§ Mrs. BeckettTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Services what information he has as to which countries in 593W Europe, other than the United Kingdom, pensions are paid (a) at a higher rate to married men than to single men or (b) to married women by virtue of their husbands' contributions.
§ Mr. Scott[holding answer 18 May 1988]: Among the member states of the European Community married men are paid higher pensions than single men in Belgium, Greece, Ireland, the Netherlands, Portugal and Spain. However, the rate of increase is in several cases very small. In Denmark a married couple receive a higher pension than the single person rate only if both partners qualify for a pension. The United Kingdom and Gibraltar are the only parts of the European Community in which a separate pension is paid to a wife by virtue of her husband's contributions.