| Previous Section | Home Page |
National Insurance Numbercards
Mr. Favell : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many national insurance numbercards have been issued since their launch in 1984 ; how many national insurance numberholders have these plastic cards and how many do not ; what representations he has received since their issue on the implications of the cards for civil liberties ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : About 7 million numbercards have been issued since 8 January 1984. Some of these were reissued cards to replace lost cards or those where the contributor's name had changed. We do not know how many of the estimated 21.5 million national insurance contributors currently have number cards.
In 1984 when the card was first issued concern was expressed, but few representations have been received since. The card is merely a durable reminder to a person of his national insurance number, containing only his name and that number. It is not an identity document.
Mr. Favell : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what information is currently stored on the memory strip of the national insurance numbercard ; and what free space exists for further information.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : The magnetic strip on the back of the national insurance numbercard contains three tracks. Each is capable of recording 79 characters. The only information currently recorded is that shown on the front of the card, that is the holder's name, nine character national insurance number and the two character check code. The free space remaining on the magnetic strip depends on the number of characters in the cardholder's name. There are no proposals to include any further information on the magnetic strip.
Benefits (Disqualification)
Ms. Short : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) if he will specify the number of people referred to adjudication offices by employment service staff because of doubts about their availability for work ; and how many were disqualified from receiving benefit on grounds of non-availability for work for each of the years 1983 to 1988 ;
(2) if he will specify the number of people referred to adjudication officers by employment service staff because of restrictions they placed on their availability ; and how many were disqualified from receiving benefit on grounds of non-availability for work for each of the years 1983 to 1988.
Mr. Scott : The information requested is given in the table.
Claims referred to adjudication officers and claims disallowed:
availability for work and restricted availability
Availability Restricted
availability
Year |Referrals |Disallowances|Referrals |Disallowances
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1983 |97,844 |50,243 |21,853 |6,994
1984 |81,186 |43,465 |16,781 |5,578
1985 |100,474 |45,903 |16,520 |5,617
1986 |114,447 |61,402 |23,868 |7,371
1987 |171,515 |85,319 |68,400 |16,455
1988<1> |78,259 |38,141 |45,347 |10,149
<1> To June 1988 only. Later information is not available.
Ms. Short : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will specify the number of people referred to adjudication officers by employment service staff because they neglected to avail themselves of or refused suitable employment ; and how many were disqualified from receiving benefit on grounds of neglecting to avail themselves of or refusing suitable employment for each of the years 1983 to 1988.
Mr. Scott : The information requested is as follows :
Neglect to avail of a Refusal of suitable
reasonable opportunity employment
of suitable employment
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|Claims<1> Referred |Claims<1> Disqualified|Claims<1> Referred |Claims<1> Disqualified
1983 |784 |433 |5,030 |1,450
1984 |1,071 |504 |5,019 |1,461
1985 |1,564 |762 |5,331 |1,534
1986 |2,906 |1,242 |6,654 |1,945
1987 |5,176 |2,013 |7,783 |2,308
1988<2> |4,697 |1,733 |3,939 |1,205
<1> Figures relate to the number of claims, not the number of people making those claims.
<2> Figures for 1988 are for the first six months only; data for the second half of the year are not yet available.
Source: 100 per cent. count of adjudication officer decisions.
Transitional Payments
Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) how many people are now receiving housing benefit transitional protection ;
(2) how many people will lose housing benefit transitional protection after April.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : Up to 20 January 1989, 155,153 awards of housing benefit transitional payments had been made. The closing date for applications is 31 March 1989 and until all applications are received, and processed, we will not know the final number of successful applicants or how many of them will cease to receive these payments from April 1989.
Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many claimants have lost their income support transitional addition as a result of changes in their circumstances.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : Of the estimated 1.4 million income support claimants who received a transitional addition at the inception of the scheme in April 1988, some 1.1 million are expected still to be receiving such an addition at the beginning of April 1989.
Family Credit
Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many families are now receiving family credit.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : I refer the hon. Member to my reply to the hon. Member for Livingston (Mr. Cook) on 13 January at columns 781-82.
Column 617
Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security when the Government expect to achieve their target for the take-up of family credit.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : Expenditure on family credit is already running at approximately the level estimated for the current financial year. It is apparent that the majority of people with a large entitlement are already claiming it. Our overall target is to ensure that families are made aware of their possible entitlement to family credit and encouraged to claim it. We have had two major television and press campaigns and have issued leaflets to child benefit recipients paid through the Post Office. We are now planning a further major campaign, to include television, to coincide with the uprating in April.
Severe Hardship Allowance
Mr. Tony Lloyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will give details of the numbers of young people under the age of 18 years who were in receipt of severe hardship allowance by month, for the period September to December 1988 inclusive.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : I regret that the information is not available. However the number of directions enabling income support to be paid on grounds of severe hardship was as follows :
Column 618
Period ended (1988) |Cumulative number of
|directions<1>,<2>
---------------------------------------------------------------
30 September |234
28 October |545
25 November |980
30 December |1,637
<1> Figures relate to the number of decisions rather than to
the number of individuals involved. Some individuals may have
had more than one decision made in respect of them.
<2> Severe hardship directions are for variable periods.
Social Security Operational Strategy
Mr. Robin Cook : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what were the estimates of net savings and costs contained in "Social Security Operational Strategy : A Framework for the Future" at 1987-88 prices.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : Using the gross domestic product reflator, the estimates of total costs and net savings would be £856 million and £1,379 million respectively (at 1987/88 prices).
Family Income Implement
Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will provide figures detailing the number of claims made for family income supplement in each year since 1983 ; how many such claims were received in each year ; how many were determined in each year ; and how many resulted in an award.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : The information is as follows :
Column 617
|Claims made/received|Determinations |Awards (thousands)
|(thousands) |(thousands)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1983 |<1>108 |351 |205
1984 |386 |394 |210
1985 |397 |393 |204
1986 |411 |409 |225
1987 |420 |422 |227
1988<2> |111 |103 |61
<1> Figure available from 3 September 1983 only.
<2> January to April only.
Widows (Benefit)
Mr. Ashdown : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many women in Britain have been excluded from receiving widow's benefit owing to new regulations effective from 11 April 1988 ; and how many women in Britain are receiving a reduced amount of widow's benefit in relation to that paid prior to 11 April 1988.
Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many women who would otherwise have been eligible are estimated to have lost their entitlement to widow's pension because of the raising of the age limit from 40 to 45 years ; and, of these, how many actually qualified for widow's allowance but were then disqualified by their age from receiving a widow's pension.
Mr. Peter Lloyd [holding answer 19 January 1989] : Latest estimates* indicate that during 1988-89 approximately 2,500 women, who would otherwise have been eligible, will have lost their entitlement to widow's pension because of the raising age limit from 40 to 45 years. Approximately 600 women will have qualified for widow's
Column 618
allowance but will then have been disqualified by their age from receiving a widow's pension. Approximately 17,500 women are receiving a reduced amount of widow's benefit in relation to that paid prior to 11 April 1988.* Source Government Actuary's Department.
Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how much it is estimated would have been paid out in 1989-90 in widows' benefits had the age limit for widows' pension not been raised from 50 to 55 years.
Mr. Peter Lloyd [holding answer 19 January 1989] : Estimates* indicate that expenditure on widows' benefits in 1988-89 would have been £965 million had the age limit for widows' pension not been raised from 50 to 55 years. This represents an increase of £35 million on estimated actual expenditure.
* Source : Government Actuary's Department.
Attendance Allowance (Training)
Mr. Ashley : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the purpose of reviewing attendance
Column 619
allowance when a recipient commences an employment training programme or a youth training scheme ; and if he will make a statement ;(2) how many reviews of attendance allowance recipients who entered employment training or a youth training scheme took place in 1988 ; and what percentage of these reviews have resulted in the withdrawal of attendance allowance.
Mr. Scott [holding answer 20 January 1989] : Entitlement to an attendance allowance is reviewed if there has been a relevant change in a recipient's attendance needs. It is for the independent attendance allowance board to decide whether such a change has occurred in each individual case. Information about the number and outcome of reviews conducted in 1988 where the attendance needs of a recipient undergoing employment or youth training had changed is not available.
ENERGY
High Moor Colliery (Accident)
Mr. Harry Barnes : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he will make a statement on the events leading up to the collapse of 30 m of roof in 91's main site heading at High Moor colliery in which 10 miners were trapped in an accident on 13 January.
Mr. Michael Spicer : This is primarily a matter for British Coal and the Health and Safety Executive's mines and quarries inspectorate. I understand that they are each carrying out their own investigations into the cause or causes of the accident.
Coal Imports
Mr. Dewar : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he will estimate the cost of transporting imported coal from port of entry to power stations ; and what percentage of the total price at the port of entry this represents.
Mr. Michael Spicer : Transport costs, which vary widely depending on distance and other factors, are a commercial matter for those importing coal.
Mr. Dewar : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy how much foreign coal has been imported into (a) the United Kingdom and (b) Scotland in each year of the last five years.
Mr. Michael Spicer : Available information for the five years commencing 1984 is as follows :
Imports of Foreign Coal Thousand tonnes Destination |1984 |1985 |1986 |1987 |January-November 1988 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- United Kingdom |8,894 |12,732 |10,554 |9,781 |10,755 Scotland |1,097 |1,650 |1,174 |1,269 |1,655 Source: Her Majesty's Customs and Excise (port of entry basis).
Energy Systems
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if his Department, or consultants to his Department, have carried out a comparative study of (a) public concern
Column 620
towards, and (b) the environmental intrusion of, renewable energy systems such as wind farms or wave generator arrays off shore, and nuclear power plants, respectively.Mr. Michael Spicer : Energy Paper No. 54 "Energy Technologies for the United Kingdom : 1986 Appraisal of R, D and D" summarised the environmental implications of energy technologies in the United Kingdom. Appropriate studies of environmental features and public attitudes are being conducted of each renewable source as part of its development programme. An application to my right hon. Friend, under the Electric Lighting Act 1909, for consent to build a new major power station (including a nuclear station) is accompanied by an environmental statement. My right hon. Friend requires the applicant to advertise any such applications so that the public has a full opportunity to express their views.
Ministerial Broadcasts
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he will seek permission from the British Broadcasting Corporation to issue a copy of a transcript of (a) his interview on BBC1 Television's "On the Record" and (b) his interview with BBC Radio 4's "The World this Weekend", both on 15 January ; and if he will place copies in his departmental library and the Library of the House of Commons.
Mr. Parkinson : No. I understand that the Library of the House does obtain transcripts from the broadcasters on behalf of hon. Members.
Electricity Generation
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what is his latest estimate of the cost of the capital investment programme to replace old electricity generating plant, for the new power generation and national power companies in Wales and England.
Mr. Michael Spicer : The cost of investment to replace old electricity generating plant will depend on a number of factors including when the plant is retired and what type of equipment is chosen by the CEGB's successor companies and their competitors to replace it.
Electricity Industry (Expenditure)
Mr. Gordon Brown : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what is his estimate of capital spending by the electricity industry for 1988-89 and for each of the next three years at current prices, and at constant 1987-88 prices.
Mr. Michael Spicer : Approvals given for capital expenditure by the electricity supply industry in England and Wales, based on programmes submitted in 1988, related to projected expenditure of :
|1987-88 prices|Outturn prices
|£ billion |£ billion
------------------------------------------------------------
1988-89 |1.4 |1.5
1989-90 |1.5 |1.6
1990-91 |1.7 |1.9
1991-92 |1.9 |2.2
Departmental Spending
Mr. Gordon Brown : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what is his estimate of gross and net public sector capital spending by his Department by both central Government and local authorities for 1988-89 and for each of the next three years at current prices and at constant 1987-88 prices.
Mr. Parkinson : Estimates of public sector capital spending by my Department appear in the public expenditure White Paper supplementary analysis--chapter 21, Cm. 621--which is due to be published on Monday 30 January.
Column 622
EMPLOYMENT
RPI
Mr. Meacher : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what was the percentage contribution made by each component to the retail prices index in December 1988 ; and what was the percentage contribution of the same components at the same month in each of the preceding nine years.
Mr. Lee : Following is the information for the sub-groups of the retail prices index. Owing to a change made in January 1987 in the structure of the index it has not been possible to provide a complete back series in all cases. Because the contributions have been rounded independently they do not all add precisely to the 12-month change for all items.
Column 621
Contributions to the percentage increase in the "all items" retail prices index in the
12 months ended:
December
|1979 |1980 |1981 |1982 |1983 |1984 |1985 |1986 |1987 |1988
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Food |3.2 |2.1 |2.0 |0.8 |1.2 |0.6 |0.7 |0.6 |0.6 |0.6
Catering |1.1 |0.7 |0.3 |0.3 |0.3 |0.3 |0.2 |0.3 |0.3 |0.3
Alcoholic drink |1.4 |1.4 |1.3 |0.7 |0.5 |0.4 |0.5 |0.3 |0.4 |0.4
Tobacco |0.7 |0.5 |1.1 |0.4 |0.2 |0.5 |0.3 |0.4 |0.1 |0.1
Housing |2.3 |3.6 |3.0 |-0.1 |1.3 |1.3 |1.7 |1.3 |0.7 |2.9
Fuel and light |1.1 |1.6 |0.8 |1.0 |0.1 |0.3 |0.3 |-0.3 |-0.1 |0.3
Clothing and footwear |0.9 |0.5 |0.0 |0.1 |0.1 |0.0 |0.3 |0.2 |0.1 |0.3
Motoring expenditure}
Fares and other} |3.1 |2.1 |2.0 |0.8 |1.2 |0.6 |0.7 |0.6 |0.6 |0.6
travel costs} |{0.1 |0.1
Household goods} |{0.2 |0.3
Household services} |{0.2 |0.2
Personal goods and} |3.3 |2.8 |1.5 |1.1 |0.8 |0.9 |1.1 |0.5 |{
services} |{0.2 |0.2
Leisure goods} |{0.2 |0.2
Leisure services} |{0.1 |0.2
|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----
All items |17.2 |15.1 |12.0 |5.4 |5.3 |4.6 |5.7 |3.7 |3.7 |6.8
Employment Training
Mr. Meacher : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what was the target number of employment training scheme places to be filled by the end of each month from 30 September 1988 onwards, in each area where such statistics are collected.
Mr. Nicholls : Planning profiles for the number of filled places are for internal management purposes only and are not normally made available.
Mr. Butler : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment whether he will make a statement on the decision of Warrington borough council to boycott employment training and on the reasons it has given for their decision.
Mr. Nicholls : Many local authorities support employment training and are actively participating in the programme. Unfortunately Warrington borough council has decided not to do so. The council disagreed with some of the arrangements for the programme, including the payment of training allowances to trainees. In the council's view, those taking part should be employees and paid a wage, even though the concept of "rate for the job" is quite out of place in a programme of training. The council's approach is of no help whatsoever to unemployed people in Warrington.
Column 622
Opencast Mining
Mr. Batiste : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list the opencast sites identified by the Health and Safety Executive mines and quarries inspectorate where preventive and advisory action has been taken following the flooding of the St. Aidon's site and specify the action taken.
Mr. Nicholls : Following the national survey carried out by the Health and Safety Executive's mines and quarries inspectorate four sites were identified where working was planned in the vicinity of water courses. Where appropriate, modifications to existing methods of work have been agreed.
Mr. C. Petrie
Mr. Frank Field : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment when he will receive a reply to the letter he wrote to the unemployment benefit office in Wavertree, Liverpool 15, about an ex-Cammell Laird shipyard employee, Mr. H. C. Petrie of 93 Picton Road, Liverpool, on 21 March 1988 and on two subsequent occasions.
Mr. Lee : Although officials at the Wavertree unemployment benefit office have spoken to the hon. Member's private secretary on two occasions, I regret that a written response to his letter had not been sent. I have
Column 623
asked the office manager to ensure that a full reply and an appropriate apology is sent immediately giving the complete details of the case in question.I understand that the case has been resolved in Mr. Petrie's favour, and a payment can now be made.
Student Exchange
Mr. Sims : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many United States students have taken temporary employment in the United Kingdom under the student exchange employment programme in the most recent 12-month period for which figures are available ; and how many British students worked in the United States of America under the same programme during that period.
Mr. Lee : In 1988, a total of 4,122 United States students came to the United Kingdom under the British Universities North America Club student exchange programme which allows those taking part to take up temporary employment. In the same period 8,684 British students went to the United States of America under the same programme. It is not known how many students actually took up jobs.
Pay Differentials
Ms. Quin : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment whether his Department has figures for pay differentials between low and high-paid workers in the United Kingdom ; and if a breakdown of such figures by standard planning region is available.
Mr. Nicholls : Annual surveys of earnings are conducted concurrently for Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the results are published separately. They provide figures of the average weekly and hourly earnings of different categories of employees and of the distribution of their earnings for a pay period in April. Summary figures are published in table 1 of the reports. Details figures by standard regions of Great Britain are published in part E of the report on the new earnings survey and for Northern Ireland in the separate report on the new earnings survey for Northern Ireland. Copies of the latest, 1988, reports are in the Library.
Tilbury Port (Health and Safety)
Mr. Cartwright : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will conduct a full public inquiry into the level of health and safety provision at the port of Tilbury.
Column 624
Tilbury Docks (Deaths)
Mr. Cartwright : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what discussions he has had with the chairman of the Port of London Authority about the number of deaths caused by industrial accidents at Tilbury docks.
Mr. Nicholls : My right hon. Friend has had no such discussions.
Dockyards
Mr. Cartwright : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what steps he is taking to improve the safety record in Britain's dockyards.
Mr. Nicholls : The new Dock Regulations and the Loading and Unloading of Fishing Vessels Regulations came into force on 1 January 1989. Both are aimed at promoting health and safety in docks and have the support of all sides of the ports industry. They reflect the technological changes that have occurred in cargo handling since the inception of the now revoked Docks Regulations 1934 and take account of the 1979 International Labour Office convention and recommendation on dock work. The Health and Safety Executive is working on establishing the new standards and is co-operating with the British Ports Federation and others to bring the requirements to the attention of all concerned.
Restart
Mr. Leighton : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what percentage of long-term unemployed people have obtained jobs from their restart interviews.
Mr. Lee : We do not know how many people get a job as a result of the restart interview. The aim of the restart programme is to make contact with longer-term unemployed people. It provides information and advice about opportunities to help people back into work.
Mr. Tony Lloyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will publish the most recent figures for the north-west region showing how many unemployed people have, for each year since the introduction of the restart initiative (a) been called for a restart interview, (b) attended a restart interview, (c) had their benefit disallowed for failing to attend a restart interview, (d) been referred to a claimant adviser as a result of a restart interview and, (e) been referred to the disablement resettlement officer.
Mr. Lee : The information requested is shown in the table.
Column 623
North-west region |Letters of invitation |Restart interviews |Benefit/Credit |Referred to claimant |Referred to disablement
|disallowances for |adviser |resettlement officer
|failing to attend
|interview
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
January |43,000 |33,000 |2,000 |2,000 |900
February |35,000 |31,000 |2,000 |1,900 |800
March |32,000 |30,000 |2,100 |2,100 |800
April |41,000 |34,000 |2,000 |2,400 |900
May |34,000 |28,000 |1,800 |2,300 |1,000
June |38,000 |28,000 |2,000 |2,500 |1,000
July |44,000 |38,000 |2,500 |3,100 |1,300
August |36,000 |29,000 |2,100 |2,400 |900
September |42,000 |28,000 |1,500 |2,100 |900
October |53,000 |30,000 |1,700 |2,500 |1,000
November |42,000 |32,000 |2,100 |2,600 |1,100
December |32,000 |28,000 |2,400 |2,200 |800
Mr. Tony Lloyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will publish details, as soon as they become available, of how many unemployed people in the north-west region have in each month January to December 1988 inclusive (a) been called for a restart interview, (b) attended a restart interview, (c) had their
Column 626
benefit disallowed for failing to attend a restart interview, (d) been referred to a claimant adviser as a result of a restart interview and, (e) been referred to the disablement resettlement officer.Mr. Lee : The information requested is shown in the table :
Column 625
North West Region
From |1 July 1986 |10 April 1987 |28 March 1988
To |9 April 1987 |25 March 1988 |30 December 1988
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(a) Letters of Invitation |259,000 |441,000 |362,000
(b) Restart interviews |217,000 |353,000 |276,000
(c) Benefit/Credit disallowances for failing to attend
interview |N/A |19,000 |18,000
(d) Referred to Claimant Adviser |1,600 |19,000 |22,000
(e) Referred to Disablement Resettlement Officer |8,000 |10,000 |9,000
Career Development Loans
Mr. Tony Lloyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will give the most recent details of how many people have been awarded career development loans ; in what occupational sectors ; and what was the status of those awarded loans at the time of application--employed, unemployed, student, trainee and other ; and the destinations of recipients and the average cost of each place.
Mr. Cope : As at 31 December 1988, a total of 1,706 people had obtained career development loans, 655 of whom had obtained their loans during the pilot phase of the scheme. The training courses undertaken were in the following occupational sectors :
|Numbers ---------------------------------------- Management |249 Commercial/professional |215 Shorthand/typing |140 Processing |9 Engineering |37 Construction |30 Hotel/Catering |6 Service/Retail |137 Computer Skills |156 Clerical |40 Science/Technology |129 Automotive |1 Flying Occupations |102 Driving Occupations |217 Health |184 Miscellaneous |54
At 31 December 1988, a total of 678 trainees were recorded as having been unemployed at the time of application, 814 as employed and 214 as "other".
Of those individuals who, at 31 December 1988, had responded to a follow-up questionnaire 81 per cent. had obtained employment following their course, and a further 3 per cent. had gone on to further training.
The average size of a career development loan at the end of 1988 was £2,400, although loans have been taken
Column 626
out across the full available range, from £300 to £5,000. The Government pay the interest on the loans during the period of training and for up to three months afterwards.YTS
Mr. Tony Lloyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will publish the most recent details, for the north-west, of (a) the numbers of filled places in YTS by training occupational classification and (b) the number of contracted places in YTS by training occupational classification.
Mr. Cope : At 31 December 1988 there were 65,906 young people training on YTS in the north-west region. A breakdown by training occupational classification is given in the table. Information on the number of contracted places for YTS by training occupational classification is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
| Next Section
| Home Page |