§ Mr. Chris SmithTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will estimate the numbers of(a) men and (b) women whose earnings are below the level of the lower earnings limit for national insurance contributions, indicating for each the estimated average weekly hours of work. [34791]
§ Mrs. Angela KnightI have been asked to reply.
Figures from the labour force survey, winter 1995, show that in Great Britain there were an estimated 550,000 men with earnings below the lower earnings limit for national insurance contributions; these men worked on average 16.2 hours per week. Of the estimated 2 million women below the limit, average weekly hours were 11.7.