HC Deb 18 March 1981 vol 1 c121W
Mr. Hordern

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what percentage of average male earnings the retirement pension for a couple constituted at the latest date for which statistics are available and in each of the last 10 years.

Mr. Rossi

I refer my hon. Friend to table 5.1 of the "Abstract of Statistics for Index of Retail Prices, Average Earnings: Social Security Benefits and Contributions," a copy of which is in the Library of the House. The table gives information as at the dates of upratings which were not, before 1975, regularly in November. The provisional information for November 1980 is as follows:

Retirement pension as a percentage of average earnings of male manual workers Retirement pension as a percentage of average earnings of all adult males (NES)
Under 80 Over 80 Under 80 Over 80
Man or woman on own insurance 23.7 23.9 19.8 19.9
Man plus wife on his insurance 37.9 38.3 31.6 32.0