§ Mr. Newtonasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will estimate the number of people in full-time employment in December 1975 and December 1976 whose income was not more than 10 per cent. above the appropriate supplementary benefit level.
§ Mr. OrmeIt is estimated that in December 1975 there were about 300,000466W families in Great Britain, in which the head of the family was under pension age, in full-time employment or self-employed, and the family's net income was not more than 10 per cent. above supplementary benefit level. Information is not yet available for December 1976.
This estimate is rounded to the nearest 10,000 and is subject to sampling error. It is 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 estimate does not indicate unclaimed entitled 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 estimate might, therefore, 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.