HC Deb 04 March 1993 vol 220 cc266-7W
Mr. Heald

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the latest information held about pensioners' income.

Miss Widdecombe

The presentation and calculation of pensioners' income data has been changed to harmonise with the households below average income series. The latest details, based on the 1989 family expenditure survey, are in the tables.

rounded amounts shown in the table.

3. All average amounts area means.

4. All figures are before housing costs.

5. Pensioner units are defined as single people over state pension age and couples in which the husband is over state pension age.

The Average Incomes of Pensioners—1979 to 1989
Pensioner Couples Single pensioners All pensioner units
Income Source Average Income (£ per week, 1989 prices) Percentage growth Average Income (£ per week, 1989 prices) Percentage growth Average Income £ per week, 1989 prices) Percentage growth
1979 1989 1979–89 1979 1989 1979–89 1979 1989 1979–89
Earnings 21.60 18.80 -13 4.90 [4.10] [-17] 10.70 9.40 -12
Benefit Income 72.60 80.70 11 48.00 55.00 15 56.50 64.30 14
Investment Income 14 50 33.70 133 7.70 17.00 121 10.00 23.10 130
Occupational Pension 27.00 45.70 69 8.40 17.40 107 14.80 27.60 86
Other Income [0.70] [0.50] [-34] 0.50 [0.40] [-17] 0.60 0.40 -24
Total gross income 136.50 179.40 31 69.50 93.90 35 92.70 124.90 35
Deductions 19.70 29.30 49 8.50 15.10 77 12.40 20.20 63
Total net income Before housing costs 116.80 150.10 29 61.00 78.80 29 80.30 104.70 30
Total net income After housing costs 101.50 138.50 36 50.40 67.10 33 68.10 93.00 37
Source:Family Expenditure Survey.
Notes:
1 Components may not sum to totals owing to rounding.
2 All average amounts are means.
3 All figures are before housing costs unless otherwise stated.
4 Pensioner units are defined as single people over state pension age and couples in which the husband is over state pension age.
5 Square brackets [] denote figures that are particularly sensitive to sampling error (less than 100 cases).
6 Estimates of percentage growth are based on unrounded income figures and may not therefore be the same as those calculated from the rounded amounts shown in the table.