§ Mr. MitchellTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what information he collects on the minimum incomes required by different categories of pensioner households to afford a minimum acceptable standard of living; and what proposals he has to improve its(a) flow and (b) accuracy. [137270]
§ Mr. RookerA number of research studies have been conducted in this area. The range of methods which can be used to explore questions of absolute and relative adequacy of benefits include budget standards methodology, deprivations studies, expenditure studies and consensual studies. All these research methods are considered when assessing benefit levels; however, no single method can be used to calculate an "adequate" income. What people need to live on varies greatly depending on their needs, age, proximity to friends and relatives—it is not possible to produce figures showing what is adequate for all pensioner families.