§ Sir Ian GilmourTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, further to his reply to the hon. Member far Chelmsford (Mr. Burns) of 3 July,Official Report column 43, if he will place in the Library his calculation showing that the living standards of pensioners have risen by 23 per cent. since 1979 in real terms; if he will break his calculation down by decile and quintile group, with and without housing benefits; and if he will use equivalised and non-equivalised figures in each case.
§ Mrs. Gillian Shephard[holding answer 24 July 1989]: In 1979 pensioners average total net income was £72.90; by 1986 this had risen to £89.80 (both at 1986 prices and rounded to 10p). This represents a real terms increase of 23 per cent.
The real terms increase in pensioners average total net income by quintile is as follows:
Per cent. Non-equivalised Equivalised Q1 (lowest) 20 17 Q2 23 20 Q3 21 20 Q4 20 21 Q5 (highest) 27 30 All 23 23 Source: Family Expenditure survey 1986.
The real terms increase in pensioners average total net income by decile is as follows:
771W
Per cent. Non-equivalised Equivalised Dl (lowest) 18 16 D2 21 18 D3 23 19 D4 23 20 D5 21 20 D6 21 20 D7 21 20 D8 20 22 D9 22 23 D10 (highest) 29 35 All 23 23 Source: Family Expenditure Survey 1986.
It is not possible to perform the calculation with and without housing benefits because until 1983 help with housing costs was provided partly through supplementary benefit.