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Mr. Tom King : Yes. I can confirm that all mouth samples for DNA are obtained by inserting a sterile cotton wool swab into the area between the lip and gum and rubbing the swab over the inner surfaces. No scraping is involved.
Mr. McNamara : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many times DNA profiling has been employed in criminal investigations of (a) scheduled offences, distinguishing between intimate and non-intimate and between those cases where the sample was taken voluntarily and those where the sample was taken without the consent of the suspect and (b) in non-scheduled offences.
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Mr. Tom King : DNA profiling has been employed in the criminal investigation of three scheduled offences and three non-scheduled offences.
In one scheduled case in which the technique was used before the statutory provision in the Criminal Justice Act 1988 came into force, it was not necessary to invite the suspect to provide any sample either intimate or non-intimate. In two cases (one scheduled and one non-scheduled) the suspects offered both intimate and non-intimate samples. In the remaining three cases, one of which was scheduled, the suspects offered only an intimate sample.
In these latter five cases, all the samples provided were taken with the consent of the suspects concerned.
Mr. McNamara : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many times mouth samples have been taken for DNA profiling purposes in connection with criminal investigations of scheduled offences, distinguishing between non-tissue cases where the sample was taken with the consent of the suspect and those where the suspect refused consent.
Mr. Tom King : Mouth samples have been taken from nine persons in connection with criminal investigations of scheduled offences. In all cases, these samples were taken with the consent of the person concerned.
Mr. McNamara : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many records of DNA samples obtained in the course of investigations of (a) scheduled offences and (b) non-scheduled offences have been (i) kept and (ii) destroyed.
Mr. Tom King : No records of DNA samples obtained in the course of investigations have yet been destroyed. In two cases, one scheduled and one non-scheduled, convictions were secured. The remaining four cases are either awaiting court action or are still actively under investigation.
Higher Education
Mr. Hume : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what figures are available to indicate expenditure on higher education as a percentage of the Northern Ireland gross domestic product for the past five years.
Dr. Mawhinney [holding answer 22 December 1988] : The available figures are as follows :
Financial year |Gross domestic product|Higher education
|expenditure excluding
|student
|support |(2) as a
|(1) |(2) |percentage
|£ million |£'000s |of (1)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1983-84 |5,291 |60,177 |1.137
1984-85 |5,646 |62,887 |1.114
1985-86 |6,167 |68,543 |1.111
1986-87 |6,840 |71,000 |1.038
1987-88 |7,388 |80,008 |1.083
Income Support
Mr. Hume : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many 16 and 17-year-olds who previously
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received income support were transferred to a bridging allowance after new benefit rules were introduced in September for Northern Ireland.Mr. Needham [holding answer 22 December 1988] : Some 986 young people transferred from income support to bridging allowance in September 1988.
Full-time Education (Statistics)
Mr. Hume : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what are the latest figures for the percentage of 16 to 19-year-olds involved in full-time education for each education and library area in Northern Ireland.
Dr. Mawhinney [holding answer 22 December 1988] : The information is not available in the form requested.
Top-up Loans
Mr. Hume : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what representation he has received concerning the proposed introduction of top- up loans to Northern Ireland.
Dr. Mawhinney [holding answer 22 December 1988] : Representations have been received from four Members of Parliament, local representatives of the National Union of Students and other student bodies.
Mandatory Awards
Mr. Hume : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will provide a breakdown of the number and value of mandatory awards provided by each education and library board over the past seven years.
Dr. Mawhinney [holding answer 22 December 1988] : The information is as follows :
Education and Library |Number of mandatory |Value of Awards (£)
Board and financial year |awards
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Belfast
1982-83 |n.a. |n.a.
1983-84 |2,360 |3,958,000
1984-85 |3,292 |4,231,000
1985-86 |3,243 |4,505,000
1986-87 |3,234 |4,741,000
1987-88 |3,325 |3,806,000
<1>1988-89 |3,463 |6,106,000
South-Eastern
1982-83 |n.a. |n.a.
1983-84 |2,190 |3,850,000
1984-85 |3,393 |4,220,000
1985-86 |3,402 |4,496,000
1986-87 |3,735 |4,733,000
1987-88 |4,083 |6,550,000
<1>1988-89 |4,283 |7,293,000
North-Eastern
1982-83 |3,441 |6,009,340
1983-84 |3,573 |6,071,755
1984-85 |3,437 |6,483,971
1985-86 |3,693 |6,700,624
1986-87 |4,039 |7,747,000
1987-88 |4,080 |7,982,000
<1>1988-89 |4,239 |8,415,000
Southern
1982-83 |3,020 |n.a.
1983-84 |2,961 |5,369,800
1984-85 |3,318 |6,313,218
1985-86 |3,393 |6,388,913
1986-87 |3,508 |7,059,195
1987-88 |3,665 |7,555,652
<1>1988-89 |4,021 |8,530,000
Western
1982-83 |n.a. |n.a.
1983-84 |n.a. |5,088,430
1984-85 |2,752 |5,546,943
1985-86 |2,721 |5,901,338
1986-87 |3,004 |6,379,000
1987-88 |3,154 |7,014,000
<1>1988-89 |3,387 |7,587,000
<1> Provisional figures.
n.a.=Not available.
Student Awards
Mr. Hume : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what figures are available to indicate expenditure on student awards as a percentage of the Northern Ireland gross domestic product for the past five years.
Dr. Mawhinney [holding answer 22 December 1988] : Students awards are made up from mandatory and discretionary awards paid by education and library boards
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and teacher training, youth service, adult education, postgraduate bursaries and studentships paid by DENI. The information is as follows :
Financial year |Gross domestic product |Amount spent on awards |(2) as percentage of (1)
|(1) £ million |(2) £
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1983-84 |5,291 |32,607,673 |0.616
1984-85 |5,646 |35,716,912 |0.633
1985-86 |6,167 |37,288,280 |0.604
1986-87 |6,840 |40,249,018 |0.588
1987-88 |7,388 |45,098,862 |0.610
Water Pollution
Ms. Walley : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many incidents of water pollution by farm wastes were (a) recorded in each of the years 1980 to 1987 and 1988 to date in Northern Ireland, (b) attributable to pollution by (i) silage effluent and (ii) slurry and (c) the subject of warning letters and prosecutions ; and how many prosecutions were successful.
Dr. Needham [holding answer 21 December 1988] : Details of recorded water pollution incidents arising from agriculture for the years 1980 to 1987 inclusive are as follows :
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Slurry Silage
Water Act (NI) 1972 Water Act (NI) 1972
Year |Number of Incidents |Prosecutions |Successful Prosecutions|Warning Letters |Number of Incidents |Prosecutions |Successful Prosecutions|Warning Letters
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1980 |355 |10 |10 |- |232 |3 |3 |-
1981 |321 |10 |10 |- |125 |- |- |2
1982 |326 |5 |5 |- |135 |- |- |-
1983 |357 |- |- |2 |420 |48 |43 |14
1984 |443 |3 |2 |17 |157 |2 |2 |16
1985 |513 |6 |6 |12 |418 |13 |13 |28
1986 |393 |14 |14 |7 |283 |32 |32 |26
1987 |467 |17 |15 |8 |479 |90 |88 |43
1988 |331 |9 |9 |3 |158 |- |- |9
The figures show the action taken by the Department of the Environment for Northern Ireland for those cases referred to it for consideration for prosecution under the Water Act (Northern Ireland) 1972. Figures for 1988 incidents are based on returns for the first two quarters.
Income Support
Mr. Hume : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what are the numbers claiming income support at each social security office in Northern Ireland ; what are the numbers of dependants of such claimants ; and what are the numbers of these claimants receiving pensions and sickness or invalidity benefit.
Mr. Needham [holding answer 21 December 1988] : The number of income support claimants and those also receiving retirement pension in each social security office on 31 August 1988, the latest date for which statistics are available, is as follows :
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Social security office |Number of claimants |Number of claimants
|claiming IS at 31 August|receiving retirement
|1988 |pension at 31 August
|1988
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Andersonstown |7,752 |937
Antrim |5,161 |1,112
Armagh |5,022 |1,370
Ballymena |5,929 |1,516
Ballymoney |4,543 |1,121
Ballynahinch |1,467 |521
Banbridge |3,353 |1,083
Bangor |4,803 |1,411
Carrickfergus |2,899 |673
Coleraine |5,993 |1,360
Cookstown |3,491 |883
Corporation St. |12,169 |2,633
Downpatrick |2,249 |547
Dungannon |6,158 |1,655
Enniskillen |8,129 |2,584
Falls |9,147 |1,563
Holywood Road |8,536 |2,312
Kilkeel |1,382 |406
Knockbreda |6,039 |2,024
Larne |2,799 |629
Limavady |3,282 |619
Lisburn |6,115 |1,866
Londonderry |14,684 |2,542
Lurgan |5,697 |1,393
Magherafelt |5,132 |1,521
Newcastle |1,887 |579
Newry |9,343 |2,287
Newtownabbey |5,485 |1,292
Newtownards |4,197 |1,273
Omagh |5,831 |1,494
Portadown |3,785 |1,077
Shaftsbury Sq. |7,775 |1,541
Shankill |5,256 |1,440
Strabane<1> |5,867 |1,472
|------- |-------
Total |191,357 |46,736
<1> All figures are at 31 August 1988 except for Strabane where the latest figures available are at
31 May 1988.
Information regarding the number of dependants and those income support claimants also receiving sickness or invalidity benefit is not held centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
RUC and UDR (Religions)
Mr. Livingstone : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will publish a table showing the breakdown of the number of Protestants and Catholics serving in (a) the Royal Ulster Constabulary and (b) the Ulster Defence Regiment in each year from 1969 to the present date.
Mr. Ian Stewart [holding answer 15 December 1988] : Although arrangements are currently being made to introduce monitoring of the religious denomination of members of the Royal Ulster Constabulary and its Reserve, the database has not yet been completed. The information requested is therefore not available. However, I understand that currently about 10 per cent. of the Royal Ulster Constabulary and full-time Reserve is believed to be Roman Catholic. It is not policy to maintain separate statistical records of religious beliefs of Army personnel in any regiment or corps. However, over the last five years it is estimated that the number of Roman Catholics in the Ulster Defence Regiment has formed between 2 and 3 per cent. of that regiment's strength.
Prevention of Terrorism
Ms. Mowlam : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will provide a breakdown of those people arrested under the Prevention of Terrorism Act for each year since 1974 (a) at ports, (b) at airports, (c) in their homes, (d) in other places ; and if he will provide a breakdown of these figures between men and women detainees.
Mr. Ian Stewart [holding answer 8 December 1988] : The information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost since it would involve the examination of nearly 10,000 individual records. The number of persons arrested in Northern Ireland each year under the Prevention of Terrorism Acts since 1974 is as follows :
|Persons arrested
---------------------------------------------------
<1>1974 |Nil
1975 |8
1976 |246
1977 |162
1978 |155
1979 |162
1980 |222
1981 |495
1982 |828
1983 |1,175
1984 |908
1985 |938
1986 |1,309
1987 |1,459
<2>1988 |1,609
<1> From 29 November.
<2> Up to 30 November.
Short Brothers
Sir Michael McNair-Wilson : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement about progress with the privatisation of Short Brothers.
Mr. Viggers (pursuant to his reply of 22 December 1988) : An information memorandum relating to Short Brothers plc which has been prepared to assist potential purchasers in formulating preliminary proposals is being issued today by Kleinwort Benson, financial advisers to the Government. Prospective purchasers will have until 10 February to submit their proposals, and are also being asked to supply information about their present activities and future strategy. A shortlist of possible purchasers will thereafter be drawn up. In my statement of 21 July, 1988, I said that Her Majesty's Government's preference was to sell the company as a whole and it is on this basis that proposals are now being invited from private sector interests.
The Government will continue to stand behind the company in the period leading to privatisation. When the company is privatised, the Government intend to ensure that it will have a capital structure which will enable it to operate without the need for Government assurances to creditors, and such assurances will be withdrawn so far as new obligations are concerned.
The company's accounts for the year ended 31 March 1988 have also been placed in the Library today.
SOCIAL SECURITY
Resettlement Unit
Mr. Madden : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many items of correspondence he has received on the work of the resettlement unit since 1 July from hon. Members.
Unemployed People (Spouses)
Ms. Short : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what estimates exist of the number of registered unemployed supplementary benefit recipients whose spouses worked for less than 30 hours per week at the most recently available date prior to April ; and what estimates exist of the number of registered unemployed income support recipients whose spouses work for less than 24 hours per week at the most recently available date.
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Mr. Peter Lloyd : I regret that this information is not available.
Social Security Reform
Ms. Short : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what figures or estimates exist for the numbers of claimants receiving unemployment benefit, income support or national insurance credits who will cease to do so as a result of section 6 of the Social Security Act 1988.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : Those receiving unemployment benefit on 2 October 1988, when section 6 of the Social Security Act 1988 came into operation, will continue to receive benefit under the old contribution conditions for up to a year under transitional arrangements. People claiming unemployment benefit after October 1988, whose claims do not link with a claim before that date, have to satisfy the new contribution conditions. It is estimated that, in a full year, some 350,000 claimants for unemployment benefit will not satisfy the new contribution conditions. Of these some 300,000 will qualify for income support. All those continuing to sign at the
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unemployment benefit office can receive national insurance credits subject to the usual rules, whether or not they are entitled to benefit.Office Work Loads
Ms. Short : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what are the regionally aggregated monthly figures for office workloads by category of claimant at the most recently available date and at the equivalent periods over the last two years.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : The information requested is given in the following tables. Table 1 shows Income Support/Supplementary Benefit workloads by category of claimant at 30 November 1988 and at equivalent dates in 1987 and 1986. Table 2 shows Contributory Benefit workloads at the same dates.
Any comparison drawn between the 1988 figures provided in this reply and similar information for dates prior to 11 April 1988 should be qualified by the fact that final Supplementary Benefit figures contain possible inaccuracies.
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Table 2-Contributory Benefit Activity
Work Area |North East |Midlands |London North |London South |Wales and South West|North West |Scotland |National
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Month ended 30 November 1988
STB Load |245,822 |194,610 |154,692 |135,651 |239,774 |240,805 |186,145 |1,397,499
MA Load |2,230 |3,185 |3,971 |3,974 |2,605 |1,961 |1,336 |19,262
SDA Load |38,388 |39,551 |32,620 |33,680 |37,504 |36,812 |29,166 |247,721
RP Load O/S |21,286 |23,423 |27,787 |26,845 |25,288 |22,095 |16,473 |163,197
RP Claims O/S |6,374 |7,866 |5,981 |6,293 |6,471 |6,745 |3,743 |43,473
4 weeks ended 17 November 1987
STB Load |224,750 |175,364 |142,085 |124,468 |224,155 |215,794 |167,368 |1,273,984
MA Load |2,399 |3,446 |4,801 |4,404 |2,909 |2,337 |1,727 |22,023
SDA Load |36,861 |37,104 |31,468 |33,034 |36,143 |35,226 |28,625 |238,461
RP Load O/S |20,047 |22,543 |27,625 |26,646 |24,477 |20,185 |14,948 |156,471
RP Claims O/S |7,945 |9,590 |7,279 |7,944 |9,014 |7,731 |4,655 |54,158
4 weeks ended 18 November 1986
STB Load |220,522 |176,842 |151,790 |130,503 |220,031 |209,181 |163,013 |1,271,882
MA Load |18,459 |22,217 |24,921 |23,406 |17,790 |16,937 |12,191 |135,921
SDA Load |36,688 |36,472 |31,273 |33,246 |35,936 |34,518 |28,352 |236,485
RP Load O/S |24,194 |26,266 |31,124 |30,939 |30,082 |23,900 |17,885 |184,390
RP Claims O/S |8,602 |11,204 |8,317 |9,462 |10,143 |8,405 |5,478 |61,611
Notes:
1. STB=Short Term Benefit.
2. MA=Maternity Allowance.
3. SDA=Severe Disablement Allowance.
4. RP=Retirement Pension.
5. O/S=Outstanding at end of period.
Source: Internal management information returns-100 per cent. counts. It should be noted that the information for 30 November 1988 is provisional and subject to change.
Table 2-Contributory Benefit Activity
Work Area |North East |Midlands |London North |London South |Wales and South West|North West |Scotland |National
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Month ended 30 November 1988
STB Load |245,822 |194,610 |154,692 |135,651 |239,774 |240,805 |186,145 |1,397,499
MA Load |2,230 |3,185 |3,971 |3,974 |2,605 |1,961 |1,336 |19,262
SDA Load |38,388 |39,551 |32,620 |33,680 |37,504 |36,812 |29,166 |247,721
RP Load O/S |21,286 |23,423 |27,787 |26,845 |25,288 |22,095 |16,473 |163,197
RP Claims O/S |6,374 |7,866 |5,981 |6,293 |6,471 |6,745 |3,743 |43,473
4 weeks ended 17 November 1987
STB Load |224,750 |175,364 |142,085 |124,468 |224,155 |215,794 |167,368 |1,273,984
MA Load |2,399 |3,446 |4,801 |4,404 |2,909 |2,337 |1,727 |22,023
SDA Load |36,861 |37,104 |31,468 |33,034 |36,143 |35,226 |28,625 |238,461
RP Load O/S |20,047 |22,543 |27,625 |26,646 |24,477 |20,185 |14,948 |156,471
RP Claims O/S |7,945 |9,590 |7,279 |7,944 |9,014 |7,731 |4,655 |54,158
4 weeks ended 18 November 1986
STB Load |220,522 |176,842 |151,790 |130,503 |220,031 |209,181 |163,013 |1,271,882
MA Load |18,459 |22,217 |24,921 |23,406 |17,790 |16,937 |12,191 |135,921
SDA Load |36,688 |36,472 |31,273 |33,246 |35,936 |34,518 |28,352 |236,485
RP Load O/S |24,194 |26,266 |31,124 |30,939 |30,082 |23,900 |17,885 |184,390
RP Claims O/S |8,602 |11,204 |8,317 |9,462 |10,143 |8,405 |5,478 |61,611
Notes:
1. STB=Short Term Benefit.
2. MA=Maternity Allowance.
3. SDA=Severe Disablement Allowance.
4. RP=Retirement Pension.
5. O/S=Outstanding at end of period.
Source: Internal management information returns-100 per cent. counts. It should be noted that the information for 30 November 1988 is provisional and subject to change.
Homelessness
Mrs. Margaret Ewing : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will publish in the Official Report his response to the document entitled "The First Four Weeks," which was forwarded to him before Christmas by the Scottish Council for the Single Homeless.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : We are giving urgent and careful consideration to the recommendations contained in "The First Four Weeks" as well as to concerns expressed by other organisations representing the interests of young people.
Hostels
Mr. Spearing : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what response he has made to the recommendations in the pamphlet entitled "Hostel Crisis," published by the Special Needs Housing Forum ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to my hon. Friend the Member for St. Ives (Mr. Harris) on 27 October at column 337.
Housing Benefit
Mr. Allen : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list the proposals he has to replace his Department's payments for board and lodging with housing benefit ; if he has projected what impact these changes will have on hostels in Nottingham ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : From April 1989, people in ordinary board and lodging accommodation will be able to claim income support for their living expenses and housing benefit for their accommodation costs in the same way as other people in rented accommodation. On payments to people in hostel accommodation, I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to my hon. Friend the Member for St. Ives (Mr. Harris) on 27 October at column 337.
Benefits
Mr. Cox : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what are the reasons for the delays in payment of state pensions and other state benefits.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : We are not aware of any general delays in the payment of state pensions and other state benefits. If, however, the hon. Member is aware of difficulty in a particular case, I should be grateful for the details.
Ms. Harman : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will estimate the amount of benefits to which people in Peckham are entitled but which is not claimed.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : Survey-based estimates of the numbers of people who may be eligible for benefit but who do not claim are available only at national level.
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Training Allowance
Ms. Short : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security whether YTS trainees who lose their entitlement to training allowance after three weeks sickness are entitled to sickness benefit ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : Young people who have not worked prior to starting on the YTS scheme will not qualify for sickness benefit when they fall sick, as they will not satisfy the contribution conditions for that benefit. YTS trainees with a previous record of employment may qualify, but only if they have paid sufficient contributions at the relevant time. In appropriate cases, child benefit or income support may be payable.
Ms. Short : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what guidelines he has issued to benefit officers to ensure that unemployed income support claimants who receive training allowance on beginning employment training continue to receive housing benefit.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : Unemployed income support claimants who undertake employment training have their training allowance set at a level which ensures continuing payment of income support.
DSS local offices have been instructed to ensure that the local authority is aware of the continuance of income support during employment training. Existing entitlement to housing benefit should not, therefore, be affected.
Board and Lodging
Ms. Short : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security whether 18 to 25-year-old claimants who participate in employment training and who are living in board and lodgings are exempt from the restrictions and the time limits that would normally apply to board and lodging payments ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : Financial limits on board and lodging payments apply to all claimants receiving income support. The restrictions that apply to boarders under 25 do not apply to those who participate in employment training.
Child Benefit
Mr. Chris Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what would be (a) the gross and (b) the net cost of raising child benefit in a full financial year in line with the rise in tax thresholds in 1989-90 uprated according to the statutory formula.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : I regret that the information requested is not available. The general index of retail prices for December 1988, on which the calculations would be based, has not yet been published.
Pensioners
Mr. Pike : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what was the number of retirement pensioners
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receiving supplementary benefit during the three months prior to April 1988 and income support in the first three months following the change.Mr. Peter Lloyd : I regret that information is not available in the form requested. However, in November 1987, about 1.6 million retirement pensioners were claiming supplementary benefit. A comparable figure for income support is not yet available. For information about the numbers of income support claimants in receipt of a pensioner premium, I refer the hon. Member to my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Brighton, Kemptown (Mr. Bowden) on 14 December 1988 at column 588. [ Source : November 1987 Quarterly Statistical Enquiry. ]
Christmas Bonus
Mrs. Beckett : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what steps he took to ensure that the Christmas bonus was paid to all those stated to be entitled to it in the notes issued with his press release dated 2 December 1988, including men of 60 to 64 years receiving income support with a pensioner premium.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : The notes issued with the press release in question regrettably contained an error, for which the Department has since apologised. The Christmas bonus is not paid to men aged 60 to 64 who receive income support with a pensioner premium. The 1988 bonus has been paid to all those people entitled to receive it.
Disabled People
Mr. Ashley : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what resources have been made available for implementation of sections 1, 2, 3, 7 and 11 of the Disabled Persons (Services, Consultation and Representation) Act 1986 ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Scott : We are currently engaged in discussions with representatives of health and local authorities on the resources required to implement section 7 of the Act, which we agree is our next priority. No decisions have yet been reached about resource requirements. Similar work on the implementation of sections 1, 2 and 3 will follow.
Section 11, which will be implemented this year, will have no resource implications outside Government.
Mr. Ashley : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) what consultations he has had with local authorities and voluntary organisations on the implementation of section 11 of the Disabled Persons (Services, Consultation and Representation) Act 1986 ; and if he will make a statement ;
(2) what consultations he has had with local authorities and voluntary organisations on the implementation of section 3 of the Disabled Persons (Services, Consultation and Representation) Act 1986 ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Scott : Discussions have taken place between officials and local authority representatives and are continuing. Officials will consult other relevant bodies as necessary.
Attendance Allowance
Ms. Harman : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will estimate the amount of attendance allowance which is not claimed.
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Mr. Scott : The OPCS surveys of disabled people have collected data about the incidence of different types and degrees of disability and also about the receipt of benefits. Using these data, OPCS has shown (see for example table 3.8 in "OPCS Disability Surveys Report 2 : The financial circumstances of disabled adults living in private households"--a copy of which is in the Library) the proportions of people receiving attendance allowance at various levels of severity of disability. It should, however, be borne in mind that, since 1985, when these data were collected, there has been a one-third increase in the number of AA recipients. It is not possible to use the OPCS data about the incidence of disability to identify with sufficient certainty the total number of people who would satisfy the eligibility criteria for AA, and thereby to estimate the amount of benefit not claimed.
Family Incomes
Sir Ian Gilmour : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) if he will publish figures comparing the equivalence scales used in households below average incomes with the equivalent scales implied in the income support allowances and premiums, taking a single householder as the reference point ; and if he will publish a table comparing the equivalent incomes derived from the households below average incomes scale with equivalent incomes derived from the income support scale, taking a single non-householder on income support with £33.40 as the reference point and the following family types for comparison : (a) a married couple, (b) a couple with one child aged under one year, (c) a couple with two children aged seven and 10 years, (d) a couple with three children aged two, four and six years, (e) a couple with four children aged five, seven, 10 and 16 years, (f) a lone parent with one child aged six months and (g) a lone parent with two children aged seven and 10 years ; (2) if he will publish the equivalence scale used for Households Below Average Incomes : A Statistical Analysis, taking the single adult non-householder as the reference point ; and if he will also publish the equivalent incomes implied by that scale for each age group, taking the income support allowance for a single person aged 25 years or over as the reference point.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : [holding answers 29 and 30 November] : Figures providing the information requested have been put in the Library. It is important to recognise that, for the detailed reasons given in the commentary preceding the figures, comparisons between the households below average income equivalence scales and the income support relativities must be interpreted with caution.
Child Benefit
Mr. Squire : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, what is the cost in 1988-89 and 1989-90 of a 50p increase in child benefit assuming (a) corresponding increases in income support rates (b) corresponding increases in family credit rates (c) no corresponding increases in income support rates and (d) no corresponding increases in family credit.
Mr. Peter Lloyd [holding answer 21 December 1988] : In income support the amount provided for each child is reflected in full in the personal allowance, and child benefit is taken fully into account as income. So increasing both
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child benefit and the income support personal allowance by 50p would give an overall increase of 50p per child. In family credit, child benefit is not taken into account, and the support for each child is the total of child benefit and the family credit child rate, so an increase of 50p in child benefit and in the family credit child credit rates would give an overall increase of £1 per child. The estimated net benefit cost in 1988-89 and in 1989-90 of a 50p increase in child benefit, assuming :(a) a corresponding increase in the Income Support child rates and no change in Family Credit child rates, would be around £300 million in each year ;
(b) a corresponding increase in the Income Support child rates and Family Credit child credit rates, would be around £330 million in each year ;
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(c) a corresponding increase in the Family Credit child credit rates and no change in Income Support rates, would be around £280 million in each year ;(d) no change in Income Support or Family Credit child credit rates, would be around £250 million in each year.
Unemployment Benefit
Mr. Cousins : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what was the number of claimants of unemployment-related benefits from whom benefit was withheld on grounds of lack of availability for work in each year since 1980 ; and if he will express this figure as a percentage of all claims disallowed in a manner consistent with the annual report of the chief adjudication officer.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : Information on claims disallowed by adjudication officers is in the table :
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Disallowances of unemployment-related benefits made by Department of Employment adjudication officers
|Number |Total number of |Disallowances under
|of |disallowances |availability and
|disallowances-availability |restricted availability
|and restricted |as percentage of total
|availability
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1980 |52,426 |949,477 |6
1981 |49,446 |892,198 |6
1982 |62,015 |943,553 |7
1983 |57,237 |977,978 |6
1984 |49,043 |962,323 |5
1985 |53,680 |999,441 |5
1986 |68,773 |1,081,394 |6
1987 |101,774 |1,078,819 |9
1988 |48,290 |480,723 |10
Note: Figures for 1988 are for the period 1 January 1988-30 June 1988 inclusive.
Mr. Cousins : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list all the grounds of refusal of unemployment-related benefits in a manner consistent
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with the reports of the chief adjudication officer ; and if he will give the number of claims disallowed on each ground in each year since 1980.
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