Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to improve the collection of data on levels of pension income by ethnicity.

There are no plans to alter the collection of data on levels of pension income, in relation to the ethnicity of pensioners.

The Department’s key statistics on overall pension income are set out in the Pensioners’ Incomes series, which is itself based on the Family Resources Survey (FRS). The FRS captures ethnicity as part of the survey process. Both the survey as a whole and the ethnicity question within it are voluntary; respondents have the option not to state their ethnicity if they do not wish to. The Pensioners’ Incomes series can be found on GOV.UK: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/pensioners-incomes-series-statistics--3

Where respondents do volunteer their ethnicity, this is captured as one of 18 recognised groups. This is consistent with the harmonised principles for ethnicity, as set out by the Government Statistical Service, wherever social surveys are carried out. These principles were developed in consultation with several stakeholders, including the Equality & Human Rights Commission.

Further information on categorisation by ethnic group, including how the groupings are chosen, can be found on GOV.UK: https://www.ethnicity-facts-figures.service.gov.uk/ethnic-groups