§ Mr. ColvinTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the average domestic fuel costs of a state retirement pensioner household for the last three years. [7649]
§ Mrs. LiddellThe information requested falls within the responsibility of the Chief Executive of the Office for National Statistics. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given.
Letter from Tim Holt to Mr Michael Colvin, dated 16 July 1997:
The Chancellor of the Exchequer has asked me to reply as Director of the Office for National Statistics to your recent question on average domestic fuel costs of a state retirement pensioner household.Average weekly expenditure on gas, electricity and other fuels by households all of whose adult members are above minimum state retirement age is estimated, from the Family Expenditure Survey (FES), to have been £10.90 in 1993–94, £10.60 in 1994–95, and £10.50 in 1995–96, and are estimated with an accuracy of plus or minus 35 pence.FES figures are in the prices of each survey year and have not been adjusted for inflation. Any comparison between these figures would need to allow for inflation.