HC Deb 29 March 2000 vol 347 cc151-2W
Mr. Cox

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his estimate of the number of(a) men and (b) women living and working in the Greater London area who earn less than £4 per hour. [116321]

Miss Melanie Johnson

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Director of the Office for National Statistics. I have asked him to reply.

Letter from John Pullinger to Mr. Tom Cox, dated 27 March 2000: The Director of the Office for National Statistics (ONS) has been asked to reply to your recent question on workers living and working in London earning less than £4 per hour. I am replying in Dr Holt's absence. The Labour Force Survey (LFS) is the ONS's major source of labour market data on individuals. It can provide information on the earnings of employees both by their region of workplace and their region of residence. In autumn (September to November) 1999 the number of male employees living and working in London earning less than £4.00 per hour was 102,000. The corresponding figure for female employees was 120,000. The LFS is the most appropriate source of data to answer this question. It provides fuller coverage of people on low pay than the other major source of earnings data, the New Earning Survey (NES). In addition the NES can only supply earnings information for the region of workplace of employees.