Statutory Holidays

HC Deb 15 July 1996 vol 281 c364W

Mr. Wigley

To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many statutory holidays there are in(a) Wales, (b) Scotland, (c) Northern Ireland and (d) England every year; and what are the equivalent figures in other European Union countries. [37088]

Mr. John M. Taylor

There are currently eight bank and public holidays in England, Wales and Scotland, and 10 in Northern Ireland. The following table, based on information in theOfficial Journal of the European Communities (No. C 45, 1996, item 7), lists the number of current public holidays in other European Union member states.

Number of public holidays in other EU member states
	Number
Austria	13
Belgium	11
Denmark	10
Finland	13
France	11
Germany	110 to 14
Greece	12
Ireland	10
Italy	9
Luxembourg	12
Netherlands	8
Portugal	15
Spain	110 to 15
Sweden	11
1 A range of numbers indicates local variations.

Holiday entitlement in the United Kingdom is not generally a statutory right but a matter covered by the contract of employment between the individual employer and employee.