§ 15. Mr. Duncan SmithTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what plans he has to introduce a guaranteed minimum income for pensioners above the current income support levels; and if he will make a statement. [19713]
§ Mr. HealdWe have no plans to introduce a guaranteed minimum income which would have the effect of extending means-testing to all pensioners.
§ Mrs. Bridget PrenticeTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what estimate he has made of the number of pensioners who have an income of less than 20 per cent. of average male earnings. [19710]
§ Mr. HealdIn 1993, there were around 650,000 pensioner households with an income below that level.
§ Mr. FormanTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what percentage of pensioners are in the least well off fifth of the population; and what the figure was in 1979. [19885]
§ Mr. HealdThe information is in the table.
Percentages of pensioners in the bottom 20 per cent. of the overall United Kingdom income distribution Percentages Before housing costs After housing costs 1979 47 46 1992–93 25 20 1. The information in the tables is derived from the 1979 and 1992–93 households below average income datasets. 1992–93 is the latest date for which information is available. Figures for 1992–93 are for two calendar years data combined.
2. Figures are based on the standard households below average income definition of income—weekly household disposable income adjusted for household size and composition (equivalised). These particular results are especially sensitive to the choice of equivalence scale. For example, results before housing costs vary between 32 per cent. and 54 per cent. in 1979, and 19 per cent. To 30 per cent. in 1992–93. However, results present a similar picture of changes over time, regardless of which particular equivalence scale is used. Further information on equivalisation and tests for sensitivity to choice of equivalence scale is given in Appendix 4 of households below average income 1979 to 1992–93.
3. All estimates are subject to sampling error.
§ Mr. FoulkesTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many pensioners in Scotland(a) are dependent on income support and (b) have an income less than £10 above income support levels. [20067]
§ Mr. HealdThe information is not available in the format requested. Pensioners are defined as men aged 65 and over and women aged 60 and over. The number of174W pensioners in Scotland who are dependent on income support is 176,000, as at May 1995. This figure has been rounded to the nearest thousand and it represents customers and partners over pension age who are dependent on income support.
Information on the number of pensioners who have income less than £10 above the income support levels is not collated.
§ Mr. DenhamTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what estimate he has made of the proportion of pensioner's income taken up by(a) housing costs and (b) council tax, broken down by (i) quintile and (ii) region. [20013]
§ Mr. HealdThe information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is in the table.
Estimated proportion of income spent on housing costs and council tax Percentage Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q5 Pensioner couple Housing costs 13 15 10 5 3 Council tax 6 5 4 3 2 Single pensioner Housing costs 17 21 27 20 7 Council tax 8 5 5 4 2 All pensioners Housing costs 15 18 21 11 5 Council tax 7 5 5 4 2 Notes:
1. Reliable data for a breakdown by region (using the 12 standard regions) cannot be given due to limited sample size.
2. The data have been separated into information on single pensioners, pensioner couples and all pensioner benefit units. A pensioner benefit unit is defined as a single person over state pension age or a couple where the husband, or head, is over state pension age.
3. The figures are the estimated percentages, given to the nearest percentile, of the proportion of unequivalised net income taken up by housing costs and council tax liability for single pensioners, pensioner couples and all pensioner benefit units.
Source:
Pensioners' income series 1993, based on 1993 family expenditure survey.
§ Mr. DenhamTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what has been the change in the mean income of pensioners in(a) the lowest and (b) the highest quintile in each region of the United Kingdom since 1979. [20218]
§ Mr. HealdThe information is not available in the format requested.
For the UK as a whole, the estimated mean income of the lowest quintile of pensioner benefit units has risen by 21 per cent. in real terms since 1979. For the highest income quintile this figure is 68 per cent.
Notes:
1. There is no information available on a regional basis due to the limited sample size.
2. Pensioner benefit units are defined as a single person over state pension age or a couple where the husband, or head, is over state pension age.
Source:
Pensioners' income series 1993, based on the 1993 family expenditure survey.