§ Mr. Nigel GriffithsTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will publish a table showing the rise in real household income between 1979 and 1985, broken down by economic type, for all decile groups and the average, in the manner of his answer to the hon. Member for Edinburgh South, 29 July 1988,Official Report, columns 819–20.
§ Mr. Peter LloydA 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 individuals by economic 393W status within each decile of the population. Although compositional figures by economic status are included in the main "Households Below Average Income" statistics, it should be noted that the information on real income increases by economic status within each decile provided in reply to this question does not provide a meaningful guide to improved living standards.