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Community Care Grants
Mr. Allen : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will instruct social fund officers to consider the possible award of a community care grant in every case they handle as a means of ensuring that the budget is not underspent at the end of the year.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : Social fund officers are advised in "Social Fund Manual" paragraphs 1026, 3053 and 4032 that for each application they should consider whether a community care grant would meet the particular need.
Departmental Computer Systems
Mr. Kirkwood : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) if he will list in the Official Report the types of intrusion he is trying to prohibit in designing his departmental computer security systems ;
(2) what steps are being taken to protect departmental computer systems against theft of data, malicious damage or illegal tampering with data ;
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(3) whether encryption techniques are being employed in his departmental security systems ;(4) what plans he has to deal with the safety of back-up storage facilities for computer data in his departmental security systems ; (5) what plans he has to control access to information held in individual files in his departmental computer systems ;
(6) whether his computer security system will restrict access to the originator of the data ;
(7) what recovery procedures are available to a security supervisor of his departmental computer system when pass words are forgotten ; (8) if there is any system for monitoring terminal usage in his departmental computer system ;
(9) what procedures exist to remove protection in particular files to make a computer data available for general release ;
(10) whether the Department's security system includes physical devices such as keys to protect computer data.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : The Department has a large number of information technology systems in use and a wide range of measures are provided to safeguard them. Most of the existing computer systems are batch-processing systems, which are not susceptible to many of the threats of on-line systems. However, the Department has now begun to implement its operational strategy, a major programme of computerisation which will provide on-line services for all social security offices. In devising the strategy, we have taken great care to ensure the security of the system.
Entry to a system will be limited to those terminals which have authorised access to the system. The use of terminals will be carefully monitored. External users are unable to dial directly into a system. A dial-back facility will be imposed which ensures that only authorised external users are allowed entry.
Access to a system is limited to authorised users by means of passwords and personal identification devices. Passwords are changed regularly and whenever a password is compromised or forgotten the individual must be re- introduced to the system by an authorised officer.
Most computer data files record the personal details of individuals. These records are treated confidentially and are not avilable for general release. Access to data will be controlled by a system of access permissions which will ensure that officers address only those data needed to perform their work. All transactions will be audited to enable management to monitor access to data and to ensure attempted breaches of security are recognised and reported. Where appropriate, data will be encrypted. Back-up copies of data will be held separately and securely for all systems.
Social Fund
Mr. Foulkes : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is his latest information on how much of the social fund has so far been allocated for loans at Ayr's Department of Social Security office ; and how much has been allocated as a national average.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : As at 30 October 1988 45 per cent. of the social fund loans allocation to Ayr local office had been spent. At the same date national expenditure was 43 per cent. of the total loans budget allocation.
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Mr. Foulkes : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he has any information as to whether there will be an underspend at local offices of his Department of the social fund allocation.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : Future levels of expenditure by local offices will be dependent on the numbers, types and financial values of applications made, their relative priorities, the amounts available in local office budgets and the exercise of discretion by social fund officers on individual cases. It is not possible at this stage to predict with certainty the extent to which individual local offices might underspend their budget allocations.
Family Credit
Mr. Thurnham : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what are the latest estimates for the number of families who will receive family credit scheme benefit during 1988-89 ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : This information will be published in the Public Expenditure White Paper in the new year.
Housing Benefit
Mr. Winnick : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many applications for housing benefit transitional payments are still outstanding ; and if all such cases will be finalised by the end of 1988.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : Up to 9 December 396,000 applications had been received at the transitional payments unit. Of these, 314,000 have been assessed and 146,000 cases are now receiving payments. The majority of the outstanding cases are awaiting the return of the inquiry form which is sent to the relevant local authority to obtain housing benefit details. Local authorities are being contacted asking them to deal with the forms as quickly as possible. The unit is processing cases as soon as these inquiry forms are returned by local authorities. All outstanding cases will be cleared once the relevant forms have been sent back.
Mr. Winnick : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the average weekly payment currently paid out in housing benefit transitional payments ; and what is the equivalent estimated sum in the next financial year.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : The current average weekly payment of housing benefit transitional payment is £4.06, but this figure has fluctuated over the period since payments began. This will continue up to 31 March 1989 which is the cut-off date for applications to be made. It is not therefore possible to predict the average payment for the next financial year until after this date when all applications have been processed.
Mr. Winnick : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will state the current estimated time for which housing benefit transitional payments are likely to continue.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : No decision has yet been made on how transitional payments will finally be phased out although it has always been made clear that these payments will be reduced as people's circumstances change and the need for them is reduced. We have already
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announced that transitional payments will be reduced in the majority of cases by £2 per week next April. Some payments will therefore cease after the first year and others will not be paid after the end of year two. However, where large payments are being made the need will continue for several years.Benefit Changes
Mr. Fatchett : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services, pursuant to his reply of 9 December, if he will set out the weekly change in benefit in 1989-90 for the individual claimant of (a) retirement pension, (b) widow's benefit, (c) unemployment benefit, (d) invalidity benefit, (e) attendance allowance and (f) mobility allowance, if mortgage interest payments were excluded from the calculation of the retail price index.
Mr. Scott : The information requested is as follows :
|proposed April 1989|April 1989 rates,
|rates, increased in|increased in line
|line with published|with RPI excluding
|RPI |mortgage interest
|payments
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|£ |£
Full basic State
Retirement
Pension |43.60 |43.30
Widow's Pension
standard rate |43.60 |43.30
Unemployment
Benefit (under
pension age) |34.70 |34.45
Invalidity Pension |43.60 |43.30
xf |Attendance
Allowance
(higher rate) |34.90 |34.65
Mobility Allowance |24.40 |24.25
Benefit Levels
Mr. Michael : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what level of inflation has been allowed for in his Department's calculations leading up to the setting of social security benefit levels for (a) 1988-89 and (b) 1989-90.
Mr. Scott : The April 1988 uprating was based on the published movement in the retail prices index (RPI) between September 1986 and September 1987 ; the index rose by 4.2 per cent. The rates of the new income-related benefits took account of a rise of 3.2 per cent. in the RPI less housing costs over the same period.
The uprating in April 1989 is based on the movement in the RPI between September 1987 and September 1988 ; the RPI rose by 5.9 per cent. and the RPI less housing by 4.7 per cent. over that period. Because the RPI was subject to an error which was corrected during the relevant period, benefits are being increased by more than the rise in the RPI where necessary to compensate for the error. Also in recognition of the error the premiums in the income-related benefits will receive an extra increase.
Board and Lodging Payments
Mr. Rooker : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will make a statement on proposed changes in board and lodging payments for people in supported lodgings and the level of representations in respect of the changes.
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Mr. Peter Lloyd : A total of 52 representations on supported lodgings were made in response to consultative proposals to reform income support payments to people in lodgings. There will be generous transitional measures to protect this group against loss when new arrangements for people in board and lodgings accommodation come into force next April.
Tax Benefit Model Tables
Mr. Nicholas Baker : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security when he will publish the April 1988 edition of the tax benefit model tables ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : I have placed copies of these tables in the Library today.
We have improved the presentation of the tables. By including take-home pay and net income before as well as after housing costs, we have made clearer the steps by which gross earnings are turned into final figures. We have also replaced the heading "marginal tax rate" by "marginal tax/benefit withdrawal rate". This more accurately describes the marginal deduction from income which occurs as gross earnings rise. As in previous editions, and in order to illustrate fully the interplay between the tax and the benefit systems, the tables apply to local authority tenants. This year we have reflected this in the title of the tables.
In the tables expenses which claimants are expected to meet themselves are now treated as a part of net disposable income rather than deducted as they were before. This applies in particular to water service charges and fares to work. For those out of work and receiving income support, water service charges are treated like any other ordinary item of domestic expenditure. No particular fares-to-work figure, including the average, can represent the range of costs which occur in practice. Moreover, as many as one in three working people have no travel-to-work costs. The tables, therefore, assume no fares to work or other work-related expenses, but anyone
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wishing to deduct a particular amount, for example, the estimated average amount of £6.30 (which would be consistent with previous years figures), can make the appropriate adjustment to the net income figures shown in the tables.Despite these improvements, the examples in the tables remain arbitrary. They cannot reflect, except by chance, the actual circumstances of particular people and cannot claim to be representative of the population at large. The tables use average rents and local authority rates so they do not reflect the full range of housing costs which people can pay. The family characteristics in the tables are chosen only to illustrate various features of the social security system.
Incomes
Sir Ian Gilmour : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will publish figures showing by how much the real equivalent incomes of the bottom 5 per cent. and the top 5 per cent. of the population rose between 1979 and 1985, after payment of housing costs.
Mr. Peter Lloyd [holding answer 9 December 1988] : Estimates of real equivalent increase in income are available only in 10 per cent. bands. Between 1979 and 1985, the incomes of the bottom 10 per cent. of individuals in Great Britain, calculated on the basis of "Households Below Average Income" and expressed after housing costs, rose by an average of 3 per cent. in real terms. The real incomes of the top 10 per cent. rose by 19 per cent.
Income Support
Mrs. Beckett : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many claims for and awards of supplementary benefit or income support for persons over pension age, unemployed and in other circumstances were made in each month since April 1987.
Mr. Peter Lloyd [holding answer 13 December 1988] : The information requested is as follows :
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|12 January 1988 |9 February 1988 |8 March 1988 |8 April 1988 |29 April 1988 |31 May 1988 |30 June 1988 |31 July 1988 |31 August 1988 |30 September 1988|31 October 1988
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pensioner claims |27,525 |41,695 |50,079 |59,579 |17,867 |39,387 |37,469 |28,838 |28,347 |22,008 |28,563
Pensioner awards |10,603 |16,648 |17,805 |18,901 |8,399 |19,907 |19,278 |15,442 |15,037 |12,502 |15,550
Unemployed claims |186,828 |254,803 |219,918 |205,795 |87,810 |182,543 |227,634 |325,864 |274,054 |268,409 |246,098
Unemployed awards |147,739 |203,520 |169,123 |157,004 |74,097 |153,171 |192,091 |188,723 |234,408 |233,869 |207,785
Other claims |54,819 |79,503 |81,732 |84,677 |30,385 |62,676 |68,360 |63,974 |67,732 |63,963 |69,652
Other claims |30,631 |46,119 |43,924 |44,158 |19,914 |41,770 |46,355 |45,511 |47,938 |47,486 |49,329
Note: Recording of the information changes from four weekly to calendar monthly from April 1988.
|12 January 1988 |9 February 1988 |8 March 1988 |8 April 1988 |29 April 1988 |31 May 1988 |30 June 1988 |31 July 1988 |31 August 1988 |30 September 1988|31 October 1988
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pensioner claims |27,525 |41,695 |50,079 |59,579 |17,867 |39,387 |37,469 |28,838 |28,347 |22,008 |28,563
Pensioner awards |10,603 |16,648 |17,805 |18,901 |8,399 |19,907 |19,278 |15,442 |15,037 |12,502 |15,550
Unemployed claims |186,828 |254,803 |219,918 |205,795 |87,810 |182,543 |227,634 |325,864 |274,054 |268,409 |246,098
Unemployed awards |147,739 |203,520 |169,123 |157,004 |74,097 |153,171 |192,091 |188,723 |234,408 |233,869 |207,785
Other claims |54,819 |79,503 |81,732 |84,677 |30,385 |62,676 |68,360 |63,974 |67,732 |63,963 |69,652
Other claims |30,631 |46,119 |43,924 |44,158 |19,914 |41,770 |46,355 |45,511 |47,938 |47,486 |49,329
Note: Recording of the information changes from four weekly to calendar monthly from April 1988.
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HOME DEPARTMENT
Obscene Publications Act
13. Sir Michael McNair-Wilson : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he has any proposals for seeking to amend the Obscene Publications Act.
Mr. Renton : We see no case for continuing the exemption of broadcasting from the Obscene Publications Act 1959, and would like to see it removed at the earliest opportunity. We have no other proposals at present.
Wolverhampton Town Centre (Security Cameras)
14. Mrs. Maureen Hicks : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what information he has as to whether similar action is being considered for other town centres, following the introduction by the police of security cameras in Wolverhampton town centre.
Mr. John Patten : The introduction of such schemes by the police in England and Wales is an operational matter for chief officers. Schemes of this kind might be considered in other "safer cities" areas. We are aware of similar schemes in Southampton, Bournemouth and King's Lynn.
Remand Centres
15. Mr. Pike : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent representations he has received regarding the future of remand centres.
Mr. Hurd : About 65 individuals and organisations have sent in comments on the Green Paper "Private Sector Involvement in the Remand System", which was published in July.
Police Forces (Establishment)
16. Mr. Stern : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police forces are unable to recruit to their permitted establishement at the present time ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : All forces in England and Wales are at, or very close to, their authorised establishment, although force strengths fluctuate in the light of recruitment and wastage patterns. Only four forces were more than 2 per cent. below establishment on 31 August : these were Bedfordshire 2.62 per cent. below establishment ; Northants 2.35 per cent. ; Cheshire 2.15 per cent. ; and Avon and Somerset 2.07 per cent.
75. Mr. Rathbone : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he is yet ready to announce increases in police establishments for police forces.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : My right hon. Friend is not yet in a position to announce increases in police establishments for 1989-90. He will do so as soon as possible.
Police/School Liaison Group
17. Mr. Key : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the code of practice on police and schools produced by the police/school liaison group.
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Mr. Douglas Hogg : The Government welcome the spirit of co-operation between teachers and the police which is reflected in the production of their code of practice.
I have to say that we do not agree with some of the detailed recommendations in the code, but we share the authors' view that police work in schools has an extremely important role to play in helping to develop the concept of social responsibility among young people and in maintaining the essential relationship of confidence and trust between the police and the public.
National Disaster Unit
18. Mr. McCrindle : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he has any plans to establish a national disaster unit.
Mr. John Patten : We are looking closely at our arrangements for handling disasters and I will be announcing our conclusions in the due course.
Neighbourhood Watch Scheme
19. Mr. Cash : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what are the numbers of neighbourhood watch schemes operating (a) nationally and (b) in the Stafford area.
Mr. John Patten : At the beginning of October, there were almost 60,000 neighbourhood watch schemes in England and Wales with 159 schemes in the Stafford police division covering nearly 17,000 households. This is an increase of almost 100 schemes over the last 12 months and the number of households covered has more than doubled.
36. Mr. Sumberg : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what are the numbers of neighbourhood watch schemes operating (a) nationally and (b) in the Bury, South constituency.
Mr. John Patten : At the end of October, there were almost 60,000 neighbourhood watch schemes in England and Wales and 288 schemes in the Bury metropolitan district division of the Greater Manchester police force area. I understand from the chief constable of Greater Manchester that figures are not readily available on the number of schemes in my hon. Friend's constituency.
45. Mr. Simon Coombs : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many households in England and Wales are now members of a neighbourhood watch scheme ; and if he will make a statement.
88. Mr. Pawsey : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many households in England and Wales are now members of a neighbourhood watch scheme ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. John Patten : There are now almost 60,000 neighbourhood watch schemes in England and Wales covering some 3.25 million households. Since the establishment of the first scheme in 1982, neighbourhood watch has caught the public's imagination and I welcome this clear evidence of their commitment to help the police in dealing with local crime problems.
55. Mr. Mans : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what are the numbers of neighbourhood watch schemes operating (a) nationally and (b) in the north-west area.
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Mr. John Patten : At the beginning of October there were almost 60,000 neighbourhood watch schemes in England and Wales, with over a quarter of this total (16,800) in the Cheshire, Cumbria, Greater Manchester, Lancashire and Merseyside police force areas.
97. Mr. Roger King : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the role of the neighbourhood watch scheme in crime prevention.
Mr. John Patten : Neighbourhood watch schemes can be effective in reducing crime and the fear of crime, in increasing public awareness of the part they can play in preventing crime, in improving co-operation between the public and the police, and in providing a focus for action for those who wish to work against crime.
Crime Statistics (South Yorkshire)
20. Mr. Patnick : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what are the latest quarterly recorded crime figures in the South Yorkshire metropolitan area ; and what were the comparable figures for (a) the previous quarter and (b) one year ago.
Mr. John Patten : There was a further drop in recorded crime. In the three months to September, South Yorkshire police recorded 20,883 notifiable offences. This compares with 22,000 in the second quarter of 1988 and 22,888 in the third quarter of 1987.
Forensic Science Service
21. Mr. Patchett : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what are, by grade, the manpower levels within the forensic science service ; and what they were three and five years ago.
Mr. Hurd : The information is as follows :
The numbers of staff in post in 1985 (at 31 December) and 1988 (at 31 October) at the six forensic science laboratories and the central research and support establishment (CRSE) were as follows :
Grade |1985 |1988
------------------------------------------------------
5 |6 |6
6 |8 |8
7 |54 |51
Senior Scientific Officer |107.5|118
Higher Scientific Officer |86 |95
Scientific Officer |101.5|115.5
Assistant Scientific Officer |81.5 |54.5
Laboratory Attendant |11 |9.5
Professional and Technology Officer |2 |2
|-----|-----
Totals |457.5|459.5
Staff in post figures for 1983 for the Chorley forensic science laboratory are not available. The number of staff in post at the other laboratories (including CRSE) on 31 December 1983 were as follows :
Grade |1983
------------------------------------------------
5 |5
6 |6
7 |43
Senior Scientific Officer |101
Higher Scientific Officer |76.5
Scientific Officer |76.5
Assistant Scientific Officer |90
Laboratory Attendant |9.5
Professional and Technology Officer |1
|-----
Total |408.5
Voluntary Bodies (Participation)
22. Mr. David Harris : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action he is taking to ensure that the policies of all public bodies and agencies for which he is responsible support and encourage the role of the citizen in participation in voluntary bodies.
Mr. John Patten : Involvement in voluntary work is one of the ways in which responsible and active citizens make a positive contribution to their community and I take every opportunity to encourage this. Many of the bodies and agencies for which I have responsibility already work closely with voluntary organisations and with individual volunteers. Volunteers do valuable work for example in the crime prevention field and with young offenders. The Home Office also provides grant aid to a number of organisations which support and promote volunteering.
Death on the Rock"
23. Mr. Riddick : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what information he has received on the steps taken by the Independent Broadcasting Authority in relation to Thames Television's programme "Death on the Rock".
Mr. Renton : The board of Thames Television has appointed two independent assessors to inquire into the making of the programme "Death on the Rock". The IBA, as the regulatory authority for the ITV companies, will consider the report from Thames as soon as it becomes available, and decide whether any action is necessary.
Broadwater Farm (Incident)
24. Mr. Corbyn : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he has made inquiries into the alleged violations of police procedures during investigations into the death of PC Blakelock at Broadwater Farm in 1985 ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : An investigation into allegations and complaints against the police is being carried out under the supervision of the Police Complaints Authority in accordance with the provisions of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984. It would be wrong for my right hon. Friend to intervene in this process.
Police Officers (Stress)
25. Mr. Sheerman : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will next meet the chairman of the Association of Chief Police Officers to discuss stress among police officers.
Mr. Hurd : At the meeting of the Police Advisory Board on 25 October, which was attended by the president of the Association of Chief Police Officers, I announced that a central facility would be provided within the Home Office to advise chief officers of police on matters of organisation health and welfare, including stress. I have no plans for a further meeting with the president on this issue.
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Offensive Weapons
26. Mr. Andy Stewart : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps his Department has taken to prevent the manufacture and supply of offensive weapons ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : We have taken powers in the new Criminal Justice Act enabling the Secretary of State to specify, by affirmative order, weapons which it will be an offence to manufacture, sell, import, hire, give or lend. The purpose of this provision is to take out of circulation altogether weapons which have no legitimate use. An order specifying 14 martial arts and other weapons was recently debated and approved by Parliament. The order was made on 17 November and comes into force on 18 January 1989.
87. Mr. David Evans : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proposals his Department has to limit the manufacture and supply of offensive weapons ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : We have taken powers in the new Criminal Justice Act enabling the Secretary of State to specify, by affirmative order, weapons which it will be an offence to manufacture, sell, import, hire, give or lend. The purpose of this provision is to take out of circulation altogether weapons which have no legitimate use. An order specifying 14 martial arts and other weapons was recently debated and approved by Parliament. The order was made on 17 November and comes into force on 18 January 1989.
Fire Services
27. Mr. Allen McKay : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the cost of the fire service (a) in south Yorkshire and (b) in other metropolitan county areas.
61. Mr. O'Brien : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the cost of the fire service (a) in West Yorkshire and (b) in other metropolitan counties.
Mr. John Patten : The budgets set by the fire and civil defence authorities in South Yorkshire and West Yorkshire in respect of all their functions show expected total expenditure for 1988-89 to be £22.422 million and £37.558 million, respectively. Corresponding information in respect of the other metropolitan fire and civil defence authorities is as follows :
|£ million
---------------------------------------
Greater Manchester |46.931
Merseyside |31.932
Tyne and Wear |22.982
West Midlands |44.227
Robbery (Sentences)
28. Mr. Janman : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what has been the change in the last year in the average sentence for robbery ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. John Patten : The average sentence imposed on men aged 21 or over (this being the average generally used for purposes of comparison) increased by 9 per cent. in the last year and by over 20 per cent. in the last three years.
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