§ Mr. BettsTo ask the Deputy Prime Minister what progress has been made in taking housing costs into account when measuring income levels in revised indices of deprivation. [146109]
§ Yvette CooperThe possibility of making an adjustment for the 'cost of living' including housing costs was considered as part of the project to update the Indices of Deprivation 2000. The main source of comprehensive data on this subject is the Retail Price Index compiled by the Office for National Statistics. This Index, however, is only available at national level and would not allow adjustments to the Income domain at sub-district level. It is therefore not possible to make any adjustment for housing costs in this update.
§ Mr. BettsTo ask the Deputy Prime Minister what progress has been made in publishing indices of deprivation by Super Output Area level. [146110]
§ Yvette CooperThe proposal to publish the Index at Super Output Area level (SOA) was overwhelmingly supported in the recently concluded consultation on updating the Indices of Deprivation. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's ability to publish the Index at SOA Level 1 (between 1,000–3,000 population) is dependent on the provision of the SOA boundaries and testing of the data to ensure that there are no concerns over disclosure or data reliability at this level. The relevant boundaries have now been received from the Office for National Statistics and testing of the data has begun.