.
I regret that in the reply which I gave to the hon. Member on 2nd March 1977 the figures of real take-home pay at December 1976 prices were incorrectly described in the Official Report as being at August 1976 prices.
§ Mr. Tebbitasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer by how much in terms of the present value of money the real take-home pay of the average married industrial worker with two children has increased since February 1974.
§ Mr. Robert Sheldon, pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 2nd May 1977; Vol. 931, c.81],gave the following information:
Estimates of average earnings for February 1974 are not available owing to the three-day week. Between March 1974 and February 1977 the real take-home pay of a married man with two children not over 11 years of age earning the average manual wage fell by about £4.20 at February 1977 prices. The latest available figures relate to February 1977 and do not, therefore, take into account the reductions in tax announced in the Budget.