§ Mr. BradleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what percentage of gross domestic product is spent on social security benefits for people unable to work because of sickness or disability in each of the member states of the European Union.
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§ Mr. ScottComparable figures for expenditure on sickness benefits are not available in the form requested. The latest information available is in the Eurostat publication "Social Protection Expenditure and Receipts 1980–1991". This publication also shows expenditure on invalidity and disability for the same period.
The latest information available on invalidity/disability expenditure, shown as a percentage of gross domestic product for each member state of the European Union, is contained in the Eurostat publication "Digest of Statistics on Social Protection in Europe, Volume 2: Invalidity/ Disability". This publication covers the years 1980–1988 and includes information about differences of definition which highlight the need for care in interpreting the statistics for comparative purposes.
A copy of each publication has been placed in the Library.