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Low Income Families

Volume 24: debated on Monday 17 May 1982

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asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) if he will make available to non-governmental research institutes his Department's tape from which "Low Income Families—1977" was produced; given the change in methodology employed on the tapes, whether previous tapes could also be released; and if he will make a statement;(2) what savings resulted from his decision not to produce the "Low Income Families—1978";(3) what was the cost of producing "Low Income Families—1979"; and what would be the additional costs if the analysis were produced annually, and within six months of receiving the family expenditure data tape from the Department of Employment;(4) if he will estimate the number of man hours and the costs which would be involved for calculating the low income families" data on a continuous basis as the data are collected;(5) what is his analysis of the reasons why the number of pensioner households with incomes below the supplementary benefit level rose from 620,000 in 1977 to 920,000 in 1979;(6) if he will now publish the six small tables which make up "Low Income Families—1979" in the

Official Report;

(7) what is his analysis of the reasons why the number of families with incomes below 140 per cent. of supplementary benefit level when the head of the household was in full-time work fell from 1,520,000 in 1976 to 600,000 in 1979;

(8) if he will publish in the Official Report all the available data contained in the booklet "Low Income Families—1979" for each year since 1972; and if he will make a statement.