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25 Jun 2007 : Column 478W—continued


Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people claiming jobseeker’s allowance remain unemployed as a result of refusing jobs on grounds of (a) conscientious and (b) religious objections. [144093]

Mr. Plaskitt: The information requested could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Mr. Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) how many claimants of income-based jobseeker’s allowance have (a) working and (b) non-working partners; [145926]

(2) how many claimants of contribution-based jobseeker’s allowance have (a) working and (b) non-working partners. [145927]

Mr. Plaskitt: Information on Jobseeker’s Allowance claimants who have partners with full-time earnings is not available. The available information is in the tables.

Income Based Jobseeker’s Allowance claimants November 2006
Number

Claimants with a partner with part-time earnings recorded

3,700

Claimants with a partner who does not have part-time earnings recorded

90,200


Contribution Based Jobseeker's Allowance claimants November 2006
Number

Claimants with a partner with part-time earnings recorded

*300

Claimants with a partner who does not have part-time earnings recorded

51,700

Notes:
1. Figures have been rounded to the nearest hundred.
2. Figures are based on five per cent samples and are therefore subject to sampling variation.
3. Caseloads have been uprated using 5 per cent. proportions against 100 per cent. WPLS totals.
4. Information is given as to whether the claimants have a partner recorded with part-time earnings or self employed part-time earnings.
5. Figures marked ‘*’ are based on very few sample cases and are therefore subject to a high degree of sampling variation, such figures should be used as a guide only.
Sources:
DWP Information Directorate Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study (WPLS).
DWP Information Directorate, 5 per cent. samples.

Jobseeker's Allowance: Voluntary Work

Mr. David Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) what restrictions are placed on the ability to claim jobseeker's allowance of an individual undertaking voluntary work; [144808]

(2) what steps his Department has taken to encourage individuals on jobseeker's allowance to undertake voluntary work which benefits their local community. [144809]


25 Jun 2007 : Column 479W

Mr. Plaskitt: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus, Lesley Strathie. I have asked her to provide my hon. Friend with the information requested.

Letter from Lesley Strathie, dated 25 June 2007:

Low Incomes

Mr. Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what proportion of people were living in households with (a) below the (i) mean, (ii) mode and (iii) median averages of income in each year since 1992 and (b) below 60 per cent. of each of those averages of income. [136108]

Mr. Jim Murphy [holding answer 8 May 2007]: The available information is in the following tables.

Information on the modal income cannot be provided as effectively everyone has different incomes.

The median is the middle value of the income—i.e. there are 50 per cent. of the population above the line and 50 per cent. below the line.

For our income child poverty threshold we take the value of 60 per cent. of this median—the fact that we have cut this means that we have moved children from below 60 per cent. of median income to over this threshold.

The mean income is the average of all individuals and is much higher than the median, this is because of the very high incomes at the top of the income distribution moving the average upwards; the mean is largely driven by the highest incomes.

By contrast, fraction-of-median poverty lines are unaffected by the highest incomes. Instead they focus,
25 Jun 2007 : Column 480W
as is appropriate for a poverty measure, on the gap between the poorest and typical families, so they are very clearly measures of poverty rather than inequality.

Table 1: People living in households below mean income: Before H ousing C osts
Number (million) Percentage

1994-95

34.4

62

1995-96

34.8

63

1996-97

34.8

63

1997-98

35.1

63

1998-99

35.5

63

1999-2000

35.7

64

2000-01

36.4

65

2001-02

36.6

65

2002-03

37.4

64

2003-04

37.3

64

2004-05

37.8

64

2005-06

38.1

64

Source:
Family Resources Survey.

Table 2: People living in households below 60 per cent. mean income: Before H ousing C osts
Number (million ) Percentage

1994-95

16.6

30

1995-96

16.5

30

1996-97

16.6

30

1997-98

16.8

30

1998-99

17.4

31

1999-2000

17.1

31

2000-01

17.3

31

2001-02

16.9

30

2002-03

17.2

30

2003-04

16.9

29

2004-05

16.9

29

2005-06

17.3

29

Notes:
1. Data are for Great Britain up to 2001-02 and for the United Kingdom from 2002-03 onwards because the Family Resources Survey did not collect Northern Ireland data until 2002-03.
2. Figures are based on OECD equalisation factors and therefore will not be the same as any figures previously published that were based on McClements equivalisation factors.
Source:
Family Resources Survey.

Table 3: People living in households below median income: Before H ousing C osts
Number (million ) Percentage

1994-95

27.7

50

1995-96

27.7

50

1996-97

27.8

50

1997-98

27.9

50

1998-99

28.8

50

1999-2000

28.9

50

2000-01

29.0

50

2001-02

29.1

50

2002-03

29.2

50

2003-04

29.3

50

2004-05

29.4

50

2005-06

29.6

50

Source:
Family Resources Survey


25 Jun 2007 : Column 481W
Table 4: People living in households below 60 per cent. median income: Before H ousing C osts
Number (million ) Percentage

1994-95

10.4

19

1995-96

9.9

18

1996-97

10.8

19

1997-98

10.9

20

1998-99

11.2

19

1999-2000

11.1

19

2000-01

10.7

19

2001-02

10.7

18

2002-03

10.6

18

2003-04

10.4

18

2004-05

10.0

17

2005-06

10.4

18

Notes:
1. Data are for Great Britain up to 1997-98 and for the United Kingdom from 1998-99 onwards. This is because we have imputed information for Northern Ireland for years 1998-99 to 2001-02 for the low-income thresholds related to the median for trend tables in HBAI.
2. By definition, the percentage of people living below median income will always be 50 per cent.
3. Figures are based on OECD equivalisation factors and therefore will not be the same as any figures previously published that were based on McClements equivalisation factors.
Source:
Family Resources Survey

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