HC Deb 20 December 1991 vol 201 c371W
Mr. Meacher

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will state the level of national average earnings for each year since 1979, the level of supplementary benefit/income support for a single unemployed adult aged over 25 years for each of these years, and the percentage the latter represents of the former for each year.

A B C D
Date of uprating Benefit date Average weekly earnings Percentage of column B/column C
November 1979 18.30 114.10 16.0
November 1980 21.30 135.10 15.8
November 1981 23.25 149.50 15.6
November 1982 25.70 160.60 16.0
November 1983 26.80 175.30 15.3
November 1984 28.05 187.40 15.0
November 1985 29.50 199.50 14.8
July 1986 29.80 210.90 14.1
April 1987 30.40 224.00 13.6
April 1988 33.40 245.80 13.6
April 1989 34.90 269.50 12.9
April 1990 36.70 295.60 12.4
April 1991 39.65 318.90 12.4
Explanatory Notes:
Column A: Date of each uprating.
Column B: Supplementary benefit scale rate for a 25-year-old householder from 1979 to 1987. From April 1988, this is the income support rate for a single person aged 25 or over.
Column C: Average earnings of all adult males (Source: New Earnings Survey).
Column D: Percentage of the benefit rates (Column B) compared to the average weekly earnings (Column C).