§ Mr. Denzil DaviesTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the disposable household income, after housing, fuel and travel costs, per head in Wales as a percentage of an English average of 100 at the most recent date for which figures are available. [139459]
§ Miss Melanie JohnsonThe information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
Letter from John Pullinger to Mr. Denzil Davies, dated 30 November 2000:
The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent question on disposable household income (139459). I am replying in his absence.
Information on income and expenditure is available from the Family Expenditure Survey, taking the three years 1996–97 to 1998–99 together. Over that period disposable income, after deducting housing, fuel and travel costs, per head in Wales was estimated to be 83 per cent of the figure for England.
The sample of about 300 households in Wales each year is too small to give a reliable estimate so three years are combined. The estimate is still subject to sampling variability, like all estimates from sample surveys. For the estimate based on three years data the estimated upper and lower bounds for the percentage (90 per cent confidence) are 77 per cent to 88 per cent.