§ Mr. Gordon Brownasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will provide the latest figures, derived from the family expenditure survey, of the numbers of (a) working families with children and (b) working persons without children with an effective marginal tax rate of (i) 60 per cent. or more, (ii) 70 per cent. or more and (iii) 100 per cent. or more; in each case what percentage of all working families and persons these figures represent; and if he will give an estimate of the current position.
§ Mr. WhitneyI regret the exact information requested is not available. The family expenditure survey data have been analysed to give estimates of working families with various ranges of marginal tax rates but not precisely those requested. The latest estimates derived wholly from these data relate to 1981. Further tentative estimates have been made of the current position. The available information is shown in the table:
§ Mr. John PattenI understand that preliminary findings from the dietary survey of schoolchildren are expected to be available in spring 1985. Nutritional surveys of particular groups within the population are undertaken from time to time, and I expect the Department to continue to commission these as the need arises.