§ Mr. David ShawTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what further information he has evaluated in relation to European member states' unfunded liabilities and debt since his predecessor's answers of 26 November 1991,Official Report, column 446, in relation to (a) EC Government debt and (b) single currency. [3763]
§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkeEuropean member states regularly publish information on their Government debt. In accordance with standard internationally accepted definitions, these figures do not take account of unfunded liabilities. OECD and IMF calculations published in the last two years and based on a number of assumptions show that the UK is in a stronger position than many other leading industrial countries in relation to unfunded pension liabilities.