And the gap has widened in recent years due to stagnation in the rate of young men earning degrees.

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And the Chief Medical Officer found the gap between the rich and poor has actually widened in recent years.

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It is probably in recognition of these interdependencies that the role of finance professionals in the management of their companies has substantially widened in recent years.

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Mr Alexander said that the party's claim was based on figures from the Office of National Statistics and showed that the percentage of earning paid by the richest and poorest had actually widened in recent years.

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