§ 17. Mr. RowlandsTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is his latest estimate of the gross weekly income per household as a percentage of(a) the English, (b) the Scottish and (c) the Northern Ireland average; and what were the percentages in 1980–81. [35562]
§ Mr. HagueAverage household income per head in Wales in 1994, based on regional accounts data, was 88 per cent. of the average for England, 89 per cent. of the average for Scotland, and 104 per cent. of the average for Northern Ireland. The corresponding figures for 1984, the earliest year available, were almost identical.
An alternative source of information is the family expenditure survey. According to this, in 1994–95, average gross weekly household income in Wales was 75 per cent. of the English average, 78 per cent. of the Scottish average, and 87 per cent. of the Northern Ireland average. The corresponding figures for 1980–81 were 91 per cent. 96 per cent. and 116 per cent. respectively. Given the small sample size in Wales, these figures are subject to considerable variation from year to year.