§ 10. Mr. Jegerasked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance whether he will publish a comparative table of old age or retirement and other pensions being paid in Great Britain and in the six countries in the European Economic Community, on the basis of information made available to him in the course of the current negotiations for British entry into the Common Market.
§ Mr. Boyd-CarpenterThe social security provisions of the members of the European Economic Community are, of course, fully publicised, and no additional information has been or could have been made available in the way suggested. The remaining part of the Question does not therefore arise.
§ Mr. JegerDo I understand that the Minister will not publish the comparative statement for which I have asked and is merely referring me to other authorities? Is he not aware from recent publications that the rate for Belgian old-age pensioners has been raised to a much higher comparative level than ours? Is he making no preparation to meet the needs of the Six when we join them, when we shall have to harmonise our social security schemes upwards so as to meet the highest prevailing among them?
§ Mr. Boyd-CarpenterThe last part of that question goes far beyond that on 896 the Order Paper. The hon. Member asked me to publish information on the basis of that made available to me in the course of negotiations. What I have said is that no such information has been or could have been produced in that way, because it has already been published. If the House wishes, I am quite prepared to place in the Library a statement of the social security arrangements of the Six, although I must warn the House that it will be extremely bulky as these schemes are very elaborate and detailed, and that the comparison which the hon. Member desires is extremely difficult to make because of the differences in relationship to earnings and as to cover.