§ Lady Olga MaitlandTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the change in the proportion of total pay taken home in Sutton and Cheam by a single man in the bottom 10 per cent. of earnings(a) between 1979 and 368W the latest year for which figures are available and (b) between 1974 and 1979. [19151]
§ Sir George YoungNo reliable figures are available for the lowest 10 per cent. of earnings in Sutton and Cheam.
However, the position of single men at the lowest decile of earnings in Great Britain has improved. The proportion of their gross earnings taken home, after income tax and national insurance contributions, has risen by just over four percentage points since 1978–79, compared with a fall of around three percentage points between 1973–74 and 1978–79. Real take-home pay for this group fell slightly between 1973–74 and 1978–79, but it has risen by around a quarter since then.