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The Social Affairs Council, meeting on 5 April, is expected to hear a Commission report on a draft charter of social rights ; consider with a view to agreeing common positions health and safety directives on the workplace, work equipment and personal protective equipment ; and consider a draft resolution on continuing vocational training, a regulation on measures to help redundant shipbuilding workers and an amendment to the regulation on family allowances for migrant workers.The internal market council on 13-14 April will discuss a number of measures relevant to the completion of the single market. The Agriculture Council will meet on 17, 18 and possibly 19 April to discuss 1989 price- fixing proposals, the forestry action programme and possibly conversion schemes.
The Economic and Finance Council will meet on 17 April to consider the Commission's proposals for harmonising the taxation of savings and discuss direct taxation of companies. It will consider a progress report by the Presidency on tax approximation and discuss the 18th VAT Directive concerning the ending of various derogations available to the member states under the terms of the 6th VAT Directive. The Council is also due to complete the process of conciliation with the European Parliament on two regulations associated with the establishment and making available of own resources by member states to the Commission.
The Foreign Affairs Council on 24-25 April may discuss a Commission proposal for a financing facility to enable developing countries to import food products from the European Community on concessionary terms, and a linked proposal to harmonise export credits available for exports of agricultural products from member states. Other possible subjects for discussion are food aid, and the Uruguay Round, on which the Commission may report on the outcome of the meeting of the GATT trade negotiations committee in Geneva. An EC-Morocco Co-operation Council will be held in the margins of the Foreign Affairs Council.
The Telecommunications Council on 27 April will consist of a general discussion on Open Network Provision with the likelihood that ISDN and standardisation in telecoms will be adopted. There will also be detailed consideration on the draft proposed Council decision on HDTV. There may also be a discussion on the second phase directive on mutual recognition of type approval.
Mr. Tony Lloyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the speed at which entry clearance cases are now being dealt with when referred to his Department.
Mr. Eggar : Cases referred by entry clearance officers in Commonwealth countries, the Philippines, Thailand and Indonesia are sent by posts direct to the immigration and nationality department of the Home Office. All other referrals are channelled via the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. The time taken to deal with referred applications varies from case to case and average times cannot be given.
Mr. Madden : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he is going to take decisions on the applications made at the post in
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Islamabad, by Abdul Sattar, date of birth 30 June 1978, Abdul Ghaffar, 11 January 1972, Safeena Kausar, 7 March 1982, and Fareeda Kausar, 28 August 1980, to enter the United Kingdom ; when their applications were made ; what inquiries have been made into their applications ; and if he will make a statement.Mr. Eggar : All four applications were lodged on 2 July 1987 and are still under consideration. In view of the compassionate circumstances the applicants were given a priority interview on 28 August 1988.
Following that interview the entry clearance officer at Islamabad was not satisfied as to the claimed family relationship of the applicants and deferred a decision for local inquiries to be made. These inquiries have however proved inconclusive and on 22 March 1989 the entry clearance officer referred the applications to the Home Office for further consideration.
Mr. Madden : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs why Mr. Nadeem Mumtaz, date of birth 9 December 1965, was refused a visa to visit the United Kingdom by the post in Karachi ; and if he will reconsider this case in the light of Mr. Mumtaz's four previous visits.
Mr. Eggar : Mr. Nadeem Mumtaz was refused entry clearance on 16 February 1989 as the entry clearance officer at Karachi was not satisfied, as he is required to be under paragraph 17 of HC 169, that Mr. Mumtaz was a genuine visitor who would leave the United Kingdom at the end of his permitted stay. Mr. Mumtaz sought a two months stay to visit a relative in this country. The entry clearance officer was aware that Mr. Mumtaz had made previous visits to the United Kingdom, but his application for a visa had to be considered afresh and in the light of Mr. Mumtaz's present circumstances.
Mr. Madden : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs why Mr. Nazar Hussein, reference No. V/3428/89, was refused a visa by the post in Islamabad to visit the United Kingdom ; and if he will reconsider this case.
Mr. Eggar : Mr. Nazar Hussein was refused entry clearance on 23 February 1989 as the entry clearance officer at Islamabad was not satisfied, as he is required to be under paragraph 17 of HC 169, that Mr. Hussein was a genuine visitor who would leave the United Kingdom at the end of his permitted stay. Mr. Hussein sought a two to three months stay to visit his brother who lives in this country. Mr. Hussein has a statutory right of appeal to an independent appellate authority within three months of the date of refusal. No such appeal had been lodged up to 22 March 1989.
Mr. Winnick : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) if he will describe the procedure adopted by the relevant immigration authorities when an appeal against entry clearance refusal has been upheld by an adjudicator ; and if it is the practice to grant entry clearance when an appeal is so upheld ; (2) in what circumstances entry clearance will not be issued by the relevant immigration authorities once an appeal against refusal has been upheld on adjudication.
Mr. Eggar : Entry clearance officers (ECOs) have a statutory duty to comply with any written or oral
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directions given by the appellate authorities in giving effect to a determination ; where directed they will issue entry clearance immediately unless, in the case of an adjudicator's direction, it is subject to further appeal. Where, however, an adjudicator allows an appeal but gives no directions, the ECO will reconsider the application within the spirit of the adjudicator's determination and will issue entry clearance if the appellant meets the requirements of the immigration rules. If, because of changed circumstances, the appellant does not meet the requirements of the immigration rules, his application will be refused with a further right of appeal to the appellate authorities.Mr. Winnick : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs in what circumstances an appellant whose appeal against entry had been upheld would be required by the immigration authorities to produce further documentary evidence ; and in how many cases in 1987 and 1988 this was required.
Mr. Eggar : Where an adjudicator allows an appeal but gives no directions, an entry clearance officer (ECO) may call for further documentary evidence to satisfy himself, within the spirit of the adjudicator's determination, that, notwithstanding changed circumstances, the appellant meets the requirements of the immigration rules. Details are not available of the number of cases in which this proved necessary.
Mr. Winnick : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the average time which elapses between an appeal against entry clearance being upheld by an adjudicator and entry clearance being issued by the relevant immigration authorities ; and if he has taken steps to ensure that minimal delay occurs in successful appeal cases.
Mr. Eggar : Appeal determinations not subject to further appeal are normally sent by the Home Office to overseas posts within a maximum of two weeks of receipt from the appellate authorities. On receiving a determination the entry clearance officer (ECO) informs the appellant and, where directions are given by an adjudicator, entry clearance is issued as soon as the appellant presents his passport. I am satisfied that existing procedures ensure minimal delay.
Mr. Winnick : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what criticisms have been made by the immigration appeals tribunal over delays in appeals against entry clearance being upheld in the United Kingdom and the actual granting of entry clearance to successful appellants ; and what steps have been taken to rectify such delays.
Mr. Eggar : None. Where directed by an adjudicator an entry clearance officer (ECO) will issue entry clearance immediately. Where no directions are given an ECO will issue entry clearance as soon as he has satisfied himself, if necessary after further inquiries, that the appellant meets the requirements of the immigration rules.
Mr. Faulds : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he will call in the Ethiopian ambassador to seek the considered response
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urged by the head of the United Kingdom delegation at the 45th session of the United Nations Human Rights Commission in Geneva on 7 March.Mr. Eggar : We have urged the Ethiopian Government to give a considered response. We now await this. We have raised our human rights concerns with them on numerous occasions and will continue to do so on all appropriate occasions.
Mrs. Gorman : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on his decision to agree to the Foreign Affairs Council on 20 February adopting a regulation on the control of certain chemical products prior to completion of parliamentary scrutiny.
Mrs. Chalker : The proposal for a regulation requiring national controls on the export of eight key chemical weapons precursors arose at very short notice, and discussion at the European political co-operation ministerial meeting in Madrid on 14 February revealed a strong concensus for urgent Community action. Given our firm stand against proliferation of chemical weapons and our wish to see existing export controls in Community countries applied more effectively, we took the view that an immediate decision on the regulation would be appropriate. That is why we did not oppose the adoption of the regulation at the Foreign Affairs Council on 20 February, on which I reported in the reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Bexleyheath (Mr. Townsend) on 22 February, even though it was clearly not possible in the very short time available to complete parliamentary scrutiny. The Chairman of the European Legislation Committee was, of course, kept fully informed throughout.
Rev. Martin Smyth : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what guidance his Department issues on the definition of the term terminally ill with regard to the determination of eligibility for attendance allowance.
Mr. Needham : No guidance is issued as the term does not occur in the legislation governing entitlement to attendance allowance.
Rev. Martin Smyth : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps his Department has taken to assess the cost of special diets in Northern Ireland for people receiving state benefits ; and what is his estimate of the number of such people who require special diets for (i) epilepsy and (ii) diabetes.
Mr. Needham : As the benefits system does not make specific provision for special dietary needs, the cost has not been assessed nor is an estimate of the numbers mentioned available.
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Mr. John D. Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the proposal for a bypass at Comber.
Mr. Needham : The Department of the Environment for Northern Ireland has a scheme to extend the existing Comber bypass from Killinchy street to Newtownards road.
This scheme is included in the current major works programme 1989-90 to 1993-94 and detailed design work is under way. It is not possible to indicate a start date since this will depend on the completion of the statutory processes and the availability of finances at the time.
Mr. John D. Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland for which urban areas in Northern Ireland urban development grants are presently available.
Mr. Needham : Urban development grant, funded by the Government, is available in Belfast and Londonderry. Similar grants under the first urban development programme funded by the international fund for Ireland and administered by the Department of the Environment for Northern Ireland were available in 22 district towns, and in the urban areas of Castlereagh and Newtownabbey. Under the second urban development programme announced in November 1988 grants in addition may be offered to exceptional projects in other urban areas.
Rev. Martin Smyth : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many families in Northern Ireland are in receipt of family credit.
Mr. Needham : A total of 14,176 at 15 March 1989.
Mr. Beggs : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will seek to introduce appropriate legislation to ensure that the widows and widowers of married teachers will receive equal benefits and pensions in cases where equal contributions from salary have been made by teachers for pension and benefit purposes.
Dr. Mawhinney : I have no such plans.
Mr. Ron Davies : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what was the estimated area of broadleaved woodland in Northern Ireland in 1968, 1978, 1983 and 1988.
Mr. Viggers : Although figures are not available for the years in question estimates carried out in 1986-87 indicated
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that there were 8,100 hectares of pure broadleaved woodland and 6, 500 hectares of mixed broadleaf conifer woodland in Northern Ireland.Mr. Ron Davies : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether the Northern Ireland forestry service will carry out a review of the broadleaved woodland grant scheme in parallel with that being done by the Forestry Commission ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Viggers : The broadleaved woodland grant scheme was closed for applications in March 1988. Accordingly, no review of the scheme is contemplated.
Mr. Ron Davies : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is the provision made for felling licensing in Northern Ireland.
Mr. Viggers : There is no provision for felling licences in Northern Ireland.
Mr. Roger King : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what progress he has made in making arrangements for Northern Ireland to benefit as an objective 1 region within the European Community.
Mr. Ian Stewart : Under the new arrangements governing the Community"s structural funds, objective 1 regions such as Northern Ireland are required to forward to the European Commission a "regional development plan" from which will be derived future claims for assistance. The preparation of the Northern Ireland plan has now been completed and the document will be submitted to the Commission before the end of the month as required. The document, which reflects Government policy in the main development areas, has been prepared in consultation with the Commission and with relevant local interests, as required by the EC regulations. I am confident, therefore, that the Northern Ireland development plan will provide a sound basis for the European Community to continue to contribute to development in the Province, in particular through its financial support from the structural funds for projects to be included in earning measures.
Mr. Clifford Forsythe : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, if he will publish in the Official Report a table showing, for each district council in Northern Ireland, the local district rate in actual and percentage terms for each of the years from 1986-87 to 1989-90.
Mr. Needham [holding answer 20 March 1989] : The table showing for each district council in Northern Ireland the local district rate in actual and percentage terms from each of the years 1986-87 to 1989- 90 is as follows :
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District |1986-87 district rate|Percentage increase |1987-88 district rate|Percentage increase |1988-89 district rate|Percentage increase |1989-90 district rate|Percentage increase ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 Antrim |45.75p |8.93 |48.50p |6.01 |51.00p |5.15 |53.00p |3.92 2 Ards |53.00p |6.00 |53.00p |nil |54.00p |1.89 |57.50p |6.48 3 Armagh |38.00p |10.14 |38.00p |nil |41.00p |7.89 |44.00p |7.32 4 Ballymena |38.00p |4.54 |39.85p |4.87 |42.85p |7.53 |44.00p |2.68 5 Ballymoney |42.25p |7.10 |46.00p |1.66 |47.00p |2.17 |50.25p |6.91 6 Banbridge |47.97p |6.77 |50.98p |6.27 |50.98p |nil |50.90p |nil 7 Belfast |76.36p |10.60 |80.03p |4.81 |83.96p |4.91 |83.96p |nil 8 Carrickfergus |57.50p |4.55 |59.41p |3.32 |62.50p |5.20 |65.75p |5.20 9 Castlereagh |39.08p |18.42 |41.00p |4.91 |39.90p |-2.68 |37.90p |-5.01 10 Coleraine |49.00p |8.89 |50.00p |2.04 |53.00p |6.00 |55.00p |3.77 11 Cookstown |39.75p |10.88 |43.00p |8.18 |42.75p |-0.58 |47.75p |11.70 12 Craigaven |60.21p |9.61 |63.35p |5.22 |63.35p |nil |67.47p |6.50 13 Derry |67.00p |12.62 |69.50p |3.73 |72.55p |4.39 |76.80p |5.86 14 Down |53.00p |17.78 |60.00p |13.21 |65.00p |8.33 |68.00p |4.62 15 Dungannon |41.50p |9.21 |44.00p |6.02 |44.00p |nil |44.00p |nil 16 Fermanagh |48.75p |14.04 |50.75p |4.10 |53.50p |5.42 |55.50p |3.74 17 Larne |49.25p |9.44 |52.55p |6.70 |55.75p |6.09 |56.75p |1.79 18 Limavady |39.00p |11.43 |40.95p |5.00 |43.50p |6.23 |47.00p |8.05 19 Lisburn |48.80p |5.54 |49.75p |1.95 |53.57p |7.68 |53.57p |nil 20 Magherafelt |36.56p |10.65 |41.05p |12.28 |43.50p |5.97 |46.34p |6.53 21 Moyle |66.75p |10.04 |65.75p |nil |65.50p |-0.38 |68.40p |4.43 22 Newry and Mourne |54.30p |10.82 |59.70p |9.94 |59.70p |nil |58.00p |-2.85 23 Newtownabbey |55.11p |4.77 |57.24p |3.86 |60.06p |4.93 |64.10p |6.73 24 North Down |56.90p |10.49 |60.90p |7.03 |63.70p |4.60 |65.85p |3.38 25 Omagh |47.00p |9.30 |51.65p |9.89 |55.00p |6.49 |58.50p |6.36 26 Strabane |50.50p |16.09 |54.00p |6.93 |57.00p |5.56 |60.75p |6.58
Mr. Clifford Forsythe : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will indicate in actual and percentage terms both the Northern Ireland regional rate and the total Northern Ireland rate for each year from 1986-87 to 1989-90.
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Mr. Ian Stewart [holding answer 20 March 1989] : The information is as follows :
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|1986-87|1987-88|1988-89|1989-90 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Regional rate |110.38p|113.53p|122.59p|138.07p Percentage change from previous year |+9.4 |+2.9 |+7.98 |+12.63 Total rate (i.e. regional rate plus average district rate) |167.6p |173.6p |185.21p|202.18p Percentage change from previous year |+9.54 |+3.58 |+6.69 |+9.16
Mr. Hume : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what was the number of housing applications received by each Housing Executive district office in (a) the past eight months and (b) between 1 April 1987 and 31 March 1988 from home owners experiencing financial hardship with mortgage repayments ; how many such applicants were deemed to be in financial hardship ; and what priority such applications were awarded.
Mr. Needham [holding answer 21 March 1989] : This is a matter for the Northern Ireland Housing Executive. I am advised by the chief executive that the information requested is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
The Rev. Martin Smyth : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) what percentage of budgeting loans were awarded to each of the 15 client groups defined by his Department since the introduction of the social fund in Northern Ireland ;
(2) what percentage of community care grants were awarded to each of the 15 client groups defined by his Department.
Mr. Needham [holding answer 17 March 1989] : The information requested is as follows :
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|c|Percentage of budgeting loans and community care grants awarded|c| |c|by client group for the period 11 April 1988 to 28 February 1989|c| Client group |Budgeting loans |Community care grants |per cent. |per cent. -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Over 80-with higher pensioner premium |0.23 |5.77 Aged 69 to 70-disabled, higher pensioner premium |0.47 |4.27 Aged 60 to 79-with ordinary pensioner premium or over 60 without pensioner premium |3.26 |19.80 One parent-with disability premium |0.41 |0.90 Family with disability premium |5.69 |4.41 Other-with disability premium |2.03 |8.07 Lone parent-without disability premium |29.95 |23.12 Quarterly signer-with family premium |0.79 |0.90 Quarterly signer-without family premium |1.93 |1.25 Signing unemployed or with training allowance-with family premium |20.98 |11.53 Signing unemployed or with training allowance-without family premium |26.29 |11.68 Others-with family premium |1.53 |2.24 Others-without family premium |7.13 |5.16 Involved in a Trade Dispute |0.01 |- Applicant not in receipt of Income Support |<1> |0.72 <1> Not applicable.
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Rev. Martin Smyth : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) what percentage of the total number of applications made for budgeting loans were (i) full awards, (ii) partial awards and (iii) nil awards ;
(2) what percentage of the total number of applications made for community care grants in Northern Ireland were (a) full awards, (b) partial awards and (c) nil awards.
Mr. Needham [holding answer 17 March 1989] : The information is not available in the form requested. However, during the period 11 April 1988 to 28 February 1989, applications were decided as follows :
|Percentage allowed in|Percentage refused |full or in part ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Budgeting loans |67.14 |32.86 Community care grants |67.21 |32.79
Rev. Martin Smyth : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) what statistical information he has as to the different reasons given by social fund officers for negative decisions to claimants on (a) budgeting loans and (b) partial awards ; (2) what statistical information he has as to the different reasons given by social fund officers to claimants for nil award decisions for (a) community care grants and (b) partial awards.
Mr. Needham [holding answer 17 March 1989] : The reasons for refusing social fund applications during the period 1-28 February 1989 (the latest month for which information is available) are as follows :
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Reasons for refusal as |Budgeting loans (per |Community care grants percentage of total |cent.) |(per cent.) applications processed ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Savings over £500 sufficient to meet cost |0.01 |0.22 Not in receipt of income support |2.68 |n/a Not in receipt of income support for 26 weeks |10.23 |n/a Not in receipt of income support at present and unlikely to qualify |n/a |2.97 Excluded items |1.10 |0.97 Excluded persons |0.14 |3.30 Amount less than £30, not travelling expenses |0.41 |0.20 Adjusted amount less than £30, not travelling expenses |0.22 |0.05 Total debt of £1,000 |0.01 |n/a Previous application and social fund officer decision for this item |2.01 |2.03 Inability to repay |2.02 |n/a Help available from another source |0.22 |0.22 Insufficient priority |4.69 |2.58 Suitable alternative available |0.04 |0.18 Loan refused-community care grant awarded |2.12 |n/a Others |2.14 |16.30 n/a=Not appropriate.
Mr. Hume : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what was the number of Housing Executive properties sold to tenants in each year since the introduction of the policy, by district.
Mr. Needham [holding answer 21 March 1989] : This is a matter for the Northern Ireland Housing Executive. I am advised by the chief executive that the number of properties sold each year in each Housing Executive district since the introduction of its voluntary house sales scheme in October 1979 are as follows :
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|c|Northern Ireland housing executive-Voluntary sales scheme|c| |c|Properties sold for housing executive district since October 1979|c| District |<1>October 1979 to March|1981-82 |1982-83 |1983-84 |1984-85 |1985-86 |1986-87 |1987-88 |April 1988 to December |Total |1981 |1988 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Belfast region Belfast1 |114 |209 |128 |128 |186 |218 |100 |113 |95 |1,291 2 |118 |121 |23 |76 |93 |73 |68 |67 |34 |673 3 |17 |55 |92 |43 |57 |47 |44 |60 |54 |469 4 |121 |144 |59 |26 |69 |32 |57 |75 |42 |625 5 |52 |83 |53 |61 |78 |105 |60 |51 |17 |559 6 |47 |94 |40 |52 |86 |48 |51 |32 |22 |472 7 |51 |94 |40 |50 |95 |43 |77 |65 |53 |568 |------ |------ |------ |------ |------ |------ |------ |------ |------ |------ Regional total |520 |799 |435 |436 |664 |566 |457 |463 |317 |4,657 North-East region Antrim |37 |267 |188 |228 |285 |195 |188 |116 |108 |1,612 Ballymena |51 |243 |173 |158 |171 |178 |113 |54 |113 |1,254 Carrickfergus |64 |343 |170 |192 |193 |132 |161 |104 |65 |1,424 Larne |112 |203 |160 |172 |147 |87 |91 |81 |110 |1,163 Newtownabbey 1 |34 |248 |149 |139 |166 |125 |97 |82 |77 |1,117 Newtownabbey 2 |20 |178 |165 |236 |222 |152 |121 |87 |85 |1,266 Ballymoney |47 |129 |100 |75 |54 |77 |60 |39 |59 |640 Ballycastle |12 |61 |58 |29 |49 |29 |34 |28 |22 |322 |------ |------ |------ |------ |------ |------ |------ |------ |------ |------ Regional total |377 |1,672 |1,163 |1,229 |1,287 |975 |865 |591 |639 |8,798 North-West region Londonderry 1 |14 |40 |37 |50 |49 |64 |32 |37 |25 |348 Londonderry 2 |24 |175 |157 |130 |108 |47 |35 |44 |43 |763 Londonderry 3 |25 |52 |32 |60 |69 |46 |27 |29 |21 |361 Limavady |71 |147 |65 |104 |74 |104 |52 |60 |31 |708 Strabane |22 |80 |111 |110 |86 |69 |60 |78 |70 |686 Coleraine |30 |141 |70 |101 |55 |93 |43 |40 |55 |628 Magherafelt |59 |57 |69 |93 |85 |93 |52 |49 |60 |617 |------ |------ |------ |------ |------ |------ |------ |------ |------ |------ Regional total |245 |692 |541 |648 |526 |516 |301 |337 |305 |4,111 South region Armagh |69 |248 |314 |186 |174 |125 |104 |85 |49 |1,354 Banbridge |28 |147 |110 |103 |88 |56 |51 |56 |41 |680 Craigavon |29 |146 |63 |132 |310 |56 |28 |20 |42 |826 Kilkeel |32 |91 |77 |63 |54 |55 |47 |29 |15 |463 Lurgan |92 |449 |294 |324 |301 |129 |87 |50 |25 |1,751 Newry 1 |29 |96 |148 |214 |153 |138 |102 |135 |100 |1,115 Newry 2 |70 |203 |244 |180 |153 |149 |131 |108 |71 |1,309 Portadown |34 |239 |190 |194 |149 |88 |50 |29 |26 |999 |------ |------ |------ |------ |------ |------ |------ |------ |------ |------ Regional total |383 |1,619 |1,440 |1,396 |1,382 |796 |600 |512 |369 |8,497 South-East region Lisburn 3 |Nil |10 |30 |51 |25 |19 |16 |18 |6 |175 Lisburn 1 |15 |190 |181 |170 |176 |155 |81 |70 |49 |1,087 Lisburn 2 |1 |194 |179 |140 |127 |97 |52 |48 |54 |892 Bangor |9 |196 |183 |174 |123 |108 |83 |92 |58 |1,026 Castlereagh 1 |27 |273 |164 |190 |148 |94 |73 |56 |33 |1,058 Castlereagh 2 |41 |334 |195 |168 |188 |105 |94 |63 |64 |1,252 Downpatrick |34 |234 |236 |195 |215 |136 |117 |110 |77 |1,354 Newtownards 1 |56 |248 |174 |153 |155 |131 |119 |104 |53 |1,193 Newtownards 2 |52 |87 |109 |99 |85 |80 |73 |71 |50 |706 |------ |------ |------ |------ |------ |------ |------ |------ |------ |------ Regional total |235 |1,766 |1,451 |1,340 |1,242 |925 |708 |632 |444 |8,743 West region Omagh |35 |194 |135 |102 |65 |82 |53 |52 |66 |784 Dungannon |8 |228 |166 |89 |71 |116 |75 |96 |103 |952 Enniskillen |15 |157 |156 |120 |93 |94 |81 |78 |110 |904 Cookstown |12 |79 |67 |80 |63 |62 |44 |46 |50 |503 |------ |------ |------ |------ |------ |------ |------ |------ |------ |------ Regional total |70 |658 |524 |391 |292 |354 |253 |272 |329 |3,143 <1>Annual breakdown not available.
These figures include some vacant properties to non-tenants in areas where housing need has been met.
Ms. Mowlam : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will provide figures for (a) the total social fund allocation for 1989- 90 and the total for each office, (b) the total community care grant allocation for 1989-90 and the total for each office, (c) the total budget loan allocation for 1989-90 and the total for each office, (d) the total crisis loan allocation for 1989-90 and the total for each office, (e) the current number of claimants
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registered at each office and in total, (f) the social fund allocation for 1989-90 to each office as a sum per head for claimants of each office, (g) the social fund grant allocation for 1989-90 to each office as a sum per head of claimants registered with each office, (h) the expenditure for each individual office on single payments for 1984- 85, 1985-86 and 1986-87 and (i) the expenditure by each office to date for 1988-89 on (i) grants, (ii) crisis loans, (iii) budget loans and (iv) the total.Mr. Needham [holding answer 15 March 1989] : Details of social fund expenditure for 1988-89 are available in the Library. Social fund allocations for 1989-90 are as follows :
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|c|Table 1|c| |c|Social Fund Budget 1989-90|c| Social Security Office |Loans |Grants |Total |Income support caseload|Per Capita (Loans and |Per Capita (Grants) |at 28 February 1989 |Grants) |£ |£ |£ |£ |£ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Andersonstown |906,010 |442,394 |1,348,404 |7,219 |187 |61 Antrim |436,917 |225,670 |662,587 |5,268 |126 |43 Armagh |318,737 |169,258 |487,995 |4,730 |103 |36 Ballymena |385,109 |197,790 |582,899 |5,841 |100 |34 Ballymoney |268,617 |138,228 |406,845 |4,418 |92 |31 Ballynahinch |44,710 |25,029 |69,739 |1,490 |47 |17 Banbridge |160,814 |86,686 |247,500 |3,152 |79 |28 Bangor |187,166 |104,295 |291,461 |4,408 |66 |24 Carrickfergus |171,258 |92,526 |263,784 |2,887 |91 |32 Coleraine |427,065 |223,561 |650,626 |5,989 |109 |37 Cookstown |257,932 |145,324 |403,256 |3,517 |115 |41 Corporation Street |1,065,039 |554,510 |1,619,549 |11,966 |135 |46 Downpatrick |168,476 |87,131 |255,607 |2,281 |112 |38 Dungannon |406,060 |215,442 |621,502 |5,964 |104 |36 Enniskillen |311,496 |177,326 |488,822 |8,185 |60 |22 Falls Road |770,139 |377,447 |1,147,586 |8,679 |132 |43 Holywood Road |504,299 |274,270 |778,569 |8,051 |97 |34 Kilkeel |59,062 |32,365 |91,427 |1,391 |66 |23 Knockbreda |266,805 |148,627 |415,432 |6,201 |67 |24 Larne |170,264 |86,575 |256,839 |2,716 |95 |32 Limavady |152,072 |83,371 |235,443 |3,147 |75 |26 Lisburn |698,751 |363,379 |1,062,130 |5,901 |180 |62 Londonderry |1,160,923 |619,379 |1,780,302 |15,396 |116 |40 Lurgan |794,217 |416,837 |1,211,054 |5,300 |229 |79 Magherafelt |413,409 |241,428 |654,837 |5,204 |126 |46 Newcastle |78,413 |41,673 |120,086 |1,854 |65 |22 Newry |679,813 |365,701 |1,045,514 |8,764 |119 |42 Newtownabbey |287,105 |143,676 |430,781 |5,188 |83 |28 Newtownards |153,776 |86,183 |239,959 |4,074 |59 |21 Omagh |394,289 |206,030 |600,319 |5,553 |108 |37 Portadown |214,415 |117,649 |332,064 |3,751 |89 |31 Shaftesbury Square |584,744 |297,163 |881,907 |6,113 |144 |49 Shankill |397,224 |204,608 |601,832 |5,206 |116 |39 Strabane |405,014 |208,561 |613,575 |5,902 |104 |35 |------- |-------------- |------- |------- |------- |------- Totals |13,700,140 |7,200,092 |20,900,232 |185,706
Separate amounts are not allocated for budgeting and crisis loans. A paper containing details of the basis of the
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allocations is being placed in the Library. The available information about expenditure on single payments is as follows :Column 739
|c|Table 2|c| Single payments Social Security Office |11 April 1984 to 9 April|10 April 1985 to 8 April|9 April 1986 to 7 April |1985 |1986 |1987 -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Andersonstown<1> |736,226.60 |2,083,322.73 |2,026,087.04 Antrim |1,113,871.38 |1,377,790.29 |1,109,842.60 Armagh |529,527.20 |779,983.89 |869,392.31 Ballymena |449,758.71 |538,339.15 |650,163.58 Ballymoney |384,891.76 |566,299.81 |704,997.40 Ballynahinch |48,486.67 |101,011.30 |102,232.08 Banbridge |211,318.58 |319,642.20 |411,106.84 Bangor |259,130.32 |349,428.56 |392,299.28 Carrickfergus |424,221.14 |401,983.58 |457,043.84 Coleraine |743,091.50 |781,873.07 |953,407.46 Cookstown |793,773.32 |871,614.16 |827,789.36 Corporation Street |1,703,687.50 |2,616,027.96 |2,932,467.67 Downpatrick |231,632.74 |512,341.21 |474,675.40 Dungannon |1,240,385.98 |1,452,232.35 |1,234,932.09 Enniskillen |613,539.23 |718,960.34 |829,761.87 Falls Road |1,797,840.01 |2,119,113.19 |2,097,269.87 Holywood Road |839,125.84 |1,408,628.92 |1,360,904.07 Kilkeel |92,032.11 |112,376.32 |118,439.31 Knockbreda |357,149.04 |594,729.98 |579,023.77 Larne |291,008.87 |354,012.55 |483,425.68 Limavady |321,746.14 |531,214.46 |496,338.88 Lisburn |1,598,466.31 |1,724,662.57 |1,964,410.64 Londonderry |2,106,931.93 |2,847,444.30 |3,421,316.13 Lurgan |1,123,598.17 |1,643,531.75 |1,717,287.45 Magherafelt |569,388.79 |846,385.66 |1,760,944.38 Newcastle |157,751.84 |223,439.33 |280,498.79 Newry |1,317,709.57 |1,759,619.51 |1,722,121.04 Newtownabbey |994,825.05 |890,028.04 |938,195.76 Newtownards |317,451.06 |315,620.57 |316,442.37 Omagh |746,152.32 |1,086,299.53 |1,217,556.30 Portadown |389,125.75 |689,985.33 |714,763.75 Shaftesbury Square |689,953.00 |1,138,359.98 |1,517,422.73 Shankill |610,972.41 |710,471.61 |951,914.71 Strabane |1,639,291.94 |1,786,133.88 |1,366,861.44 Totals |25,444,062.78 |34,252,828.08 |37,001,335.89 <1>Andersonstown Social Security Office opened on 26 September 1984.
Column 741
Mr. William Ross : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many students attending Queens university, Belfast, are involved in courses of study of less than 21 hours per week.
Dr. Mawhinney : The information is not available in the form requested.
Mr. Favell : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he last made an assessment of the running costs of a Scottish assembly.
Mr. Rifkind : The Government believe that the present constitutional arrangements provide for Scotland's interests to be fully respected and recognised and we therefore have no plans to introduce legislation to create a Scottish Assembly. Accordingly, I have made no assessment of the running costs of an Assembly. The 1978 scheme of devolution, however, was estimated to cost £13 million at November 1977 prices. Any new scheme would clearly cost very considerably more than that.
Mr. Dunnachie : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland from which sources he derives information about the number and proportion of disabled people of working age who are unemployed ; and what is the latest information provided by those sources in Scotland.
Mr. Lang : The only count made of unemployed people with disabilities is of those who choose to register for work at jobcentres and careers offices. The latest figures available for Scotland show that on 6 January 1989 there were 7,257 unemployed people with disabilities registered for work at jobcentres and careers offices. There is no count made of the total number of people of working age with disabilities.
Mr. Dewar : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he will issue the Scottish results of the 1988 survey of the quality of the United Kingdom bathing waters.
Mr. Rifkind : I expect to announce the results early in April.
Mrs. Margaret Ewing : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will consider reforms to confer upon the Crown a right of appeal against sentence ; and if he will make a statement.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : My right hon. and learned Friend has no plans to introduce reforms of this nature.
Mrs. Margaret Ewing : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will review the law of sentencing with regard to the sentencing of sexual offenders in the light of the admonition of the accused in the case PF v. Gordon, Glasgow Sheriff Court, 30 August 1988 ; and if he will make a statement.
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Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : My right hon. and learned Friend has no plans to conduct a review of the law of sentencing.
Mr. McLeish : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many dwellings in Scotland were affected by damp in 1978, 1979, 1987 and 1988, respectively ; and how many people lived in them.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : This information is not held centrally.
Mr. McLeish : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) how many dwellings lacking one or more basic sanitary amenity there were in Scotland in 1978, 1979, 1987 and 1988 ; and how many people occupied them ;
(2) how many people in Scotland lived in dwellings unfit for human occupancy in 1978, 1979, 1987 and 1988.
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