§ Mr. Gordon BrownTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will give the (i) average and (ii) median income of(a) married couples and (b) single people. whether liable to income tax or not, for 1988–89; and if he will give the percentage of married couples and single people falling below the average for their group.
§ Mr. Norman Lamont[holding answer 14 June 1988]: The latest information on the distribution of income relates to 1984–85 and was published in the November 1987 edition of Economic Trends. The mean income of all married couples and single people in 1984–85 was £7,520 a year and the median income was £5,480. Some 65 per cent. of incomes were below the mean income of £7,520. Separate estimates for married couples and single people are not available.