§ Ms. CorstonTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what statistical information about low incomes it is his practice to give, other than that provided in the households below average income stocktaking report.
§ Mr. BurtIt is the practice of this Department to give such information as is available within cost constraints. This may be by reference to any published data or from other information collected by the Department.
All statistical information from HBAI data is presented in line with the recommendations of the stocktaking report.
§ Ms. CorstonTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security for what reasons 1988 and 1989 data in the 815W households below average income stocktaking report were combined, but not data for any two of the previous years covered in the report; and if for future years he will ensure that trend data are consistent, whether for individual years or two years combined.
§ Mr. BurtData for 1988 and 1989 are combined in the most recent edition of the households below average income statistics in order to reduce the effect of sampling error. This change in methodology was discussed in the HBAI stocktaking report, published in December 1991, and in appendix 5 of the latest edition. Earlier years were not combined since the effect of sampling error was much smaller: in fact the sampling error for 1988 and 1989 combined was larger than for 1979 alone.
There is no statistical inconsistency in comparing HBAI data for a single year's family expenditure survey with HBAI data based on two combined years' FES data. Future HBAI figures will remain based on combined years post–1988.