§ Mr. Llew SmithTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if she will list the methods by which Her Majesty's Government assesses the level of poverty existing in the United Kingdom. [867]
Mr. BradleyThe policies of the previous administration led to poverty and social division in our society. The Government is committed to mounting a concerted attack against the worklessness which is causing social and economic inequality, and welfare dependency.
Information on those with low incomes is available in the Government Statistical Service publication "Households Below Average Income". This annual report seeks to measure potential living standards derived from goods and services financed from disposable income. It provides a range of statistics monitoring the characteristics of people at various points in the income distribution, and describes how changes in income over time have affected particular groups. Complementary information is provided on possession of consumer durables and on household expenditure.
Households Below Average Income was last published in November 1996, and a copy is in the Library.