§ Mr. BoswellTo ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the(a) mean level of income of each decile of people of working age and (b) overall mean income was in the last 12 months for which figures are available; and what the (i) mean level of income of each decile of pensioners and (ii) overall mean income of pensioners was in the same period. [40110]
§ Mr. Nicholas Brown[holding answer 5 March 2002]Such information as is available is in the tables.
Equivalised money values of decile median income, and overall mean income, for working age adults and pensioners in December 2000 prices, including the self-employed.
£pw Working age adults Pensioners Income before housing costs Decile 1 Bottom 10% 116 123 Decile 2 10–20% 165 155 Decile 3 20–30% 199 179 Decile 4 30–40% 237 199 Decile 5 40–50% 278 221 Decile 6 50–60% 321 244 Decile 7 60–70% 372 277 Decile 8 70–80% 435 322 Decile 9 80–90% 524 391 Decile 10 90–100% 755 573 Total population (Mean) 363 284 Income after housing costs Decile 1 Bottom 10% 75 102 Decile 2 10–20% 119 130 Decile 3 20–30% 154 146 Decile 4 30–40% 194 166 Decile 5 40–50% 235 193 Decile 6 50–60% 276 222 Decile 7 60–70% 322 259 Decile 8 70–80% 380 301 Decile 9 80–90% 462 377 Decile 10 90–100% 678 562 Total population (Mean) 311 260 Notes:
1. All figures are estimates and are taken from the Households Below Average Income (HBAI) data set which is derived from the Family Resources Survey (FRS). The FRS does not include Northern Ireland and 1999–2000 is the latest year for which data are available.
2. The estimates are sample counts, which have been adjusted for non-response using multipurpose grossing factors that control for tenure, council tax band and a number of other variables. Estimates are subject to both sampling error and to variability in non-response and are presented on both a Before Housing Costs (BHC) and an After Housing Costs (AHC) basis in line with HBAI conventions.
3. The income measure used is weekly net (disposable) equivalised household income, that is to say income that is adjusted to reflect the composition of the household. This process reflects the common sense notion that a family of several people needs a higher income than a single person in order for both households to enjoy a comparable standard of living. Equivalence scales conventionally take a couple with no children as a reference point, with the cash incomes of larger households adjusted downwards, and smaller households upwards, relative to this benchmark. The income figures quoted therefore relate to the 'cash' income of a couple with no 727W children only, and the equivalisation process must be reversed in order for them to be converted into cash incomes for other family types.
Source:
Family Resources Survey