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FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS
Advertising
Mr. Dobson : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the latest figure for the estimated spending in 1988-89 by the Foreign Office on (a) television advertising, (b) radio advertising, (c) newspaper advertising and (d) other promotional material ; and what is the 1989-90 budget for each of these categories of spending.
Mr. Eggar : Latest Foreign and Commonwealth Office estimates of expenditure on advertising and other promotional material for 1988-89 and their 1989-90 budget provision are :
|1988-89 £|1989-90 £
--------------------------------------------------
FCO Diplomatic Wing |291,000 |499,000
FCO ODA Wing |714,000 |820,000
|----- |-----
|1,005,000|1,319,000
A disaggregation of these figures to identify the medium used is not available.
Statistical Staff
Mr. Dobson : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will give the latest figures for the number of staff presently employed, and the full complement of staff including vacant posts, by grade, in the statistical divisions in the Foreign Office ; if he will differentiate between staff in statistical posts and staff in administrative posts ; and if he will give the staffing complements by grade, and differentiated between statistical and administrative posts, proposed for 1989-90.
Mr. Eggar : The Foreign Office diplomatic wing--nil.
For the Overseas Development Administration the information is as follows :
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Latest figures Proposed
|complement |In post |for 1989-90 complement
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Statistical Posts:
Chief Statistician
(Grade 5) |1 |1 |1
Statistician (Grade 7) |4 |3 |4
Assistant/Senior Assistant |3 |<1>4 |3
Administrative Posts:
Higher Executive Officer |1 |1 |1
Executive Officer |2 |2 |2
Administrative Officer |4 |4 |4
Personal Secretary |1 |1 |1
|-- |-- |--
Total |16 |16 |16
<1>Including a casual appointment to senior assistant statistician and a sandwich course student.
Privatisation
Mr. Dobson : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what was the total sum paid out in fees to outside organisations in the furtherance of privatisation by his Department in 1979 -80 and each year to date ; and what is the estimate for 1989-90.
Mr. Eggar : No such fees have been paid for the period in question.
Management Consultants
Mr. Dobson : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what were the total fees paid out by his Department to management consultants in 1979-80 and each year to date ; and what is the estimate for the current year.
Mr. Eggar : Foreign and Commonwealth Office expenditure on management consultants in the financial years 1986-87, 1987-88 and estimated expenditure in 1988-89 is as follows. The figures include expenditure for both the diplomatic and aid wings.
Year |Amount ------------------------ 1986-87 |68,329 1987-88 |257,272 1988-89 |62,512
Prior to 1986-87 consultancy expenditure was not separately identified in the FCO's accounts.
Press and Public Relations
Mr. Dobson : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what are the latest figures for the number of staff presently employed, and the full complement of staff, including vacant posts, in the press and public relations office of the Foreign Office ; and what is the proposed complement for 1989-90.
Mr. Eggar : The full complement of staff in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office diplomatic wing's news department and the aid wing's administration press office is 18. There are presently no vacant posts. The complement for 1989-90 will depend on the workload during the year.
Mr. Dobson : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the latest figure for
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(a) the estimated expenditure by his Department on press and public relations during 1988-89 and (b) the budget for 1989-90.Mr. Eggar : Total expenditure on press and public relations is estimated as follows :
£ million
|1988-89|1989-90
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Payment to Central Office of Information
for overseas information material and
related activities |19.2 |21.4
Other information services |1.0 |1.6
Running costs of diplomatic wing
information/news departments |1.9 |2.0
Running of ODA wing information
department |0.3 |0.4
Cost of information staff at overseas posts |18.4 |20.2
|-------|-------
Total |40.8 |45.6
Afghanistan
Sir John Farr : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what policy considerations underlie the continuing absence of a British ambassador from Afghanistan ; and what arrangements are made for United Kingdom nationals such as Red Cross workers when in need of diplomatic assistance.
Mr. Eggar : We withdrew Her Majesty's ambassador from Afghanistan in 1980 to register our disapproval of the installation of an unrepresentative regime by the Soviet army. Before the temporary withdrawal of the remaining embassy staff in February this year, we informed British nationals that consular assistance would no longer be available.
British nationals who travel to, or stay in, Afghanistan now do so in the knowledge that this is so.
Sir John Farr : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when Her Majesty's ambassador will return to Afghanistan.
Mr. Eggar : The then British ambassador was withdrawn in 1980 shortly after the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. We have since then had no ambassador in Kabul. It is too early to predict when it would be appropriate to appoint an ambassador again.
PLO
Mr. Latham : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he will seek clarification from the Palestine Liberation Organisation about the public support for the use of petrol bombs expressed by Salah Khalaf (Abu Iyad) in a published interview in Abu Dhabi on 1 March.
Mr. Waldegrave : No. We have already made clear to PLO representatives that the intifada should be pursued with the utmost restraint.
Angola
Mr. Mudd : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) whether the United Nations has been directly involved in mediation between the MPLA-PT and UNITA ;
(2) when the situation in Angola will next be discussed in the United Nations ;
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(3) when was the last occasion that the United Nations Security Council or other United Nations for a discussed the civil war in Angola ; and what resolutions were passed ;(4) what contacts have been made in the last year between Her Majesty's Government and African countries concerning the civil war in Angola ;
(5) whether he has made representations through the United Nations or other international organisations in order to facilitate national reconciliation in Angola and the holding of free and fair elections ;
(6) what is Her Majesty's Government's policy towards UNITA, its leader Dr. Jonas Savimbi, and its stated objectives of national reconciliation and the holding of free and fair elections in Angola ;
(7) when he last met representatives of the Angolan Government ; and what was discussed ;
(8) what contacts have been made by him with other governments concerning the holding of free and fair elections in Angola ; (9) what representations he has made to the MPLA-PT Government of Angola concerning the holding of free and fair elections in Angola.
Mrs. Chalker : We meet regularly with representatives of the Angolan Government in the normal course of diplomatic relations. The Angolan Ministers of the productive sector, foreign affairs and justice have all visited the United Kingdom since the beginning of 1988. In February this year my hon. Friend the Minister of State for Overseas Development visited Luanda for the annual SADCC meeting and called on President dos Santos. A wide range of international, regional and bilateral matters was discussed.
We are in regular touch with African leaders in the region, who are best placed to mediate, about moves towards internal peace in Angola. We would welcome any move to establish internal peace which had the support of both sides, but it is not for us to prescribe how elections should be conducted in another sovereign state. We have made no representations through international bodies on this subject.
We maintain contact with UNITA at official level. Mr. Savimbi is free to visit Britain as a private individual but is not received officially.
The mandate of the United Nations Angola verification mission (UNAVEM) is to verify the redeployment northwards and the phased and total withdrawal of Cuban troops from Angola according to the agreed timetable which is due to start on 1 April. The internal political situation in Angola is not the subject of discussion at the United Nations.
Departmental Officials
Mr. Mullin : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the officials in the Civil Service box during Foreign Office questions on 8 March.
Mr. Eggar : The officials present were appropriate for the business before the House. I see no reason to give names of officials in the officials' box on such occasions.
Salman Rushdie
Mr. Latham : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he will meet the Secretary General of the Arab League to ask him to press
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member states and organisations to repudiate the statement on 5 March by Ahmad Jibril, secretary-general of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine General Command, threatening to murder Mr. Salman Rushdie.Mr. Waldegrave : We condemn threats to murder Mr. Rushdie from any source, and welcome all statements by other states and organisations which repudiate such threats.
Immigration
Mr. Madden : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when Mushtaq Ahmed, ref. GV100/4412, was interviewed at the British embassy at Islamabad in connection with his entry clearance application to enter the United Kingdom ; when the entry clearance officer who interviewed him wrote to the United Kingdom immigration service requesting information about Mr. Ahmed ; when the entry clearance officer sent a reminder as no reply to his request had been received ; and when he expects to take a decision on Mr. Ahmed's application.
Mr. Eggar : Mr. Mustaq Ahmed was interviewed at the British embassy at Islamabad on 30 November 1987. The entry clearance officer wrote to the immigration service on 7 December 1987 requesting that Mr. Ahmed's fiance e be interviewed. Due to an oversight, no reminder was sent to the immigration service until 6 March 1989. The entry clearance officer has now taken a decision on this application, which is in the process of being conveyed to Mr. Ahmed.
Mr. Madden To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when Mushtaq Ahmed, ref. GV100/4412, first made an entry clearance application to the British embassy in Islamabad to come to the United Kingdom.
Hong Kong
Mr. Cyril D. Townsend : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when the annual report on Hong Kong will be laid before Parliament.
Mr. Eggar : I am laying the report before Parliament today. It is also being published today, and copies will be placed in the Library of the House.
SOCIAL SECURITY
Consultation Papers
Mr. Pike : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what was the cost in (a) real and (b) cash terms for each of the last five years to his Department and its predecessors of producing and distributing printed material pertaining to consultation exercises on matters within his present responsibilities as (i) Green Papers and (ii) White Papers.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : Green and White Papers are generally published by Her Majesty's Stationery Office. The Department, like its predecessor the Department of Health
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and Social Security, purchases the number of copies it requires of each paper for distribution internally, and to certain other recipients, from Her Majesty's Stationery Office. The information on the costs of such purchases can be produced only at disproportionate cost. Records of distribution are not retained and retrospective distribution costs cannot therefore be calculated.Transitional Protection
Mr. Cummings : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will indicate, by area, how many people in the Northern region in receipt of transitional payments will have no overall increase in their incomes from pensions and social security benefits this year as a result of being placed on transitional payments since April 1988.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : I regret that this information is not available, but refer the hon. Member to my reply to the hon. Member for Holborn and St. Pancras (Mr. Dobson) on 6 March at column 445.
Computerised Information (Confidentiality)
Miss Emma Nicholson : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) what consideration he has given to the potential risks of social security fraud under a computerised system ; and if he will take measures to minimise these risks ;
(2) if he will quantify the risks posed to individuals from computerisation of the Department's files ;
(3) what measures he intends to take to protect, from unathorised internal or external entry, newly computerised elements of the social security network.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : I refer my hon. Friend to my reply to the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire (Mr. Kirkwood) on 15 December 1988 at columns 693-94. I add that the introduction of new computerised systems for administering social security will substantially reduce the risk of certain types of social security fraud.
Miss Emma Nicholson : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will quantify and qualify progress made in the provision of the computer network for his Department's social security files ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : This year's Public Expenditure White Paper (Cm. 615) sets out the progress made in the development of our huge computerisation programme, the operational strategy. We are happy to add another achievment to that list, the largest and most ambitious system yet, namely the local office project which deals with the processing of income support, which was successfully introduced in Bolton and Edinburgh, South local offices on 27 February.
Benefits (Monitoring)
Mr. Lester : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security when he expects to announce the outcome of his monitoring of the benefit system for 16 and 17-year-olds ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Scott : Our policy is the correct one for the vast majority of 16 and 17-year-olds ; it would be irresponsible to provide a perverse incentive for people of this age to leave home needlessly. However, our monitoring and our
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discussions with representatives of the voluntary sector and the local authority associations reveal that a minority are facing real difficulties.We recognise that young people on income support who, for good reason, have to live independently, will have extra and unavoidable expenses. We have therefore decided that these 16 and 17-year-olds should receive a higher personal allowance in income support. They will qualify for the allowance payable to young people between ages 18 and 24 which, from April, is £27.40 a week. The increase will be available to those genuinely estranged from their parents and those who would meet the qualifying conditions for income support which already apply during the child benefit extension period.
We will also introduce a similar relaxation in the rules governing housing benefit. Young people living independently can find that they are worse off taking a YTS place or job than on income support because of the effect of housing costs and expenses such as travel costs, associated with their training or work. We therefore plan to increase the housing benefit applicable amount for all 16 and 17-year-olds.
We also plan to introduce some further minor changes. First, we will wholly disregard payments made by local authorities under the Child Care Act 1980 and the Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968 to young people leaving care.
Secondly, we shall extend entitlement to income support during the child benefit extension period to young people genuinely estranged from their parents, in line with the proposal for increasing the level of benefit paid to this group.
Thirdly, 16 and 17-year-olds who seek emergency accommodation in night shelters need time to sort out their affairs before taking up a YTS place. These cases will automatically be considered by the Secretary of State under the severe hardship provisions.
Fourthly, young people who have become estranged from their families or who have had to leave home for some other good reason are usually in a very vulnerable condition. Officials who deal with their claims need to do so sensitively and I plan to introduce special training to help them to carry out their task in an understanding way.
The total cost of these changes to the income-related benefit rules will be some £3.7 million in a full year. subject to the necessary consultations with the Social Security advisory committee and the local authority associations, we intend introducing the changes this July, except that the new arrangement for people in emergency accommodation will take effect from April. I believe that this package of extra help for 16 and 17- year-olds is well targeted towards those most in need. Our wider policy, of encouraging such youngsters to stay in the parental home and, if they are not in education or employment, to take up the offer of a YTS place, remains appropriate for the vast majority of young people of this age.
Staff
Mr. Tony Lloyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security when he proposes to begin to monitor customer service and efficiency at local social security offices following staff changes.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : The Department monitors customer service and efficiency in two main ways. First, clearance times for claims and accuracy of payments are monitored on at least a monthly basis in order to remedy problems
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when performance falls below target levels. At present 50 per cent. of local social security activity is monitored in this way and from April 1989 this will increase to 75 per cent. Secondly, the Department also monitors the quality of service in several other key areas such as caller waiting times, telephone service, correspondence, and interviewing, and additionally does local customer opinion sampling about service standards.Mr. Tony Lloyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will give details by local office of changes in staffing for social security in the north-west region between March 1988 and now and planned cuts over the next 12 months.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : The information requested is as follows :
|c|Local office complements: North western region|c|
Office |1 March 1988 |1 February 1989
------------------------------------------------------------------
Accrington |122 |103.71
Ashton |162 |129.78
Barrow |120 |113.18
Belle Vale |135 |105.69
Birkenhead North |231 |197.91
Birkenhead South |147 |131.69
Blackburn |218 |186.78
Blackpool North |245 |215.79
Blackpool South |125 |119.42
Bolton |287 |248.87
Bootle |166 |140.05
Breckfield |176 |168.52
Burnley |236 |199.16
Bury |219 |206.77
Buxton |39 |32.33
Carlisle |122 |106.13
Central |107 |97.07
Cheetham |165 |139.10
Chester |140 |120.25
Chorlton |127 |113.14
City |123 |103.62
Crewe |144 |127.92
Crosby |127 |107.86
Edge Hill |119 |157.01
Ellesmere Port |104 |83.76
Failsworth |183 |149.78
Farnworth |129 |110.11
Garston |113 |93.22
Huyton |189 |171.15
Hyde |141 |123.27
Kendal |51 |43.43
Kirkby |222 |186.13
Lancaster |169 |146.46
Leigh |157 |125.85
Longsight |162 |138.07
Macclesfield |72 |60.47
Middleton |124 |103.64
Norris Green |73 |61.10
Northwick |103 |57.28
Oldham |248 |194.51
Openshaw |117 |122.65
Penrith |37 |31.54
Preston North |166 |152.49
Preston South |157 |137.91
Rochdale |183 |154.55
Rossendale |78 |68.96
Rusholme |182 |146.69
St. Helens |265 |208.23
Sale |197 |158.15
Salford North |208 |173.57
Salford South |152 |119.05
Skelmersdale |141 |127.39
Southport |128 |107.47
Stockport North |163 |136.33
Stockport South |144 |125.58
Toxteth |196 |147.77
Wallasey |151 |124.41
Warrington |226 |188.76
West Derby AO<1> |94 |68.19
West Derby NIO<1> |50 |-
Whitehaven |76 |60.03
Widnes |194 |157.99
Wigan |272 |227.95
Wilmslow |51 |47.24
Workington |84 |72.16
Wythenshawe |192 |149.32
|---- |----
Total |9,946 |8,473.43
The numbers will continue until April 1989. Firm figures from
April 1989 are not yet available.
<1> West Derby area office and West Derby national insurance
office were combined to form the West Derby integrated local
office on 11 January 1989.
Access Committee for England
Mr. Alfred Morris : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will make a statement on the Access Committee for England's future status and role.
Mr. Scott : This matter is under consideration.
Advertising
Mr. Dobson : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the latest figure for the estimated spending in 1988-89 by his Department on (a) television advertising, (b) radio advertising, (c) newspaper advertising and (d) other promotional material ; and what is the 1989-90 budget for each of these categories of spending.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : Expenditure by the Department in 1988-89 is estimated as :
|£ million
-----------------------------------------------
Television advertising |3.281
Radio advertising |0.199
Newspaper advertising |1.999
Other promotional material |6.521
The budget for publicity in 1989-90 is £16.3 million.
Detailed decisions on expenditure by media have not yet been taken.
Income Support
Mr. Harry Barnes : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is his latest figure for the total annual amount paid in income support to residents of private residential homes in Derbyshire.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : I regret that the information requested is not available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Press and Public Relations
Mr. Dobson : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) what are the latest figures for the number of staff presently employed, and the full complement of staff, including vacant posts, in the press and public relations office of his Department ; and what is the proposed complement for 1989-90 ;
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(2) what is the latest figure for (a) the estimated expenditure by his Department on press and public relations during 1988-89 and (b) the budget for 1989-90.Mr. Peter Lloyd : Functions commonly associated with press and public relations are carried out by the Department's information division.
The latest figures for the combined information divisions of the Department of Health and the Department of Social Security are :
|Numbers
----------------------------------------------------------------
Staff presently employed |77
Full complement of staff including vacant posts |80
Note: 38 of the above staff are Information Officers.
The estimated expenditure for both Departments on press and public relations manpower and running costs during 1988-89 is £1.344 million.
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Discussions on the proposed complements and budgets for 1989-90 are not yet complete.Statistical Staff
Mr. Dobson : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will give the latest figures for the number of staff presently employed, and the full complement of staff including vacant posts, by grade, in the statistical divisions in his Department ; if he will differentiate between staff in statistical posts and staff in administrative posts ; and if he will give the staffing complements by grade, and differentiated between statistical and administrative posts, proposed for 1989-90.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : Staff in post and vacancies in the Department's statistical branches at 1 March 1989 are shown in the table :
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Grade Staff in Post Vacancies
|Administrative|Statistical |Administrative|Statistical
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3 |- |0.33 |- |-
5 |- |2.00 |- |-
6 |- |- |- |-
7 |1 |9.00 |- |1
Senior assistant statistician |- |2.00 |- |-
Assistant statistician |- |2.00 |- |-
Senior executive officer |2.00 |- |- |-
Higher executive officer |11.00 |- |1 |-
Executive officer |19.50 |- |3 |-
Administrative officer |33.00 |- |1 |-
Administrative assistant |7.00 |- |- |-
Personal secretary |2.00 |- |- |-
|---- |---- |---- |----
Total |75.50 |15.33 |5 |1
The staffing complement for 1989-90 is expected to be as shown above but some adjustments may be made
following the split of DHSS.
Privatisation
Mr. Dobson : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what was the total sum paid out in fees to outside organisations in the furtherance of privatisation by his Department in 1979-80 and each year to date ; and what is the estimate for 1989-90.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : No such fees have been identified and no such expenditure is planned for 1989-90.
Management Consultants
Mr. Dobson : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what were the total fees paid out by his Department to management consultants in 1979-80 and each year to date ; and what is the estimate for the current year.
Mr. Moore : The estimated expenditure from 1984-85 onwards on fees and expenses for management consultants on social security matters is as follows :
Year |£ million ------------------------------ 1984-85 |0.959 1985-86 |1.722 1986-87 |0.959 1987-88 |1.013 1988-89 |1.020
The figures are approximate since expenditure up to and including the 1988- 89 financial year is from a joint
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Health and Social Security budget. In some cases expenditure has been apportioned where consultants have been engaged on both health and social security matters. The figures include some computer consultancy where this cannot be separately identified.The information for years prior to 1984-85 could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Approved Training (Refusal)
Ms. Mahon : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many young people in Halifax have been referred to an adjudication officer for consideration of refusal of approved training.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : The numbers of claims referred to the adjudication office covering the Halifax area for consideration of refusal of approved training during 1988 were as follows :
|c|Decision on refusal or premature termination of approved training|c|
Quarter ended |Claims referred to |Disallowed |Allowed
|adjudication officer
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
31 March |29 |11 |18
30 June |27 |13 |14
30 September |20 |12 |8
31 December |7 |5 |2
Note: Figures refer to the number of claims, rather than to the number of individuals claiming. Some
individuals may have had more than one claim referred for adjudication.
Source: 100 per cent. count of adjudication officer decisions.
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