§ Mr. SheermanTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will make a statement on the implications for British pensioners of the Barber decision of the European Court of Justice.
§ Mrs. Gillian ShephardThe European Court of Justice ruled on 17 May 1990, in the case of Barber v. Guardian Royal Exchange, that benefits from occupational pension schemes are pay for the purposes of article 119 of the treaty of Rome. This means that occupational pension schemes must treat men and women equally. Schemes need to take legal advice as to how the terms of the judgment apply to their particular circumstances.