To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what estimate he has made of the number and proportion of working age households in each parliamentary constituency in which no-one was in work in each month of the last two years. (252909)

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.

Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated January 2009:

As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question on the number and proportion of working age households in each parliamentary constituency in which no-one was in work in each month of the last two years. (252909)

The available information is provided in the table, a copy of which has been placed in the Library of the House.

Monthly estimates are not available and the information requested has been answered using annual estimates derived from the Annual Population Survey (APS) household dataset for the years 2006 and 2007. Estimates for 2008 will not be available until summer 2009.

Figures for households are based on working age households. A working-age household is a household that includes at least: one person of working-age, that is a woman aged 16 to 59 or a man aged 16 to 64.

It is vital to note that as with any sample survey, estimates from the APS are subject to a margin of uncertainty as different samples give different results. Estimates that are deemed unreliable for practical purposes are presented in italics. These estimates are based on small sample sizes and are subject to large variability. Estimates that are reliable are presented in bold.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many and what percentage of children in each parliamentary constituency lived in (a) households claiming out-of-work benefits and (b) workless households in each month of the last two years. (252914)

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.

Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated January 2009:

As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question on how many and what percentage of children in each parliamentary constituency lived in (a) households claiming out-of-work benefits and (b) workless households in each month of the last two years. (252914)

The available information for part (b) is provided in the table, a copy of which has been placed in the Library of the House.

Monthly estimates are not available and the information requested has been answered using annual estimates derived from the Annual Population Survey (APS) household dataset for the years 2006 and 2007. Estimates for 2008 will not be available until summer 2009.

Figures for children in households are based on children aged under 16 years old living in working age households. A working-age household is a household that includes at least one person of working-age, that is a woman aged 16 to 59 or a man aged 16 to 64.

It is vital to note that as with any sample survey, estimates from the APS are subject to a margin of uncertainty as different samples give different results. Estimates that are deemed unreliable for practical purposes are presented in italics. These estimates are based on small sample sizes and are subject to large variability. Estimates that are reliable are presented in bold.

The Department for Work and Pensions has provided the answer to (a) on how many and what percentage of children lived in families claiming out-of-work benefits in each year since 2004, broken down by parliamentary constituency (226158), and I refer you to the answer given on 27 October 2008, Official Report, column 702W.