HC Deb 18 October 1991 vol 196 cc273-5W
1. Mr. Andrew Bowden

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Colne Valley (Mr. Riddick) of 23 July,Official

Table 1
Pensioners income components by quintile—£ (1988 prices)
(1) Total SS (2) OCC (3) Invest (4) Earns (5) Total (6) Total (7) Median equivalent
Benefits Pensions Income Gross Net Net
1st Quintile
1974 41.5 1.3 1.4 1.2 45.3 45.1 62.8
1979 49.6 1.2 1.5 0.4 52.7 52.2 69.8
1988 54.8 2.2 3.8 0.5 61.2 59.5 80.3
Increase 1974–79 (Per cent.) 20 -7 8 -64 16 16 11
Increase 1979–88 (Per cent.) 10 82 149 19 16 14 15
2nd Quintile
1974 48.3 2.8 2.1 1.1 54.4 54.1 74.5
1979 55.7 3.6 2.2 0.6 62.0 61.5 81.7
1988 62.1 5.7 4.5 0.7 73.0 71.7 97.7
Increase 1974–79 (Per cent.) 15 27 5 -51 14 14 10
Increase 1979–88 (Per cent.) 11 59 108 29 18 17 19
3rd Quintile
1974 52.7 6.2 3.8 3.2 66.0 64.7 87.2
1979 53.1 5.3 2.5 2.3 63.1 62.2 91.4
1988 63.4 9.9 4.9 1.1 79.3 77.2 111.5
Increase 1974–79 (Per cent.) 1 -14 -34 -30 -4 -4 5
Increase 1979–88 (Per cent.) 20 87 92 -51 26 24 22
4th Quintile
1974 51.6 11.9 6.8 11.5 81.8 76.8 103.8
1979 55.1 13.3 6.8 8.2 83.4 79.3 108.1
1988 64.1 28.1 14.6 6.8 113.6 105.7 139.1
Increase 1974–79 (Per cent.) 7 11 -0 -29 2 3 4
Increase 1979–88 (Per cent.) 16 111 114 -17 36 33 29
5th Quintile
1974 41.9 39.6 42.5 54.4 178.4 146.6 159.8
1979 51.7 46.2 34.5 40.7 173.1 143.1 157.9
1988 59.2 92.6 72.1 39.7 263.6 217.8 225.6
Increase 1974–79 (Per cent.) 24 17 -19 -25 -3 -2 -1
Increase 1979–88 (Per cent.) 14 100 109 -2 52 52 43

Source: Family Expenditure Survey.

2. £s per week at 1988 prices.

3. Quintile boundaries used are of net equivalised income.

Mr. Allen

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many of those persons in receipt of the state pension are also in receipt of state earnings-related pension(a) in total and (b) in each of the bands of £1 additional pension from state earnings-related pension upwards.

Miss Widdecombe

As at September 1990, there were3,066,050 people in receipt of additional pension. Of these 23,760 received additional pension only.

The numbers of people in receipt of additional pension with the amounts shown in £1 bands is as follows:

Amount £ Numbers
Less than £1 581,550
1– 1.99 524,380
2– 2.99 468,200

Report, columns 541–43, on pensioners' incomes, if he will make the same analysis for each quintile of pensioners' incomes.

Miss Widdecombe

The information requested is in the table. The figures in columns 1–6 are subject to sampling error and to possible distortion by any switch in the composition of the pensioner population. The median equivalised incomes, being subject to generally smaller sampling errors and free from distortion by compositional changes, therefore give a more accurate indication of overall income changes by quintile. However, these figures cannot be broken down by income component.

Amount £ Numbers
3– 3.99 345,030
4– 4.99 234,720
5– 5.99 166,640
6– 6.99 109,760
7– 7.99 87,710
8– 8.99 74,150
9– 9.99 63,680
10– 10.99 53,970
11– 11.99 44,850
12– 12.99 39,540
13– 13.99 35,320
14– 14.99 29,920
15– 15.99 26,570
16– 16.99 24,260
17– 17.99 19,720
18– 18.99 16,770
Amount £ Numbers
19– 19.99 15,650
20– 20.99 14,440
21–21.99 11,130
22– 22.99 9,880
23– 23.99 8,230
24– 24.99 7,770
25– 25.99 7,730
26– 26.99 5,760
27– 27.99 5,170
28– 28.99 5,360
29 or more 28,190

Mr. Allen

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many people are currently in receipt of the state pension; and how many of these are also in receipt of income support.

Miss Widdecombe

In September 1990, the latest date for which figures are available, there were 10 million people in receipt of state retirement pension. In May 1990, the latest date for which these figures are available, there were 1.38 million people in receipt of both retirement pension and income support. A further 0.15 million people in receipt of retirement pension were partners of people in receipt of income support.