§ Mr. Arthur Lewisasked the Minister of Social Security (1) what action she will take to bring sickness payments into line with those operating in the Common Market countries; and whether she will include the six weeks' pay as sickness leave, as paid to the single man off work in West Germany; and what will be the 113W increased costs to her Department of the adoption of these forms of payment;
(2) in view of the increase in food prices and the cost of living which will result from Great Britain joining the Common Market, what action she will take to bring British retirement pensions into line with those in the Common Market countries; and what will be the increased costs to her Department;
(3) what action she will take to harmonise maternity benefits on the basis adopted in the Common Market countries; and what she estimates will be the increase in costs of implementing the £44 10s. maternity benefit, and the £45 special bonus, for a child born within three years of marriage, and the £45 for each child as now paid in France;
(4) what estimate she has made of the extent to which the total costs to her Department would rise, on paying family allowances on the same basis, and at the same rates, as those now operating in Germany and France respectively;
(5) whether she is aware that entry into the European Economic Community by Great Britain will necessitate increases in family allowances; that France pays £5 per week for three children, and Germany twice the benefits of Great Britain; and what action she has taken or intends to take during the forthcoming negotiations to harmonise these family allowances with those paid in the Common Market countries.
§ Miss HerbisonThere are substantial differences between the various social
114W
TABLE 1 BEDS ALLOCATED PER 10,000 POPULATION ON 31ST DECEMBER, 1966 IN NATIONAL HEALTH SERVICE HOSPITALS IN ENGLAND AND WALES Regions (including teaching hospitals) All Beds General Medicine General Surgery and Unclassified Maternity Mental Diseases Chronic Sick and Geriatric All regions … 97.4 15.3 4.6 42.3 12.3 1. Newcastle … 92.5 15.7 4.5 38.2 11.0 2. Leeds … 104.6 15.2 4.7 44.9 16.3 3. Sheffield … 77.2 9.9 4.0 32.1 11.5 4. East Anglian … 85.2 10.8 3.2 39.2 15.0 5. North West Metropolitan … 98.9 19.6 4.8 40.2 7.9 6. North East Metropolitan … 98.0 21.1 5.3 35.5 12.5 7. South East Metropolitan … 99.2 17.3 4.4 39.7 12.6 8. South West Metropolitan … 138.9 18.3 4.9 81.9 10.0 9. Oxford … 84.4 10.7 4.6 32.4 14.0 10. Southwestern … 109.1 12.9 4.7 52.6 15.6 11. Wales … 100.0 13.9 5.2 40.1 12.1 12. Birmingham … 87.1 12.7 4.1 38.2 12.7 13. Manchester … 91.9 14.2 4.7 37.8 13.6 14. Liverpool … 107.3 23.5 5.0 41.3 9.4 15. Wessex … 92.7 13.0 4.1 44.0 13.0 security schemes of the E.E.C. countries, both in structure and in level of benefit, and the question of bringing our benefits into line with theirs in the sense suggested by my hon. Friend does not arise at this stage. As to what we might do as a result of any increase in the cost of living, I would refer my hon. Friend to what my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister said in his speech in the House on 8th May.—[Vol. 746, c. 1061–97.]