§ Mr. MeacherTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the level of investment income, excluding savings, of pensioners with a weekly pension income of(a) less than £50, (b) £50 to £100, (c) £100 to £200, (d) £200 to £500 and (e) over £500; and if he will indicate the number of pensioners in each group.
§ Mrs. Gillian ShephardThe latest information from the 1987 family expenditure survey is set out in the table. The figures provided assume weekly pension income to consist of national insurance state retirement pension and supplementary benefit. There are no cases of people with this income in the levels of the top two bands specified in the question.
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Retirement pension supplementary benefit1 Percentage of pensioners in each group Average savings/investment income per week2 £ less than £50 65 13.85 50 to 99.99 35 33.60 100 to 199.99 less than 1 358.05 200 to 499.99 0 nil 500 and over 0 nil 1 Pounds per week at 1987 prices 2 It is not possible to separately identify savings income from investment income except at disproportionate cost. Savings are generally accepted to be bank and building society deposits whereas investment income includes (for example) premiums on stocks/shares. 3 Only two cases were found within this group which do not represent an adequate sample size.