To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will state the number of pensioners in the United Kingdom who have an income of up to (a) £5,000 annually, (b) £4,500, (c) £4,000 and (d) the number under this figure and the total percentage of pensioners whose income does not exceed £5,000 a year.
[holding answer 6 December 1990: In 1987, The latest year for which analyses are available, the number of pensioner family units where the total net income was below the specified levels is estimated to be:
| Single Pensioner | Pensioner couples | |
| (a) below £5,000 per annum | 3·8 million | 0·8 million |
| (b) below £4,500 per annum | 3·6 million | 0·5 million |
| (c) below £4,000 per annum | 3·4 million | 0·2 million |
| Million | |
| Single pensioners | 4·4 |
| Pensioner couples | 2·5 |
| Total | 6·9 |
Note: The estimates are based on the net income of benefit units before housing costs. No account has been taken of the size of the family unit, nor of any income received by those living in separate benefit units in the same household.
The total percentage of pensioner units whose income does not exceed £5,000 a year is around 67 per cent.