§ Earl Russellasked Her Majesty's Government:
What is the statistical basis for the statement, in paragraph 25 of their response to the First Report of the House of Commons Select Committee on Employment, that "families are already £23 a week better off on Family Credit than on Income Support"; and whether that statement takes account of the loss of passported benefits and of the tapering of housing benefit and council tax benefit, and, if so, on what statistical basis.
§ Lord InglewoodThe figure of £23 derives from the Policy Studies Institute's 1993 publicationFamilies, Work and Benefits, which compared the incomes of 2,300 low income families either in or out of work. The figure took account of the effects on other benefits.