HC Deb 15 April 1985 vol 77 cc75-6W
Mr. Ralph Howell

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) if he will estimate the net weekly spending power of a man with a wife and two children aged eight and 11 years, whose gross earnings are (a) £80 and (b) £90 per week and whose rent and rates are £20 and £7, respectively (i) when he is working and (ii) if he was unemployed and assuming that he and his wife were both earning £4 per week disregarded income, and in each case were receiving all benefits to which they were entitled;

(2) if he will estimate the net weekly spending power of a man with a wife and two children aged eight and 11 years, whose gross earnings are £110 per week and whose rent and rates are £20 and £7, respectively (a) when he is working and (b) if he was unemployed and assuming that he and his wife were both earning £4 per week disregarded income, and in each case were receiving all benefits to which they were entitled.

Mr. Whitney

The net weekly spending power of a man with a wife and two children aged eight and eleven years if the man's gross earnings were(a) £80, (b) £90 and (c) £110 a week would be £80.37, £79.82 and £81.33 respectively.

If the family's only income, apart from benefits, was from part-time earnings, and both the man and his wife had £4 of their part-time earnings disregarded for supplementary benefit purposes, the net weekly spending power would be £82.70.

Water rates of £1.50 are assumed to be included in the rates figure of £7. Other, unspecified, assumptions are as in the November 1984 edition of the DHSS Tax/Benefit Model Tables.

Mr. Ralph Howell

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will estimate the net weekly spending power of a man with a wife and two children aged eight and 11 years, whose gross earnings are (a) £130, (b) £140 and (c) £150 per week and whose rent and rates are £30 and £10, respectively (i) when he is working and (ii) if he was unemployed and assuming that he and his wife were both earning £4 per week disregarded income, and in each case were receiving all benefits to which they were entitled.

Mr. Whitney

The net weekly spending power of a man with a wife and two children aged eight and eleven years if the man's gross earnings were(a) £130, (b) £140 and (c) £150 a week would be £80.74, £83.04 and £85.14 respectively.

If the family's only income, apart from benefits, was from part-time earnings, and both the man and his wife had £4 of their part-time earnings disregarded for supplementary benefit purposes, the net weekly spending power would be £82.70.

Water rates of £1.50 are assumed to be included in the rates figure of £10. Other, unspecified, assumptions are as in the November 1984 edition of the DHSS Tax/Benefit Model Tables.