HC Deb 31 March 2004 vol 419 c1417W
Mr. Hoban

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the average public sector salary is in(a) the United Kingdom, (b) London, (c) the South East, (d) Hampshire, (e) the South West and (f) Wales. [164742]

Ruth Kelly

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.

Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Mark Hoban, dated 31 March 2004: As National Statistician. I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking what the average public sector salary is in (a) the United Kingdom, (b) London, (c) the South East, (d) Hampshire, (e) the South West and (f) Wales. Average earnings are estimated from the 2003 New Earnings Survey (NES) and are shown in the attached table. These are provided for full-time employees on adult rates of pay whose pay was unaffected by absence during the pay period. This is the standard definition used for NES tables. The NES does not collect data on the self employed and people who do unpaid work. Area figures are provided according to the location of workplaces. The NES, carried out in April of each year, is the most comprehensive source of earnings information in Great Britain. It is a one per cent sample of all employees who are members of pay-as-you-earn (PAYE) schemes, but because of its sampling frame, it has difficulty capturing data on people with very low pay. It is therefore likely to under-represent relatively low paid staff earning below the tax threshold. The New Earnings Survey publication criteria ensures that all estimates are undisclosive and of reliable quality. As with any statistical sample survey, estimates from the NES are subject to sampling error.

Average gross weekly (£) earnings in the public sector in six areas, as specified—April 2003
Area Average weekly earnings (£)
London 559.9
South East (excluding London) 477.3
South West 451.9
Wales 441.5
Hampshire 495.4
UK 465.8

Note:

  1. 1. Estimates for London, the South East and the South West are for Government Office Regions.
  2. 2. Employees are generally classified to the public sector according the classification of their employer in the Interdepartmental Business Register (IDBR).

Source: New Earnings Survey, April 2003