§ Mr. Nigel GriffithsTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) if he will give the percentage rise in real household income for the average broken down by family type between 1979 and 1985 in the manner of his answer to the hon. Member for Edinburgh, South,Official Report, 29 July, columns 819–20;
(2) if he will publish a table showing the rise in real household incomes between 1979 and 1985 for all decile groups broken down by family status in the manner of his answer to the hon. Member for Edinburgh, South, Official Report, 29 July, columns 819–20.
§ Mr. Peter Lloyd[holding answer 27 October 1988]: A table providing this information has been put in the Library. It should, however, be noted that the principal objective of the "Households Below Average Income" statistics is to measure improvements in living standards in different parts of the income distribution for the population as a whole. The tables are not designed to measure the living standards of individual family types within each decile of the population. Although compositional figures by family type are included in the main "Households Below Average Income" statistics, the hon. Member is advised that the information on real income increases for individual family types within each decile provided in reply to this question does not provide a meaningful guide to improved living standards.