§ Mr. Ralph Howellasked the Secretary of State for Employment how many minutes of work were required to earn the price of 1 kg. leg of lamb, 1 kg. rump steak, 1 litre milk, 1 kg. butter, 1 dozen eggs, 1 kg. potatoes, 1 kg. carrots, 1 kg. apples, 1 kg. oranges, 1 kg. sugar, 1 kg. bread and 1 kg. haddock in each of the nine EEC countries in each of the years since 1964 up to the latest available date, taking the average earnings of male manual workers and retail prices simultaneously prevailing.
§ Mr. Dudley SmithThe following table gives the available information. Comparisons of this type involve considerable uncertainties. In particular, these arise from the variation in systems of remuneration and taxation int he different countries, from the importance of individual goods in the national patterns of consumption and from differences in quality and type in the goods listed. Detailed definitions of the articles are not available.
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NUMBER OF MINUTES WORK REQUIRED IN EEC COUNTERS TO PURCHASE VARIOUS ITEMS(1) 1964 Country 1 litre milk 1 kg butter 1 dozen eggs 1 kg potatoes 1 kg apples 1 kg oranges 1 kg sugar 1 kg bread white wheat Belgium, Brussels … … … 10 148 41 4 30 35 21(2) 13 Denmark, Copenhagen … … 6 59 29 3 13 16 8 15 France, Paris … … … … 11 159 55 4 26 34 19 16 Germany … … … … 7(3) 106 37 5 17 24 17 19 Ireland, Dublin(4) … … … 13 132 77 9 40 42 22 21 Italy, Rome … … … … 16 220 73 10 25 — 34 22 Luxembourg, Luxembourg … … 8 85 37 4 22 26 12 11 Netherlands … … … … 11 107 34 5 10 27 23 14 United Kingdom(5) … … … 10 64 23 5 19 20 13 11
1965 Country 1 litre milk 1 kg butter 1 dozen eggs 1 kg potatoes 1 kg apples 1 kg oranges 1 kg sugar 1 kg bread white wheat Belgium, Brussels … … … 10 139 41 5 28 30 18 13 Denmark, Copenhagen … … 6 57 28 4 14 13 9 15 France, Paris … … … … 11 152 58 5 25 31 18 15 Germany … … … … 7(3) 103 40 5 20 23 16 19 Ireland, Dublin(4) … … … 13 126 74 7 39 45 23 22 Italy, Rome … … … … 15 215 71 12 26 — 34 21 Luxembourg, Luxembourg … … 7 87 36 3 21 24 13 10 Netherlands … … … … 10 98 38 6 14 22 21 13 United Kingdom(5) … … … 10 55 27 5 18 18 11 11 92W 93W
1966 Country 1 litre milk 1 kg butter 1 dozen eggs 1 kg potatoes 1 kg apples 1 kg oranges 1 kg sugar 1 kg bread white wheat Belgium, Brussels … … … 9 127 35 5 18 29 17 12 Denmark, Copenhagen … … 6 54 26 4 14 13 10 15 France, Paris … … … … 11 149 46 5 20 31 17 14 Germany … … … … 4(3) 97 34 4 14 21 15 19 Ireland, Dublin(4) … … … 13 120 67 6 38 45 20 20 Italy, Rome … … … … 15 206 64 10 22 — 33 20 Luxembourg, Luxembourg … … 8 86 32 3 17 23 12 11 Netherlands … … … … 10 99 29 5 11 23 20 15 United Kingdom(5) … … … 9 52 26 5 21 18 10 11
1967 Country 1 litre milk 1 kg butter 1 dozen eggs 1 kg potatoes 1 kg apples 1 kg oranges 1 kg sugar 1 kg bread white wheat Belgium, Brussels … … … 9 121 35 4 — 27 20 13 Denmark, Copenhagen … … 5 53 28 4 13 13 11 16 France, Paris … … … … 11 140 45 5 20 27 17 14 Germany … … … … 8(3) 93 33 3 12 20 15 19 Ireland, Dublin(4) … … … 12 113 63 5 45 44 18 20 Italy, Rome … … … … 15 192 60 9 24 — 31 19 Luxembourg, Luxembourg … … 7 87 28 3 13 21 12 12 Netherlands … … … … 9 100 29 4 8 10 20 14 United Kingdom(5) … … … 9 50 25 5 24 17 10 11
1968 Country 1 litre milk 1 kg butter 1 dozen eggs 1 kg potatoes 1 kg apples 1 kg oranges 1 kg sugar 1 kg bread white wheat Belgium, Brussels … … … 8 106 33 5 — 25 19 12 Denmark, Copenhagen … … 5 48 25 4 12 12 10 15 France, Paris … … … … 10 128 43 3 18 25 16 15 Germany … … … … 8(3) 88 30 3 11 18 14 18 Ireland, Dublin(4) … … … 11 103 57 5 40 39 19 20 Italy, Rome … … … … 15 194 58 9 21 — 30 18 Luxembourg, Luxembourg … … 8 81 26 3 11 22 12 11 Netherlands … … … … 9 100 28 4 11 20 19 14 United Kingdom, 200 towns … … 9 46 23 4 22 17 9 11 94W 95W
1969 Country 1 litre milk 1 kg butter 1 dozen eggs 1 kg potatoes 1 kg apples 1 kg oranges 1 kg sugar 1 kg bread white wheat Belgium, Brussels … … … 8 97 29 4 — 24 17 12 Denmark, Copenhagen(6) … … — — — — — — — — France, Paris … … … … 10 117 38 4 17 25 15 18 Germany … … … … 7(3) 77 25 4 10 18 12 16 Ireland, Dublin(4) … … … 11 88 42 6 — — 15 19 Italy, Rome … … … … 13 191 54 9 20 — 27 24 Luxembourg, Luxembourg(6) … — — — — — — — — Netherlands … … … … 8 96 24 5 9 17 15 13 United Kingdom, 200 towns … … 9 43 — 5 17 17 9 11
1970 Country 1 litre milk 1 kg butter 1 dozen eggs 1 kg potatoes 1 kg apples 1 kg oranges 1 kg sugar 1 kg bread white wheat Belgium, Brussels … … … 7 87 25 3 — 20 16 11 Denmark, Copenhagen … … 4 43 22 3 9 10 8 14 France, Paris … … … … 9 116 33 4 15 23 14 22 Germany … … … … 7(3) 67 19 3 9 14 11 15 Ireland, Dublin(4) … … … 9 78 35 5 — — 13 18 Italy, Rome … … … … 12 160 42 8 17 — 22 21 Luxembourg(6) … … … — — — — — — — — Netherlands … … … … 7 86 20 4 8 16 13 12 United Kingdom, 200 towns … … 8 38 18 4 14 14 8 11 96W 97W
1971 Country 1 litre milk 1 kg butter 1 dozen eggs 1 kg potatoes 1 kg apples 1 kg oranges 1 kg sugar 1 kg bread white wheat Belgium, Brussels … … … 7 82 26 2 — 19 13 11 Denmark, Copenhagen … … 4 41 20 3 9 10 7 13 France, Paris … … … … 9 113 37 3 17 23 14 20 Germany … … … … 7(3) 66 22 3 9 14 10 15 Ireland, Dublin(4) … … … 10 69 29 5 — — — 17 Italy, Rome … … … … 12 149 40 6 15 — 20 21 Luxembourg(6) … … … — — — — — — — — Netherlands … … … … 7 78 25 3 8 14 13 12 United Kingdom, 200 towns … … 8 53 15 3 16 14 8 10 98W
1971 Country 1 litre milk 1 kg butter 1 dozen eggs 1 kg potatoes 1 kg apples 1 kg oranges 1 kg sugar 1 kg bread white wheat Belgium, Brussels … … … 7 81 25 4 — 17 15 11 Denmark, Copenhagen … … 4 37 19 3 11 10 7 13 France, Paris … … … … 9 114 31 5 20 24 13 22 Germany … … … … 7(3) 63 20 4 12 14 10 16 Ireland, Dublin(4) … … … 9 66 32 6 — — 13 16 Italy, Rome … … … … 10 138 37 8 15 — 18 19 Luxembourg(6) … … … — — — — — — — — Netherlands … … … … 8 81 20 4 13 16 13 12 United Kingdom, 200 towns … … 7 40 13 4 20 15 7 10 Sources: Minutes of work derived from source data as follows: (a) Retail Prices of selected consumer goods in October of each year, Bulletin of Labour Statistics, International Labour Office, 1965–1973 Second Quarter Issues. (b) Average gross hourly earning of male manual workers in manufacturing in the 6 original EEC members, Social Statistics, Nos.1–1971 and 5–1972, Statistical Office of the European Communities. (c) Earnings for Denmark and Ireland—Bulletin of Labour Statistics, International Labour Office (d) Earnings for United Kingdom—Department of Employment. Notes: (1) Minutes of work calculated from consumer prices at October of each year, and from the average gross hourly earning of male workers in manufacturing in October. Both prices and earning have been kept in the national currencies of the individual countries. For Denmark carning data relate to males in non-agricultural sectors, and for Ireland to male and female workers in manufacturing. For France and Ireland the earning figures relate to September and for Demark to the last quarter of the year. (2) Cubes (3) Not pasteurized, not bottled. (4) November prices. (5) Mean average of London and unweighted average of six other towns (Birmingham, Bristol, Glasgow, Leeds, Manchester and Newcastle-upon-Type). (6) Data not available. (7) For 1972 the earnings data relate to April 1972 for Belgium, Germany and Italy, to March for France and to October 1971 for the Netherlands.