HC Deb 15 November 1989 vol 160 cc313-5W
Mr. Frank Field

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will present the data in the answer given to the hon. Member for Birkenhead on 11 July,Official Report, columns 442–3, as cumulative totals for the years 1979 to 1985, both for percentage changes in living standards and for money changes in real household incomes; and if the data for the latter could be presented for two-person housholds, and for two-person households with one, two and four children.

Mrs. Gillian Shephard

[holding answer 8 November 1989]: The available information, which is adjusted for household size and composition, is set out in the table. Cumulative percentage changes in real equivalised household incomes by deciles of all individuals are set out in table 1. Tables 2 to 6 show what the figures in table 1 represent in terms of changes in real income for various household compositions.

Deciles of individuals in households—Great Britain
Table 1
Percentage changes in living standards (real equivalised household incomes) by decile of individuals in households
Decile 1979–81 1979–83 1979–85
Lowest -2.2 -1.6 5.9
2 -0.4 1.4 5.0
3 -1.3 0.3 3.4
4 -1.4 -0.5 3.6
5 -1.1 -0.7 4.1
6 -0.7 -0.2 5.7
7 -0.7 -0.1 6.2
8 0.7 0.8 8.7
9 2.7 3.1 10.3
Highest 11.5 10.1 18.2
Total 2.2 2.5 8.8
Table 2
Money change in real household incomes for a single person household—1985 prices by deciles of the whole population £ per week
Decile 1979–81 1979–83 1979–85
Lowest -0.70 -0.60 2.00
2 -0.20 0.70 2.30
3 -0.70 0.20 1.90
4 -0.80 -0.30 2.10
5 -0.70 -0.50 2.80
6 -0.50 -0.10 4.20
7 -0.60 -0.10 5.20
8 0.60 0.70 8.30
9 3.00 3.50 11.40
Highest 18.00 16.00 28.40
Total 1.70 2.00 6.90

Notes:

1. Income is defined as income from all sources less income tax and national insurance contributions.

2. The incomes of all individuals within households have been adjusted for the size and composition of those households.

3. The equivalence scales used to adjust for household size and composition use as their basis the income for a single person household. In other words, a single person household has been attributed an equivalence scale of one so that the income of these households is the same both with and without equivalisation.

Table 3—Money change in real household incomes for a two person household—(married couple) 1985 prices by deciles of the whole population £ per week
Decile 1979–81 1979–83 1979–85
Lowest -1.20 -0.90 3.30
2 -0.30 1.10 3.70
3 -1.20 0.30 3.10
4 -1.40 -0.50 3.50
5 -1.20 -0.80 4.60
6 -0.80 -0.20 6.90
7 -1.00 -0.20 8.60
8 1.00 1.20 13.60
9 4.80 5.80 18.80
Highest 29.50 26.30 46.60
Total 2.80 3.20 11.30

Notes:

1. Income is defined as income from all sources less income tax and national insurance contributions.

2. The incomes of all individuals within households have been adjusted for the size and composition of those households.

3. The equivalence scales used to adjust for household size and composition use as their basis the income for a household consisting of a married couple only. In other words, a married couple household has been attributed an equivalence scale of one so that the income of these households is the same both with and without equivalisation.

Table 4—Money change in real household incomes for a household consisting of a married couple plus one child—1985 prices by deciles of the whole population £ per week
Decile 1979–81 1979–83 1979–85
Lowest -1.50 -1.10 4.00
2 -0.40 1.30 4.60
3 -1.40 0.30 3.80
4 -1.70 -0.60 4.30
5 -1.50 -1.00 5.70
6 -1.00 -0.30 8.50
7 -1.20 -0.20 10.60
8 1.30 1.50 16.70
9 6.00 7.10 23.10
Highest 36.30 32.30 57.30
Total 3.50 3.90 13.83
Table 5—Money change in real household incomes for a household consisting of a married couple plus two children—1985 prices by deciles of the whole population £ per week
Decile 1979–81 1979–83 1979–85
Lowest -1.70 -1.30 4.80
2 -0.40 1.60 5.40
3 -1.70 0.40 4.50
4 -2.00 -0.70 5.10
5 -1.80 -1.20 6.80
6 -1.20 -0.30 10.10
7 -1.40 -0.20 12.50
8 1.50 1.70 19.80
9 7.10 8.40 27.40
Highest 43.10 38.30 68.10
Total 4.20 4.70 16.40
Table 6—Money change in real household incomes for a household consisting of a married couple plus four children—1985 prices by deciles of the whole population £ per week
Decile 1979–81 1979–83 1979–85
Lowest -2.30 -1.80 6.30
2 -0.60 2.10 7.10
3 -2.20 0.50 5.90
4 -2.70 -0.90 6.60
5 -2.30 -1.50 8.90
6 -1.60 -.40 13.20
7 -1.90 -0.30 16.50
8 2.00 2.30 26.10
9 9.30 11.10 36.00
Decile 1979–81 1979–83 1979–85
Highest 56.70 50.40 89.50
Total 5.50 6.20 21.60