HC Deb 03 March 1981 vol 1000 cc89-90W
Mr. McCrindle

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what percentages of employees in each of the EEC countries are classified as self-employed; and what social benefits that do not extend to such people are available to employees.

Mrs. Chalker

I do not have information in the precise form requested by my hon. Friend. However, the latest data available to me indicate that in 1977"employers, self-employed and family workers"—as defined for the purposes of the European Statistical Office's publication,Labour Force: Basic Statistics of the Community —constituted the following percentages of the total civilian employment in each of the countries of the European Community:

Belgium 16.7
Denmark 17.6
France 17.6
Germany 15.1
Greece *
Ireland 28.5
Italy 28.7
Luxembourg 14.2
Netherlands 14.6
United Kingdom 7.7
* Data not available.

The latest information available to me on the coverage of social benefits in the nine Community countries, excluding Greece, is set out in Social Benefit Tables for Member States of the European Communities: Position at 1 January 1980 prepared by the Department, a copy of which is in the Library of the House. Comparable information on Greece will be provided as soon as possible by way of a supplement to the Social Benefit Tables.