§ Mr. ShersbyTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will publish a table showing those countries in which British state retirement pensioners are entitled to have their pensions uprated annually in the same way as if they were still residing in the United Kingdom together with the date upon which each country was added to the list of those so entitled and the cost to the taxpayer of pensions payable in those countries, for the most recent 12 month period.
§ Miss WiddecombeThe information is in the table. The cost of these pensions is met from the national insurance fund.
Table of overseas countries where annual pension increases are paid, the dates from which annual upratings were first applied and the
total amount of pensions paid in the year ending 5 April 1992
Country Date Amount £ Austria 1 October 1972 2,647,768.71 Barbados1 1 April 1992 2,126,484.85 Belgium 1 June 1958 3,709,010.90 Bermuda 1 November 1969 410,045.35 Cyprus 18 May 1957 6,259,499.84 Denmark 1 January 1973 625,728.68 Finland 1 February 1984 127,592.06 France 5 July 1948 9,921,921.89 Germany 1 August 1961 17,321,235.12 Gibraltar 1 January 1973 1,185,360.36 Greece 1 January 1981 1,410,625.74 Guernsey2 4 April 1966 —3 Iceland 1 August 1985 32,035.23 Irish Republic 4 April 1966 97,353,314.10 Israel 1 November 1957 3,328,735.96 Italy 1 May 1953 20,613,710.35 Jamaica 1 October 1972 28,065,731.19 Jersey 4 April 1966 —3 Luxembourg 1 April 1955 93,973.05 Malta 29 October 1956 2,367,062.26 Mauritius 1 November 1981 246,001.42 Netherlands 1 June 1955 3,623,387.99 Norway 1 April 1991 351,415.42 Philippines 1 December 1989 111,751.74 Portugal 1 October 1979 2,599,342.84 Spain 1 April 1975 30,553,505.04 Sweden 1 May 1988 286,694.70 Switzerland 1 June 1954 2,749,002.66 Turkey 1 June 1961 321,214.32 United States of America 25 September 1969 81,974,078.39 Yugoslavia (including the newly independent former republics) 1 September 1958 1,980,710.99 1Increases payable from April 1992—approval to negotiate an agreement with Barbados providing for payment of pension increases was given in 1974. 2lncluding Alderney, Herm and Jethou. 3There is no ready way of identifying the amounts paid in the Channel Islands separately from the amounts paid to pensioners in the United Kingdom.