§ Mr. Newtonasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what proportion of average national earnings a married pensioner could expect to receive in 1950 and in 1975, or the date nearest to 1975 if no figures for that year are available, in the United Kingdom, West Germany, France and Italy.
§ Mr. OrmeThe standard rate of retirement pension for a married couple 707W expressed as a percentage of average weekly earnings in the United Kingdom was as follows:
Gross Earnings (a) Net Earnings (b) 1950 27.9 31.0 1975 (c) 35.6 50.6 It is not possible to express the amount of pension payable in West Germany, France or Italy as a percentage of an average wage, either in 1950 or 1975. Individual entitlements varied according to such factors as the person's earnings and occupation, the duration of his insurance, and the movement of earnings generally. Moreover, there are no uniform statistics of average earnings. The normal method of calculating pensions in each member state of the EEC as at 1st January 1977 is set out in the comparative social security tables produced by my Department, a copy of which is in the Library.
(a) Earnings of adult manual workers in manufacturing and certain other industries as found by the Department of Employment's October inquiry.
(b) After deduction of tax and national insurance contributions.
(c) Pension rates introduced in November.