§ Dr. Lynne JonesTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the number of(a) men and (b) women working (i) less than 16 hours and (ii) 16 hours or more and receiving an income below the lower earnings limit. [82700]
§ Ms HewittThe information requested falls within the responsibility of the Director of the Office for National Statistics. I have asked him to reply.
Letter from Tim Holt to Dr. Lynne Jones, dated 4 May 1999
As Director of the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I have been asked to reply to your recent parliamentary question on earnings.The latest estimates available from the UK Labour Force Survey are for the winter 1998–99 (ie December 1998–February 1999) quarter and are shown in the table below. The lower earnings threshold for Class 1 National Insurance contributions in the 1998–99 tax year was £64 per week.
Employees earning less than £64 a week, by total usual weekly hours1 of work and sex. United Kingdom, winter 1998–99, not seasonally adjusted Thousands Usual weekly hours All Men Women Less than 16 hours a week 1,792 393 1,399 16 or more hours a week 642 184 457 All employees earning less than £64 a week2 2,456 590 1,866 1 Total usual hours includes paid and unpaid overtime and excludes meal breaks 2Includes some people who did state their usual weekly hours of work Source:
Labour Force Survey