HC Deb 17 November 1977 vol 939 cc349-50W
Mr. Lawson

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish a table showing (a) the real take-home pay and (b) the real net income of a married man with two children under 11 years of age in September 1977 and on September of each of the 10 previous years, all expressed in terms of September 1977 prices.

Mr. Robert Sheldon

I will let the hon. Member have a reply as soon as possible.

Mr. Tebbit

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if, pursuant to his Written Answer to the hon. Member for Chingford, Official Report, 11th November 1977, column 267, that a married worker with two young children drawing the average industrial wage would have required an increase in gross pay of 8.2 per cent. and 11.5 per cent., respectively, to have maintained his purchasing power since March 1974 and October 1974, he will now convert those percentages into the aggregate cash amounts, in August 1977 terms, by which that worker's gross pay has fallen short of that required to maintain his net purchasing power at the earlier levels, so as to make his answer comparable with his answer of 24th June to the hon. Member for Chingford.

Mr. Robert Sheldon

I will let the hon. Member have a reply as soon as possible.

Mr. Tebbit

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if, pursuant to the reply of the Chief Secretary to the Treasury to the hon. Member for Chingford, Official Report, 10th November 1977, column 845, he is now able to say if the Cabinet is agreed that the standard of living of the ordinary man in the United Kingdom has fallen substantially since the last General Election.

Mr. Joel Barnett

I refer the hon. Member to the October 1977 issue of Economic Progress Report, published by Her Majesty's Treasury, for a summary of trends in real disposable income; and to the January 1977 issue ofEconomic Trends for a summary of trends in the relationship of social benefits to disposable income up to 1975. The latter figures for 1976 are likely to be available in January 1978. The Cabinet are agreed that it will be appropriate for the 1977 position to be assessed when the statistics for 1977 become available.