§ Mr. WebbTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the average weekly income of households in each council tax band. [140006]
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§ Ruth KellyThe information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Steve Webb, dated 20 November 2003:
As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking for the average weekly income of households in each council tax band. (140006)
Estimates in the following table are based on the analysis "The effects of taxes and benefits on household income 2001–02" produced by the Office for National Statistics and published on 21 October 2003 on the National Statistics website at: http:// www. statistics. gov. uk/taxesbenefits.
The analysis includes measures of income inequality for the United Kingdom as a whole based on data from the Expenditure and Food Survey (EPS), formerly the Family Expenditure Survey (FES). This is a sample survey covering about 7,500 households in the UK and sample sizes for each council tax band are only sufficient to give approximate estimates. The Family Resources Survey would have been an alternative source with a larger sample size, but the taxes and benefits analysis has been used for consistency with answers to other recent parliamentary questions.
The table shows the average weekly gross income received by households in Great Britain in houses in each council tax band. Council tax is not paid in Northern Ireland. The sample size is only sufficient to allow a breakdown to be given for households living in bands G and H combined. A small number of households in properties which did not have a separate council tax valuation have been excluded from the analysis. Gross income includes income from earnings, occupational pensions and investments and cash benefits such as state retirement pensions and income support. It does not take account of deductions for taxes.
Average weekly gross income of households in each council tax band for Great Britain, 2001–02 £ per week Council Tax band Average weekly gross income A 310 B 430 C 520 D 650 E 770 F 930 G and H 1,460 source:
Office for National Statistics, based on the analysis 'The effects of taxes and benefits on household income'.