To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list the levels of pension and other items of support for pensioners available in each of the EC countries indicating where appropriate the level of contribution by the individual.

I refer my hon. Friend to the 1989 edition of the Department's publication "Tables of Social Benefit Systems in the European Communities", a copy of which is in the Library. These set out the social security arrangements in the 12 member states of the EC, showing both national currency and sterling equivalent, converted according to the purchasing power parity figures as explained in the introduction to the tables. The 1990 tables will be available shortly. I regret that information on other items of support for pensioners in other EC countries is not generally available.