§ Mr. Austin MitchellTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is his estimate of the cost to the Revenue in the current financial year of an increase in pensions to the same proportion of earnings as applied in(a) Germany and (b) France.
§ Mr. Peter LloydIt is not possible to make simple comparisons of very different pension schemes. Unlike the United Kingdom, Germany and France do not pay a flat-rate retirement pension which can be expressed as a proportion of national average earnings.