asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is her Department's estimate of the total number of individuals living in households whose total income is not high enough to attract income tax; and whether she can give figures for those in receipt of benefits of various kinds and those in employment, respectively.
pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 7th March 1975; Vol. 887, c. 519], circulated the following information:Approximately 11·5 million individuals were estimated from the Family Expenditure Survey to be living in households in Great Britain whose total income was not high enough to attract tax. These estimates relate to the calendar year 1973. Of these approximately 400,000 persons were estimated to be in employment both full and part-time.Estimates of the numbers of families with incomes below the tax threshold and in receipt of various benefits during the calendar year 1973 were obtained from the Family Expenditure Survey and are listed below. Estimates which fall below 50,000 are not shown since the sampling error associated with such estimates would be too high. Where such estimates
occur they are denoted with an asterisk
* . All estimates shown below are subject to sampling error.
Benefit
| 1973 Families below the tax threshold in receipt of benefit thousands
|
| Rates rebate | 800 |
| Rent rebate and allowances | 1,350 |
| Free school meals | 360 |
| Free school milk | 180 |
| Free welfare milk | 120 |
| Family allowance | 440 |
| Retirement pension—head | 1,080 |
| Retirement pension—wife | 1,060 |
| Widow's benefits | 280 |
| Maternity benefit | 60 |
| Unemployment benefit—head | 240 |
| Unemployment benefit—wife | — |
| Sickness and injury benefit—head | 250 |
| Sickness and injury benefit—wife | — |
| Invalidity benefit and attendance allowance—head | 360 |
| Invalidity benefit and attendance allowance—wife | — |
| Supplementary benefit | 2,860 |
| Death grant—head | 200 |
| Death grant—wife | *
|
| Family income supplement | *
|
| Industrial Injury Disablement Pension and War Disability Pension—head | 230 |
| Industrial Injury Disablement Pension and War Disability Pension—wife | *
|
Notes:
1. All estimates are rounded to the nearest 10,000.
2. Estimates of the numbers of families and individuals below the tax threshold relate to the week preceding interview in the FES. Similarly estimates of families in receipt of various benefits relate to the week preceding interview with the exception of maternity benefit which relates to the preceding 12 months.