§ Ms HarmanTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the average pay was in London(a) in 1996 and (b) at the latest date for which figures are available. [152203]
§ Miss Melanie JohnsonThe information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
Letter from Karen Dunnell to Ms Harriet Harman, dated 8 March 2001:
The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent question on average pay in London (152203). I am replying in his absence.The NES shows that in London, the average weekly pay was £455.5 in 1996 and £529.8 in 2000, the latest date for which figures are available. The figures provided are for full-time employees on adult rates of pay, whose pay for the survey period was not affected by absence.The New Earnings Survey (NES), carried out in April of each year, is the most comprehensive source of earnings information in Great Britain. However, it underestimates the number of low pay jobs since it does not provide a comprehensive picture of the lower end of the earnings distribution.