HC Deb 14 June 1994 vol 244 c362W
Mr. Simon Hughes

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what assessment he has made of the recent Eurostat survey in respect of poverty and social security payments in Europe.

Mr. Burt

The report is a compilation of general statistics on life in the European Community and does not address the issue of poverty in relation to social security payments. However, the report shows that the United Kingdom's expenditure on social protection as a percentage of gross domestic product was above the European Community average in 1992.