§ Mr. WrayTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what provision is made for the welfare and care of children in(a) the United Kingdom, (b) Belgium, (c) Denmark, (d) Luxembourg, (e) the Netherlands, (f) Germany and (g) France.
§ Mr. JackThis Department makes provision for the welfare and care of children to the extent that it provides cash benefits to families with children, principally through the child benefit, family credit and income support schemes.
Tables giving details of child benefit and equivalent schemes in the countries listed by the hon. Member, as at 1 July 1990, are set out in "Social Protection in the Member States of the Community", published by the Commission for the European Communities, a copy of which is in the Library. The current publication does not cover income-related benefits such as family credit (a benefit which has no direct equivalent in the other countries) but the United Kingdom has proposed to the Commission that next year and in following years the tables should be extended to cover these benefits. Until this can be done a systematic comparison of this type of benefit is not possible.