asked the Secretary of State for Employment what are the average weekly earnings in the EEC member States in their national currencies and in £ sterling at the latest date for which comparable figures are available. available.

The following table gives the latest available information. Corresponding figures for Italy and Denmark are not available.Owing to differences in national definitions and methods of compilation, the figures are not fully comparable. Moreover, international comparisons of earnings statistics are not meaningful unless account is taken of (i) differences in taxation and social benefits, (ii) differences in internal purchasing power which are not reflected by market exchange rates, and (iii) in the case of weekly earnings, the differences in the average number of hours worked.