§ Mr. WareingTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if Her Majesty's Government support the proposal by the President of the European Commission for the issue of poverty passports to enable disadvantaged EC citizens to claim a range of benefits in order to lift them out of poverty; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. HagueDisadvantage takes different forms in different countries and, in accordance with the principle of subsidiarity, it is accepted that action lies primarily with member states. Community-wide "poverty passports" would not, therefore, be appropriate. Mechanisms already exist to deal with the portability of benefits between member states.