§ Miss Richardsonasked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) in view of the continuing existence of widespread sex discrimination in the private occupations pensions field, what are the Government's reasons for preferring voluntarism to legislation;
(2) whether, in the light of the judgment of the European Court of Justice, the Government will reconsider their refusal to introduce legislation securing and ensuring equality between the sexes in the private occupational fields.
§ Mr. Patrick JenkinThe Government believe that it would be wrong to require occupational pension schemes to adopt equal pension ages and survivors' benefits for men and women in advance of similar action in the State scheme. We set out in the White Paper "Growing Older" the difficulties of any early changes in pension ages in the State scheme. The European Community Commission's proposals for a draft directive on equal treatment in occupational pension schemes are expected to be available later this year.
§ Miss Richardsonasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what progress has been made in preventing the continuation of sex discrimination in the provision of occupational retirement benefits.
§ Mr. Patrick JenkinIn 1979, the latest year for which figures are available, 35 per cent. of women employees were members of pension schemes, or about half of all full-time women employees. This improvement no doubt results from the requirements of the Social Security Pensions Act 1975 which, from April 1978, required membership of occupational pension schemes to be open to men and women on the same terms of age and length of service.