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Fisheries: Income

Volume 462: debated on Monday 25 June 2007

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the average annual earnings of fishermen in (a) Cornwall, (b) the South West and (c) the UK in each year since 1979. (144232)

I have been asked to reply.

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

Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 25 June 2007:

As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking what estimate has been made of the average annual earnings of fisherman in (a) Cornwall, (b) the South West and (c) the UK in each year since 1979. (144232)

I attach a table showing average annual earnings for a fisherman in the UK, for the years 1999 to 2006. Figures showing the average annual earnings of a fisherman in Cornwall or the South West, and annual figures prior to 1999, are not available. For years prior to 2002, 'fisherman' is defined as Unit Group 903 in the Standard Occupational Classification 1990—'Fishing and Related Workers'. For years 2002 onwards, 'fisherman' is defined as Unit Group 5119 in the Standard Occupational Classification 2000—'Agricultural and Fishing Trades Not Elsewhere Classified'.

The Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, carried out in April each year, is the most comprehensive source of earnings information in the United Kingdom. It is a one per cent sample of all employees who are members of pay-as-you-earn (PAYE) schemes.

Average earnings for all full-time employee jobsa by occupationb (United Kingdom)

£

Gross annual pay

Median

Mean

1999

14,600

x

2000

15,900

**18,800

2001

15,700

x

2002b

*12,600

*13,700

2003

*13,400

*14,400

2004 excl.

*14,900

*15,900

2004 inc.c

*14,200

*15,800

2005

x

x

2006

**17,300

*18,400

Notes:a Employees on adult rates who have been in the same job for more than a year. b “Fisherman” is defined as Unit Group 903 in the Standard Occupational Classification 1990—“Fishing and Related Workers”, covering years 1999 to 2001, and as Unit Group 5119 in the Standard Occupational Classification 2000—'Agricultural and Fishing Trades Not Elsewhere Classified”, covering years 2002 onwards. c In 2004 additional supplementary surveys were introduced to improve the coverage of the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings. Figures are presented both excluding and including the additional surveys for comparison purposes. Guide to quality:The Coefficient of Variation (CV) indicates the quality of a figure, the smaller the CV value the higher the quality. The true value is likely to lie within +/- twice the CV—for example, for an average of 200 with a CV of 5 per cent. we would expect the population average to be within the range 180 to 220. Key:CV<=5 per cent. * CV>5 per cent. and <=10 per cent. ** CV> 10 per cent. and <=20 per cent. x CV > 20 per cent. The median is the value below which 50 per cent. of employees fall. It is preferred over the mean for earnings data as it is influenced less by extreme values and because of the skewed distribution of earnings data. Source: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Office for National Statistics.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the number and proportion of fishermen in (a) Cornwall, (b) the South West and (c) the UK living below the poverty line. (144235)