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Mr. Peter Lloyd : Help with the cost of simple draughtproofing (but not loft insulation) was available to recipients of supplementary benefit under the old single payments scheme. Details of the number of single payments for draughtproofing since 1983 and their cost are recorded in table 19.2 of the "Annual Statistical Enquiry", copies of which are in the Library.
There was no maximum amount for a single payment for
draughtproofing. The regulations provided for a payment of an amount equal to the cost of necessary materials.
The discretionary social fund replaced single payments on 11 April 1988. Community care grants and budgeting loans are available from the fund for people receiving income support. Crisis loans are available to anyone, whether receiving income support or not, in an emergency. Payments for draughtproofing and loft insulation are not excluded from the social fund, but a social fund officer, who determines applications to the fund, would not normally make an award for these items if help with the materials and work is available from another source, such as a community insulation project or the homes insulation scheme.
Information about the number and type of awards form the social fund for draughtproofing and loft insulation is not collected.
Loans and Grants
Mr. Anderson : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will set out for each office in Wales and the cumulative total, the percentage of the allocations not spent at the latest available date on (a) the loans budget and (b) the grants budget.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : Such information is available from the details held in the Library.
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Disabled Claimants
Mr. Soley : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security who will be responsible for meeting the case costs after April of those disabled people in supported lodgings who are new claimants, as distinct from existing claimants.
Mr. Scott : As under present social security arrangements, the care costs of supported lodgers will be met in a variety of ways after April 1989. Some will be able to meet these costs from their own resources, including social security benefits. Others will have these costs met in whole or in part by bodies such as local authorities. Those supported lodgers entitled to income support will receive housing benefit to help with their accommodation costs and normal income support (including any appropriate premiums) for other expenses. This change will mean that many disabled people in supported lodgings will be better off, after meeting charges for accommodation and the provision of care, than they would have been under existing benefit arrangements. The overall effect of the change will be to provide an estimated £1 million extra for supported lodgers as a whole.
Income Support
Sir Ian Gilmour : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what are the most recent estimates for take-up of income support ; and what are the comparable figures for supplementary benefit.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : I refer my right hon. Friend to paragraphs 21 to 25 and table 15.17 on pages 272 and 273 of Cm. 288 (the 1988 public expenditure White Paper) for details of the latest available take-up estimates for the main income-related benefits. Take-up estimates for 1985 should be available shortly. In 1991, analyses from the 1989 family expenditure survey will provide comprehensive information on the reformed benefits introduced in April 1988.
Sir Ian Gilmour : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if there are any circumstances in which a family with children where the father works irregularly may find themselves ineligible for either income support or family credit.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : Yes. To obtain family credit one parent must be normally engaged in work for at least 24 hours a week. If the employed parent works on average for less than 24 hours a week there would be no entitlement to family credit, but there might be entitlement to income support.
Disability Benefits
Mr. Nellist : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the time scale of his Department's proposed consideration of the future of disability benefits following the results of the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys' disability surveys ; when he hopes to report progress in extending the eligibility for attendance allowance to the under-twos ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Scott : I refer the hon. Member to my reply to the hon. Member for Carmarthen (Mr. Williams) on 19 December at columns 114-15.
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Taxes and Benefits
Mr. Squire : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) whether he is able to break down the extra number of people who will become dependent on means-tested benefits due to the freeze in child benefit into (a) income support, (b) family credit and (c) housing benefit ;
(2) how many extra people will become dependent on means-tested benefits as a result of the increase in children's personal allowances by an extra 50p broken down into income support, family credit and housing benefits.
Mr. Battle : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will publish a table showing how many more (a) families and (b) children will be dependent on income-related benefits as a result of the extra increase in personal allowances of 50p per child, and broken down into income support, family credit and housing benefit, respectively.
Mr. Peter Lloyd [holding answer 23 January 1989] : Estimates are available only on the caseload assumptions used in the "Impact of the Reformed Structure of Income-Related Benefits". They are based on the 1985 family expenditure survey data uprated to reflect the position in 1989-90. Estimates of this kind are particularly uncertain because of small sample size and large sampling error. Bearing these factors in mind, the estimated increases arising from the non-uprating of child benefit are :
Income Support--1,000-2,000 families (around 5,000 people) Housing Benefit- -2,000-3,000 families (around 10,000 people) Family Credit--20,000-25,000 families (just under 80,000 people) The estimated increases arising from the extra 50p on children's allowances are :
Income Support--2,000 families (including about 5,000 children) Housing Benefit--3,000 families (including around 5,000 children) Family Credit-- 25,000 families (including about 50,000 children)
Single Payments
Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what was (a) the total of all single payments paid by local offices in London, (b) the equivalent figure for only those single payments encompassing items now covered by the social fund, for 1986-87 and 1987-88, (c) the total number of budgeting loans, crisis loans, community care grants paid out in the same catchment area so far for the year 1988-89 and (d) the expenditure represented by (a) to (c) .
Mr. Peter Lloyd [pursuant to his reply, 26 January 1989, c. 709] : I regret that part of the information given was incorrect. The reply should be as follows.
Details of the total number of all single payments paid by local offices in the London postal area for the periods 1986-87 and 1987-88 by office are in the Library.
There are two expenses for which single payments could be made but which are specifically excluded from the social fund : returnable deposits on accommodation and work-related expenses. The £30 limit for budgeting loans and most community care grants will also operate in some
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cases to prevent payment for items that would otherwise have been available as single payments. Figures are not available for items covered by the social fund that were available previously as single payments.Column 716
Information on the numbers of applications for social fund loans and grants processed and awarded, listed by local office, including information on budget allocations and expenditure, is also in the Library.Column 717
NORTHERN IRELAND
Mr. Fred Holroyd
Mr. Livingstone : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, pursuant to the answer, 11 January, Official Report, column 698, on what date in August 1988 the Royal Ulster Constabulary communicated with Mr. Fred Holroyd.
Mr. Ian Stewart [holding answer 1 February 1989] : The communication referred to in the answer of 11 January took place on 27 August 1985.
Schools
Mr. Hume : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what information is available, from and including 1985, to indicate the primary and secondary schools which have had tenders for major capital works approved and the amount involved in each case.
Dr. Mawhinney [holding answer 7 February 1989] : The information is as follows :
Secondary Schools<1>
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1985
Assumption Grammar, Ballynahinch |January 1985 |571,000.00
Portadown College |March 1985 |1,167,000.00
Orangefield Secondary, Belfast |March 1985 |85,000.00
St. Colm's Secondary, Twinbrook Dunmurry |April 1985 |103,000.00
Royal School, Armagh |August 1985 |195,000.00
Rainey Endowed, Magherafelt |August 1985 |189,000.00
Kilkeel High |September 1985 |1,371,000.00
Laurelhill Secondary, Lisburn |December 1985 |3,121,000.00
1986
St. Patrick's High, Maghera |August 1986 |3,573,000.00
1987
Lagan College, Belfast |March 1987 |608,000.00
Model Girls Secondary, Belfast |July 1987 |789,000.00
Hunterhouse College, Belfast (Phase I) |August 1987 |270,000.00
Larne Gramar |August 1987 |1,484,000.00
Dalriada, Ballymoney |September 1987 |255,000.00
Royal School, Armagh |September 1987 |3,102,000.00
St. Colman's High, Ballynahinch |October 1987 |1,411,000.00
Antrim Secondary |December 1987 |172,000.00
1988
Hunterhouse College, Belfast (Phase II) |January 1988 |353,000.00
Donwnshire Secondary, Carrickfergus |January 1988 |137,000.00
Monkstown Secondary, Newtownabbey |January 1988 |137,000.00
St. Catherine's College, Armagh |February 1988 |988,000.00
St. Mary's Junior High, Lurgan |March 1988 |184,000.00
Bangor Grammar |June 1988 |445,000.00
Movilla High, Newtownards |July 1988 |280,000.00
Banbridge Academy |November 1988 |470,000.00
Royal School, Dungannon |November 1988 |261,000.00
Larne High |December 1988 |1,355,000.00
<1> Including Grammar schools.
Secondary Schools<1>
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1985
Assumption Grammar, Ballynahinch |January 1985 |571,000.00
Portadown College |March 1985 |1,167,000.00
Orangefield Secondary, Belfast |March 1985 |85,000.00
St. Colm's Secondary, Twinbrook Dunmurry |April 1985 |103,000.00
Royal School, Armagh |August 1985 |195,000.00
Rainey Endowed, Magherafelt |August 1985 |189,000.00
Kilkeel High |September 1985 |1,371,000.00
Laurelhill Secondary, Lisburn |December 1985 |3,121,000.00
1986
St. Patrick's High, Maghera |August 1986 |3,573,000.00
1987
Lagan College, Belfast |March 1987 |608,000.00
Model Girls Secondary, Belfast |July 1987 |789,000.00
Hunterhouse College, Belfast (Phase I) |August 1987 |270,000.00
Larne Gramar |August 1987 |1,484,000.00
Dalriada, Ballymoney |September 1987 |255,000.00
Royal School, Armagh |September 1987 |3,102,000.00
St. Colman's High, Ballynahinch |October 1987 |1,411,000.00
Antrim Secondary |December 1987 |172,000.00
1988
Hunterhouse College, Belfast (Phase II) |January 1988 |353,000.00
Donwnshire Secondary, Carrickfergus |January 1988 |137,000.00
Monkstown Secondary, Newtownabbey |January 1988 |137,000.00
St. Catherine's College, Armagh |February 1988 |988,000.00
St. Mary's Junior High, Lurgan |March 1988 |184,000.00
Bangor Grammar |June 1988 |445,000.00
Movilla High, Newtownards |July 1988 |280,000.00
Banbridge Academy |November 1988 |470,000.00
Royal School, Dungannon |November 1988 |261,000.00
Larne High |December 1988 |1,355,000.00
<1> Including Grammar schools.
Mr. Hume : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make it his policy to ensure that voluntary grammar schools are in future funded on an equitable per capita basis ; what criteria he has used in the past for such funding ; and if he will take steps to provide additional funds to those schools which have received less than the per capita norm in past years.
Dr. Mawhinney [holding answer 7 February 1989] : In the past, voluntary grammar schools funding has been mainly based on historic patterns of expenditure but in recent years resources have been skewed in favour of the relatively low-spending schools. This reallocation of funds will continue until the introduction, as part of the education reform measures, of a formula-based funding arrangement for all secondary schools (including voluntary grammar schools). While being related to pupil numbers, formula-based funding will also have regard to other factors.
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EMPLOYMENT
Job Creation
Mr. Callaghan : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many full-time and part-time jobs were created in the 12 months to September 1988 in the north-west region.
Mr. Lee : There are no figures for job gains and job losses. In the year to September 1988, the civilian work force in employment increased by 5,000 in the north-west region. This includes net increases of 4,000 in female full-time employees in employment, 7,000 in female part-time employees in employment and 1,000 in participants in work-related Government training programmes (who are counted as part time). These increases were offset by a decrease in male employment ; however comparable estimates of full and part-time employment are not available for male employees in employment or the self-employed.
American Tourists
Mr. Butterfill : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many American tourists visited the United Kingdom in the last 12 months ; what contribution to the balance of payments was made by them ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Lee : Estimates show that the number of visits to the United Kingdom by North American residents in the 11 months to November 1988 was 3.2 million. Estimates of expenditure for that period are not yet available as they are produced on a quarterly basis.
Labour Statistics
Mr. Hinchliffe : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is the unadjusted number and percentage of male, female and total employees in employment in part-time work in September 1988 in the south-east.
Mr. Lee : Employment estimates for regions are not seasonally adjusted. Regional estimates of part-time male employees are not available. In September 1988 there were 1,416,000 female part-time employees in employment in the south-east region, this figure represents 40 per cent. of female employees and 19 per cent. of all employees in employment in the region.
Retail Prices Index Advisory Committee
Mr. Barry Field : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment when the Retail Prices Index Advisory Committee last met ; and what was discussed.
Mr. Lee : The committee last met on 17 January, to discuss the effect of the abolition of domestic rates on the construction of the retail prices index. A report is expected on this shortly.
Discrimination in Employment
Mrs. Fyfe : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what are the reasons for his decision not to introduce legislation to ratify International Labour Organisation convention No. 111 on "Discrimination in Employment and Occupation (1958)".
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Mr. Nicholls : The Government believe that their commitment to the elimination of unfair discrimination between one worker and another in employment is already clearly demonstrated by existing legislation, mainly the Race Relations Act 1976 and the Sex Discrimination Act 1975, and consider that the amendments to this legislation that would be required to give further effect to the provisions of convention 111 are unnecessary and undesirable.
Child-minding Allowance
Mr. McTaggart : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what has been the level of take-up of child-minding allowance for people attending Government training schemes ; and if he will make a statement on the continuation of the scheme.
Mr. Nicholls : Child care payments are made only on employment training. Comprehensive information on take-up is not yet available. Information on the number of employment training participants for whom child care payments are made will be regularly collected from March and the first results will be available at the end of April 1989. Early indications suggest that over 2,000 lone parents have joined employment training and many of these people will have received help with child care costs.
Inflation
Mr. Nigel Griffiths : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will give the average annual inflation rate in 1978 and 1988 in (a) the United Kingdom and (b) the European Economic Community.
Mr. Lee : The annual average rate of increases in the retail prices index for the United Kingdom was 8.3 per cent. in 1978 and 4.9 per cent. in 1988. The corresponding figures for the 12 countries of the Community were 8.3 per cent. for 1978 and 3.3 per cent. for 1988.
Regional Tourist Boards
Mr. Skinner : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will take steps to ensure that regional enterprise units do not compete with or shadow the functions of regional tourist boards ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Lee : The terms of reference of the Department's regional enterprise units include developing links with tourist bodies, identifying obstacles to the growth of tourism, and supporting any co-ordinating machinery established for discussing tourism at the regional level. There are no plans for them to duplicate or shadow the functions of the regional tourist boards.
Mr. Skinner : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment (1) if he will ensure that the tripartite structure in funding and control of regional tourist boards is maintained ; and if he will make a statement ;
(2) if he will ensure that the levels of subsidies to the regional tourist boards keep pace with inflation ; and if he will make a statement ;
(3) if he will provide additional funds to the regional tourist boards to undertake research into (a) domestic and international tourist trends, (b) occupancy work and (c) visitor surveys.
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Mr. Lee : The organisational structure of the English regional tourist boards (RTBs) is not a matter for Government to decide. The role and level of funding of RTBs is currently being considered as part of the review of tourism policy announced last July by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State.
Radiation
Mr. Cousins : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many (a) staff and (b) patients were affected by radiation overdose incidents reported to the Health and Safety Executive within the National Health Service in 1986, 1987 and 1988.
Mr. Nicholls : No staff were affected.
Information on how many patients were affected is not available centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Mr. Cousins : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment under what circumstances, as specified in the Ionising Radiations Regulations 1985, radiation over exposures of (a) staff and (b) patients within the National Health Service are required to be reported to the Health and Safety Executive.
Mr. Nicholls : The Ionising Radiations Regulations 1985 require that patient exposures suspected to be greater than intended which arise from faulty equipment and suspected overexposures of staff from any cause are immediately investigated by the employer. Unless it can be shown beyond reasonable doubt that no excessive exposure occurred, the employer is required to notify the Health and Safety Executive forthwith.
Mr. Cousins : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many staff are employed by the Health and Safety Executive to carry out its responsibilities within the National Health Service under the Ionising Radiations Regulations 1985.
Mr. Nicholls : The information requested is not available. Inspectors in Her Majesty's factories inspectorate of the Health and Safety Executive have a range of inspection responsibilities. Inspectors are not employed solely on work in connection with the Ionising Radiations Regulations 1985 within the National Health Service.
Mr. Cousins : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what are the responsibilities of the Health and Safety Executive to staff and patients of the National Health Service under the Ionising Radiations Regulations 1985.
Mr. Nicholls : The Health and Safety Executive enforces the Ionising Radiations Regulations 1985 in the National Health Service as in all other places where work with ionising radiations is carried out. The regulations control the exposure of employees or other people affected by work with ionising radiations principally by requiring all doses to be kept as low as reasonably practicable and in any case below dose limits. The regulations also cover the equipment used for medical exposures and exposures of patients that were much greater than intended because of faulty equipment.
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Economic League
Mr. Alton : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment whether he has received any representations about people blacklisted by the Economic League.
Mr. Nicholls : I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Walsall, North (Mr. Winnick) on Tuesday 7 February 1989.
Chief Inspector of Mines
Mr. Wareing : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment when he last met the chief inspector of mines ; and what subjects were discussed ;
Mr. Nicholls [holding answer 6 February 1989] : My right hon. Friend has not met the chief inspector of mines. The chief inspector, as a senior official of the Health and Safety Executive, has frequent contact with the director general, and opportunity for contact with the chairman of the Health and Safety Commission.
Small Firms
Mr. Sumberg : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what services will be provided to small firms by the Government business shop opened in Manchester ; and what plans there are to open further such shops in England and Wales.
Mr. Maude : I have been asked to reply.
The Manchester Government business shop, which is based in the small firms centre, will help business people carry out some of the basic transactions required by Government and obtain information and assistance in a single place. It will deal with :
VAT registration and information
information on business tax
PAYE and national insurance
information on employment protection and health and safety requirements
Government business shops are part of a pilot exercise and Manchester is one of six locations. The others are in Glasgow, Newcastle, Doncaster, Merthyr Tydfil and Aberdare and Reading. The pilot schemes will run for six months and from the experience of these shops we shall decide whether and how we should proceed to a more extensive network, in the light of the reaction of business clients, costs and benefits and effects on existing services.
ENVIRONMENT
Opencast Mining
Mr. Ashby : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how much land in the United Kingdom is currently being used for the opencast extraction of coal, clay or other minerals ; how much has been used and is currently unrestored to its former condition ; and whether he will make a statement on Government policy in respect of unrestored land.
Mr. Chope : Surveys of mineral workings carried out by local authorities on behalf of the Department of the Environment and the Welsh Office in 1982 indicated that 115,000 hectares of land in England and Wales had permissions for surface mineral workings. Within this, 61,500 hectares were or had been in use as mineral working
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sites. Fifty-six per cent. of these workings had satisfactory reclamation conditions and 44 per cent. had either no conditions or unsatisfactory conditions. There are no comparable figures available for Scotland. Local authorities carried out further surveys in England and Wales during 1988, and the Department will be publishing the results of these for England later this year.The Government policy in respect of unrestored land associated with minerals being worked under planning control is to ensure that land taken for mineral operations is restored after working has come to an end. The 1981 Minerals Act imposes a duty on mineral planning authorities to undertake a periodic review of mineral sites and empowers them to make orders to restore and improve the environment of sites which do not have adequate conditions. Derelict workings can also be eligible for derelict land grant to achieve reclamation.
Local Authority Finance
Mr. Pike : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list in the Official Report the housing investment programme allocations proposed to each local authority for 1989 indicating the respective bid and showing the allocation as a percentage of the bid, together with the appropriate figures for 1978-79 on a constant value basis.
Mr. Trippier : The information for 1989-90 and 1978-79 has been placed in the Library. Since 1981-82 local authorities have been able to supplement their allocations by expenditure financed from capital receipts. Nationally, two thirds of local authorities' spending power on housing in 1989-90 is expected to come from capital receipts.
Water Meter Trial Schemes
Mrs. Wise : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment where the water meter trial schemes are taking place ; when each one started ; and what criteria were used to determine the places selected.
Mr. Moynihan : My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has approved 11 water metering trials under section 4 of the Public Utility Transfers and Water Charges Act 1988 :
Isle of Wight (Southern Water)
Chandlers Ford (Southern Water)
Bristol (Bristol Waterworks Company)
Haling Park (Thames Water)
Chorleywood (Rickmansworth Water Company)
Bromsgrove (East Worcestershire Waterworks Company)
Brookmans Park (Lee Valley Water Company)
Turlin Moor (Wessex Water)
Broadstone (Wessex Water)
Camberley (Mid Southern Water Company)
Hutton Rudby (Northumbrian Water)
Charging by measure in the Bromsgrove trial started on 9 January. All of the other trials are due to start from 1 April 1989, except for the Haling park trial where charging by measure is to begin from 1 October 1989. My right hon. Friend has yet to consider a proposal by Yorkshire Water about a proposed metering trial in south Normanton, Yorkshire.
The trial sites were selected by the water industry so as to include a wide range of different property types and climatic conditions.
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