§ Mr. FlynnTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what was the weekly income of an unemployed person including child care benefit but excluding tax, in(a) 1979 and (b) 1992; and what this income would be if it had risen in line with (i) prices and (ii) earnings.
§ Mr. BurtThe information requested is in the table. The assumptions used are the same as those in the published388W tax/benefit model tables. The family type illustrated is that of a married man with a non-working wife and two children aged four and six.
The figures given are for total net income, after housing costs, on supplementary benefit income support. This gives a full picture of the income for this family type. including child benefit and any entitlement to out-of-work income-related benefits.
£ per week Total net income 1979 37.15 Total net income 1992 108.58 1979 figure uprated to 1992 by prices 94.97 1979 figure uprated to 19921 by earnings 124.93 1 In order to uprate for earnings, a whole economy, seasonally adjusted figure has been used. The latest available is March 1992.