§ Mr. George HowarthTo ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of the average wage the state pension is in the UK; and what the figure is for each member state of the European Union. [155467]
§ Mr. PondThe average State Pension payment to all recently retired pensioners is 20 per cent. of average earnings.
The comparable figure is not available for EU member states because most EU countries have earnings related State Pensions schemes. The amount of State Pension will therefore vary according to the individual earnings during their working life
Notes:
1. State Pension is the maximum rate of basic State Pension plus the average amount of additional pension in payment based on March 2003 data for recently retired pensioners (men 65, women 60).
2. Average earnings is the mean weekly earnings at April 2003 of £475.80
3. The 20 per cent. figure has been rounded to the nearest percentage point.