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Mrs. Gillian Shephard : Monitoring and evaluation of performance at Glasgow indicates that claims for income support are being processed faster and more accurately than before relocation of the work from London.
There are currently no plans to extend benefit-processing work away from south-east England beyond the 21 London offices already identified for relocation.
Disabled People (Employment)
60. Mr. David Shaw : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will make a further statement on the measures he is introducing to make it easier for disabled people to take up employment.
Mr. Scott : I refer my hon. Friend to my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Battersea (Mr. Bowis) on 26 February at column 59.
Local Government Finance
Mr. Madden : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what advice he has given to those issuing information about entitlement to community charge rebates to those in receipt of income support and housing benefit ; what reports he has received about couples not receiving the rebate in cases where one partner applied for housing benefit ; what action he is taking to ensure both partners receive rebates ; and if he will make a statement.
Mrs. Gillian Shephard : Local authorities have statutory responsibility for the administration of community charge benefit and housing benefit. Advice on providing information about entitlement to community charge benefit is issued to local authorities in circulars and in the housing benefit guidance manual. Transitional arrangements were made for local authorities to treat existing claims for housing benefit as claims for community charge benefit and DSS local offices conducted a take on exercise for income support claimants not in receipt of housing benefit. Where a couple claims community charge benefit, one partner is required to make the claim on behalf of both and community charge benefit is awarded accordingly to both partners.
Column 495
Information Technology
Mr. Sims : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will place in the Library a copy of the framework document of the Information Technology Services Agency.
Mr. Newton : I have placed copies of the framework document and business plan for the Information Technology Services Agency, launched today, in the Libraries of both Houses. I am confident that new arrangements outlined in these documents will introduce greater efficiency into my Department's computer and telecommunications operations and through this an improved service to the public. I will remain accountable to Parliament and the public for all aspects of my Department's work, but within the framework of ministerial policy there will be maximum delegation of responsibility for operational matters to the chief executive of the agency.
War Pensions
Mr. Vaz : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many nuclear test veterans are currently awaiting determinations by his Department.
Mrs. Gillian Shephard : I regret that the information is not available, as such claims are not separately recorded.
Mr. Vaz : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will make a statement on the reasons for the delays being experienced by Mr. John Hall of 35 Shetland avenue, Leicester, in obtaining a war pension.
Mrs. Gillian Shephard : A claim was received from Mr. Hall on 8 October 1989. It is necessary to obtain full details of service and medical history before a claim for a war pension can be considered. Unfortunately this often takes some time. The Department's doctors are to examine Mr. Hall's papers this week and he will be contacted about his claim soon afterwards.
Mr. Vaz : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the average length of time it takes to process a war pension application for a nuclear test veteran.
Mrs. Gillian Shephard : I regret that the information is not available.
Benefits, Bradford
Mr. Madden : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many families are in receipt of (a) family credit, (b) housing benefit and (c) income support in the Bradford area.
Mrs. Gillian Shephard : The available information is listed in the table. The figures for income support show the number of claimants on 30 November 1989. Data are derived from a 100 per cent. count of cases in action which include a number where benefit payment has ceased but other action is continuing. The figures for housing benefit show the total number in receipt of housing benefit on 30 November 1989. The family credit figures are based on those living in the areas covered by the local social security offices at the time their award was made on 23 February 1990. All of these figures exclude those who had made a claim where the award was yet to be made.
Column 496
No figures are available for dependants or children and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.Income |Housing |Family credit support |benefit<1> -------------------------------------------------------- 44,566 |48,763 |4,780 <1>Source is housing benefit management information system-returns from local authority.
Cost Savings
Mr. Colvin : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if his Department achieved the target of a 5 per cent. saving in purchasing costs in 1988-89 through use of the central unit on purchasing.
Mrs. Gillian Shephard : The DHSS secured value for money improvements in purchasing of almost £30 million in 1988-89. This represented 4 per cent. of purchasing spend.
Occupational Pension Rights
Mr. Channon : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what steps are being taken to deal with the question of occupational pension rights on divorce.
ting- Mr. Andrew Bowden : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security whether he has any plans to bring forward legislation on occupational pension rights on divorce.
Mr. Scott : It is for employers to determine normally following consultation with their employees, what benefits are provided by an occupational pension scheme and to whom they are payable. Except where scheme benefits are payable as a condition for the scheme to be used for contracting out of the state earnings-related benefit scheme there is no requirement on schemes to provide any specific benefit whether on divorce or otherwise.
Mr. Andrew Bowden : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how occupational pension rights are transferred on divorce.
Mr. Scott : Transfers of pension rights may take place when a member leaves a pension scheme and wishes to put his or her pension rights into a new scheme. Any member of an occupational pension scheme who has completed two years' pensionable service in the scheme and whose service terminated at least one year before the scheme's normal pension age, has the statutory right to ask the scheme trustees or manager to transfer the cash equivalent of his pension rights, to acquire rights in another occupational scheme or a personal pension scheme, or to purchase one or more annuities from one or more insurance companies. This right exists on divorce or at any other time.
The question of assigning pension rights between former spouses after a divorce is a matter for the individuals concerned, subject to restrictions in social security and income tax legislation.
Mr. Andrew Bowden : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what representations he has received on the issue of occupational pension rights on divorce.
Mr. Scott : We have from time to time received letters from members of the public on the issue.
Column 497
Complaints
Mr. Gareth Wardell : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will publish in the Official Report for each of the last 10 years (a) the number of complaints made against his Department to the Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration, (b) the number of complaints upheld and (c) the action he took on (b).
Mrs. Gillian Shephard : The information required is provided in the table.
|c|Complaints against Department of (Health
and) Social Security|c|
|(a) |(b)
|Complaints|Complaints
|made |upheld
--------------------------------------------
1989 |<2>- |<2>-
1988 |220 |33
1987 |200 |40
1986 |242 |48
1985 |231 |42
1984 |237 |36
1983 |223 |29
1982 |243 |26
1981 |260 |53
1980 |278 |50
<1> Source: Parliamentary Commissioner for
Administration Annual Reports 1980-88.
<2> Figures not yet available.
(c) When the PCA upholds a complaint it is
departmental practice to provide an
appropriate remedy.
Community Care Grants
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many community care grants have been refused on the grounds that a person moving from institutional to residential care did not fall within the terms of his direction 4 to social fund officers.
Mr. Scott : The information requested is not collected. However, community care grants are intended for people moving into the community from institutional or residential care, not for those moving from one form of care to another.
Appeals
Mr. Win Griffiths : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many appeals have been made to (a) medical appeals tribunals and (b) social security tribunals in each standard planning region in each of the last 10 years ; how long on average it has taken to deal with these appeals each year ; and what has been the shortest and longest time any appellant has had to wait for a decision in each year.
Mrs. Gillian Shephard : I regret the Department does not hold the information requested for medical appeals tribunals. However, the office of the president of social security and medical appeal tribunals keeps certain statistics and the hon. Member may care to contact him direct.
Information is also not available in the form requested for social security tribunals prior to 1984. The tables give the required information from 1984 to the quarter ending 30 September 1989 (the latest figures available). Statistics are not kept on the shortest and longest time any appellant has had to wait for a decision.
Column 498
|c|Social Security appeal tribunal: Statistics all benefits|c|
Period |New |Average
|lodgements |weekly
|clearance
|time of
|appeals heard
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Great Britain
9 months to 31 December 1984 |190,290 |13.5
Year to 31 December 1985 |290,488 |14.8
Year to 31 December 1986 |352,535 |16.0
Year to 31 December 1987 |323,160 |21.7
Year to 31 December 1988 |261,798 |24.7
3 months to 31 March 1989 |43,573 |27.8
3 months to 30 June 1989 |41,221 |25.0
3 months to 30 September 1989 |38,483 |23.7
Scotland
9 months to 31 December 1984 |27,203 |11.7
Year to 31 December 1985 |45,532 |12.3
Year to 31 December 1986 |63,056 |14.0
Year to 31 December 1987 |60,960 |23.3
Year to 31 December 1988 |52,664 |24.9
3 months to 31 March 1989 |6,631 |32.7
3 months to 30 June 1989 |5,444 |28.9
3 months to 30 September 1989 |4,442 |23.8
Wales
9 months to 31 December 1984 |9,808 |13.2
Year to 31 December 1985 |14,998 |15.6
Year to 31 December 1986 |20,287 |15.5
Year to 31 December 1987 |18,567 |18.6
Year to 31 December 1988 |16,198 |19.7
3 months to 31 March 1989 |2,875 |19.7
3 months to 30 June 1989 |2,872 |16.8
3 months to 30 September 1989 |2,553 |19.5
North East
9 months to 31 December 1984 |29,209 |10.4
Year to 31 December 1985 |45,553 |12.6
Year to 31 December 1986 |55,589 |14.7
Year to 31 December 1987 |58,349 |21.4
Year to 31 December 1988 |48,364 |26.1
3 months to 31 March 1989 |7,166 |26.2
3 months to 30 June 1989 |6,420 |21.1
3 months to 30 September 1989 |5,991 |19.9
London North
9 months to 31 December 1984 |26,250 |14.5
Year to 31 December 1985 |39,861 |16.0
Year to 31 December 1986 |44,059 |17.8
Year to 31 December 1987 |34,659 |20.6
Year to 31 December 1988 |26,550 |21.3
3 months to 31 March 1989 |5,542 |26.0
3 months to 30 June 1989 |5,221 |22.7
3 months to 30 September 1989 |4,750 |23.1
London South
9 months to 31 December 1984 |22,540 |14.4
Year to 31 December 1985 |34,893 |17.2
Year to 31 December 1986 |39,636 |20.0
Year to 31 December 1987 |30,663 |21.8
Year to 31 December 1988 |23,310 |23.4
3 months to 31 March 1989 |4,614 |26.7
3 months to 30 June 1989 |5,358 |27.4
3 months to 30 September 1989 |6,736 |28.6
South Western
9 months to 31 December 1984 |12,514 |12.7
Year to 31 December 1985 |19,710 |14.7
Year to 31 December 1986 |23,464 |15.7
Year to 31 December 1987 |18,334 |18.1
Year to 31 December 1988 |13,891 |19.2
3 months to 31 March 1989 |2,801 |20.2
3 months to 30 June 1989 |2,415 |18.6
3 months to 30 September |2,305 |19.5
Midlands
9 months to 31 December 1984 |32,367 |15.5
Year to 31 December 1985 |43,666 |16.3
Year to 31 December 1986 |55,142 |16.2
Year to 31 December 1987 |48,961 |23.6
Year to 31 December 1988 |38,004 |26.3
3 months to 31 March 1989 |6,662 |26.9
3 months to 30 June 1989 |6,546 |23.3
3 months to 30 September 1989 |5,555 |24.6
North West
9 months to 31 December 1984 |30,399 |15.3
Year to 31 December 1985 |46,275 |15.1
Year to 31 December 1986 |51,302 |15.0
Year to 31 December 1987 |52,667 |21.7
Year to 31 December 1988 |42,817 |26.9
3 months to 31 March 1989 |7,282 |30.8
3 months to 30 June 1989 |6,945 |30.3
3 months to 30 September 1989 |6,151 |26.7
Wales and South West
9 months to 31 December 1984 |22,322 |12.9
Year to 31 December 1985 |34,708 |15.1
Year to 31 December 1986 |43,751 |15.6
Year to 31 December 1987 |36,901 |18.3
Year to 31 December 1988 |30,089 |19.5
3 months to 31 March 1989 |5,676 |20.0
3 months to 30 June 1989 |5,287 |17.6
3 months to 30 September 1989 |4,858 |19.5
Note:
New lodgements-up to 31 December 1986 the figures reflect "all appeals"
which includes appeals outstanding from the previous quarter.
From 1 January 1987 the figures are for new lodgements only.
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