§ Ms CorstonTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what steps he has taken in the forthcoming 1996 report on households below average income to issue adjusted and unadjusted results to take account of the lack of representation of the homeless and the under-representation of(a) those aged 75 years and over, (b) those unemployed for six months and more and (c) the chronically sick and disabled, in the annual reports of the family expenditure survey. [33554]
§ Mr. Andrew MitchellThe statistical series households below average income has been based on data from the family expenditure survey, which collects information on income only from people living in private households. The annual reports of the FES have not sought to correct for under or over-representation of various groups in the FES sample. However, HBAI statistics have always grossed the sample estimates to correct for variations in FES response rates and thereby to make the results more representative of the population living in private households. The Department's statisticians have reviewed the grossing of survey data and chosen a new grossing regime which will be adopted when HBAI switches to using data from the family resources survey. Details can be found in the HBAI methodological review report, a copy of which is in the Library.
There are no current plans to extend the coverage of the FES or family resources survey or to set up a new survey to collect information from people who are homeless or who live in institutions. There would be considerable methodological difficulties in collecting representative income data for these people. The Department's statisticians judge that, in general, the picture presented by HBAI statistics would not be greatly altered by the inclusion of such groups.