HC Deb 05 April 1995 vol 257 cc1114-5W
Mr. Duncan

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what comparisons he has made on the basis of purchasing power parity between the living standard of the average service industry worker in the United Kingdom and that of his EU counterparts. [15930]

Mr. Oppenheim

For service sectors where information is available, gross pay in the UK is higher than in Western Germany, France, Belgium and the Netherlands—once the cost of living has been taken into account.