§ Mrs. BeckettTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security in which year since 1965 the living standards of each decile of high to low income population were half their present level; and in which such year average living standards were half their present level. [1518]
§ Mr. Andrew MitchellThe available information relates to income as measured in "Households Below Average Income"; this is "equivalent" income—household income adjusted for household size and composition. The DSS series runs from 1979; the Institute for Fiscal Studies has extended it back to the 1960s. This shows that incomes in the top decile doubled between 1965 and 1992–93. Average equivalent income as measured in HBAI, and incomes in other deciles, did not double within this period. The HBAI measure has weaknesses as a guide to living standards, especially at the bottom of the income distribution.