Mr. John D. TaylorTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security at what ages state retirement pensions are made available to(a) men and (b) women in (i) Germany and (ii) France; and what is the estimated increase in public expenditure if these age criteria were applied in the United Kingdom.
§ Mrs. Gillian ShephardThere is no single state pension scheme in either the Federal Republic of Germany or France.
The principal requirement for the award of a pension in the main state schemes in both the Federal Republic and France is that the claimant should have completed a certain number of years of contributions. Provided that this condition is met the minimum age at which the full pension is payable is 63 for the Federal Republic and 60 for France. Women in Germany can claim a pension at 60 if they have worked for at least 15 years, but as pensions in Germany are related to earnings level and length of working life, a woman in this position would be likely to receive only a small pension. There are no separate retirement ages in France for men and women.
The cost of a common retirement age for both men and women at 63 in the United Kingdom at 1985–86 benefit rates is estimated at £800 million and at £3,000 million for age 60.