Reform of Social Security

HC Deb 25 July 1985 vol 83 c752W

Sir Brandon Rhys Williams

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will publish in full the equivalence scales used in the technical and statistical annex to paper I of volume 3 of the Reform of Social Security; and if he will also state the origin of these scales.

Mr. Newton

Following are the equivalence scales:

	Equivalent income scale
Married couple (householders)	1.00
Single householder	0.61
Married couple (non-householder)	0.78
Single non-householder	0.42
Child aged 0–1	0.09
2–4	0.18
5–7	0.21
8–10	0.23
11–12	0.25
13–15	0.27
16–18	0.36

The scales were derived from the family expenditure survey (United Kingdom) for 1971 and 1972. Further details of the derivation of these scales is given in Social Trends, Number 8 (HMSO, 1977) at pp. 27–29.