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Mr. McLeish : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will give the national budget for employment training in 1990-91 for (a) each of (i) mainstream and (ii) non-mainstream clients and (b) each region.
Mr. Nicholls : In 1990-91 the budget, excluding trainee allowances, for new mainstream clients and existing trainees is £468 million and for new non-mainstream clients the budget is £52 million. Regional budgets are for internal management information purposes only.
Mr. McLeish : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will give for employment training based on output-related funding from training and enterprise councils the target percentage of positive outcomes for Great Britain and each standard region for (a) mainstream clients and (b) non-mainstream clients.
Mr. Eggar : There are no separate targets for achievement of positive outcomes by mainstream and non-mainstream clients on employment training.
Agricultural Inspectorate
Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is the maximum recommended period between visits to (a) large and (b) small farm premises by the agricultural inspectorate of the Health and Safety Executive ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Nicholls : There is no maximum recommended period between visits to farm premises whatever their size.
The Health and Safety Executive's agricultural inspectorate's programme of preventive visits to work premises, including farm premises, is planned on the basis of an inspection rating system which ensures that inspector resources are directed to those premises where the need is greatest.
Loan Guarantee Scheme
Mr. Grylls : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many small firms have received loans under the loan guarantee scheme since its inception ; what is the total value so far of these loans ; and if he will state the average value of the loans and the estimated cost per job created.
Mr. Eggar : Between 1981 and 31 March 1990 the loan guarantee scheme has guaranteed 24,797 loans to more than 21,000 small firms. The total value of this lending has been £812 million, and the average amount of each loan was £32,700. The net exchequer cost of the scheme per person leaving the unemployment count is estimated to be of the order of £450.
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Skill Needs
Mr. McLeish : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will give the total expenditure in 1990-91 on (a) identifying the scale of national skill needs and (b) identifying at national level measures to provide such skills in the tourism and leisure sectors.
Mr. Eggar [holding answer 1 May 1990] : Information about the total cost of identifying the scale of national skill needs in 1990-91 is not available. The work done by the Training Agency's skills unit will cost £680,000, including £240,000 for research. Work is also done by other bodies including industry training organisations. The identification of skill needs in the tourism and leisure sectors and the identification of appropriate measures to provide such skills is the responsibility of the industrial training organisations in that sector.
AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD
Badgers
Mr. Ron Davies : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what statistics he has on the distribution of badgers in the United Kingdom.
Mr. Maclean : The most recent study of badger numbers was published in 1988 in the Mammal Review, Volume 18, No. 1, pages 1-9, a copy of which I am arranging to place in the Library of the House.
Mr. Ron Davies : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if it is his intention to replace his present badger control strategy with a policy of vaccination and live testing.
Mr. Maclean : The availability of these measures in a form that could be used effectively in field conditions would enable the present control strategy to be comprehensively reconsidered.
Mr. Ron Davies : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is his policy with regard to the destruction of badgers in those areas without a badger panel.
Mr. Maclean : Badger removal operations may be authorised by my Department's veterinary staff in those parishes where there is a recent history of confirmed tuberculosis breakdowns attributable to badgers.
Mr. Ron Davies : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what economic assessment his Department has made of the badger eradication programme.
Mr. Maclean : An assessment of the costs and benefits of the badger control policy in operation from 1975-6 to 1983-4 was published in 1987 as Government Economic Service Working Paper No. 96. A copy is in the Library of the House.
Myxomatosis
Mr. Ron Davies : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what information he records on the incidence of myxomatosis in wild and domesticated rabbits.
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Mr. Maclean : No data are available on myxomatosis in wild rabbits although we are aware that the disease is still prevalent. Among domestic rabbits, the veterinary investigation service recorded six outbreaks of the disease in 1989.Salmonella
Mr. Ron Davies : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many warnings he has issued to poultry keepers on each of the salmonella control regulations ; and how many prosecutions he has initiatied.
Mr. Maclean : Correspondence with poultry-keepers is dealt with largely from local Ministry offices throughout the country and it is not possible to say how many warnings have been issued. We can say however that replies to a number of letters have warned poultry-keepers of the consequences of non- compliance with the statutory salmonella controls. We will pass details of apparent contraventions to local authorities who are responsible for enforcement. We are not aware of any prosecutions having been undertaken to date.
Mr. Ron Davies : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what advice he has issued to local authority trading standards officers concerning the implementation of salmonella testing for poultry ; and whether he has issued guidelines on the need for poultry keepers to maintain proper records.
Mr. Maclean : Our officials have discussed the implementation and enforcement of the testing and registration arrangements with representatives of the local authority associations, and have issued guidance on the orders to each authority. Information leaflets, which include guidance on record keeping, were circulated to 61 organisations including those representing poultry farmers when the present controls were introduced last October.
Markets and Abattoirs
Mr. Ron Davies : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he has any proposals to improve the level of inspection at markets and at non-European Economic Community approved abattoirs.
Mr. Maclean : The Farm Animal Welfare Council has made a number of recommendations relating to the enforcement of welfare legislation at markets and slaughterhouses. The Government are seeking views on these recommendations and will publish their response in due course. As regards meat inspection, rigorous post-mortem inspection requirements must be observed in both non-exporting and EC approved abattoirs. Ante-mortem inspection is to be introduced in non-exporting plants from 1 January 1991. Further measures to align arrangements in all plants will be developed having regard to decisions in Brussels on arrangements to be adopted for the completion of the single market.
Cynox 425
Dr. David Clark : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) whether he has set any safety levels for the presence of Cynox 425 in pigmeat ;
(2) what tests he has carried out on pigmeat to assess the levels of Cynox 425 ; and if he will publish the results of those tests ;
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(3) what action he has taken to ensure that pigmeat contaminated with Cynox 425 did not reach the consumer ; and if he will make a statement ;(4) what assessment he has made of the risks of the consumption of pigmeat contaminated with Cynox 425 ;
(5) when he first learned of the contamination of pig feed by Cynox 425 in Yorkshire and Hampshire ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Gummer : Cyanox 425 was first detected in suspect imported grain screenings by the central veterinary laboratory on 20 April as part of an in-depth investigation covering many possible categories of contaminants to determine whether any of them could be the cause of symptoms detected in adult sows and a few adult boars earlier in the year. No fattening stock was affected. In cases where sows had to be culled for welfare reasons the meat did not go into the human food chain. Pigmeat and fat from affected sows was analysed using gas liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry plus thin layer chromatography. These investigations indicated that Cyanox 425, although present in the feedingstuff, was not detectable in pig meat or fat. The European Commission's scientific committee for food has set a tolerable daily intake for this chemical at 0.025 mg/kg body weight ; there is therefore no need for a separate United Kingdom level.
Investigations are continuing and we will consider publishing them when completed. I compliment my specialist staff on the remarkably successful detective work so far achieved.
Environmentally Sensitive Areas
Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the total area in hectares designated under the ESA scheme in the south downs ; what estimate was made upon the introduction of the scheme in the south downs of take-up ; and what is the present take-up in (a) tier 1 and (b) tier 2 ; and if he has any plans to increase the levels of payment under the scheme in the south downs.
Mr. Maclean : The total area of the south downs ESA is 59,900 hectares. The initial estimates of potentially eligible land have been modified as more precise data have been obtained in monitoring the scheme. The targets for uptake are 75 per cent. of the 7,500 hectares of unimproved or semi-improved grassland (tier 1) and 10 per cent. of the 30,000 hectares of arable land (tier 2). The number of applications and agreements to date is 5,068 hectares under tier 1 and 3,034 hectares under tier 2. I have no plans at present to increase the payment levels under scheme.
Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what would be the cost of increasing the payment under tier 2 of the ESA scheme in the south downs from £160 to £225 per hectare (a) assuming no increase in uptake, (b) assuming an increase in uptake of 10 per cent. (c) assuming an increase in uptake of 20 per cent. and (d) assuming an increase in uptake of 30 per cent.
Mr. Maclean : The table shows the cost of tier 2 agreements and applications to date in the south downs ESA together with the effects of an increase in payments from £160 per hectare to £225 with the assumed variations in the level of uptake.
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Uptake to date Tier 2 |Annual |Annual |Increase
(Hectares) |payment |cost |£
|£/Hectare |£
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3,034 |160 |485,440 |-
3,034 |225 |682,650 |+197.210
3,337 (+10 per cent.) |225 |750,825 |+265.385
3,641 (+20 per cent.) |225 |819,225 |+333.785
3,944 (+30 per cent.) |225 |887,400 |+401,960
Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what assessment he has made of the operation of the ESA scheme in the south downs ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Maclean : The environmental and economic impact of the south downs ESA scheme is being closely monitored. I will be evaluating the detailed reports early next year.
Arabidopsis
Mr. Ieuan Wyn Jones : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what studies have been undertaken by or on behalf of his Department into the use of arabidopsis in biotechnological research and development.
Mr. Maclean : None. A major research programme on plant molecular biology, including a focused programme on arabidopsis in biotechnological research and development is being undertaken by the Agricultural and Food Research Council with funds from the Department of Education and Science.
North Yorkshire National Park
Dr. David Clark : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how much financial support he has given to the North Yorkshire national park for its recently announced conservation farm management scheme.
Mr. Gummer : This scheme is financed through the usual funding arrangements for national parks in which my Department has no involvement. However, farmers participating in the scheme will also be able to benefit from the farm and conservation grant scheme funded by my Department.
Animal Imports Monitoring
Dr. David Clark : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what are the number of (a) staff and (b) man years his Department's staff spent on monitoring the import of animals and animal products since 1979 ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Gummer [holding answer 27 April 1990] : The data set out in my Department's management information system (MINIM), indicate that the resources devoted to import controls of animals and animal products were as follows :
Financial |Man years year ------------------------------ 1983-84 |69 1984-85 |72 1985-86 |67 1986-87 |70 1987-88 |71 1988-89 |84 1989-90 |<1>84 <1>Provisional.
Data are not available before 1983-84. It is not possible to distinguish between number of staff and man hours.
In addition, and according to circumstances, other Ministry staff may be engaged in monitoring duties. Relevant information is not held centrally and could not be obtained without disproportionate cost.
North York Moors Farms
Mr. Ron Davies : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on the operation and funding of the North York moors farm scheme.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : I have been asked to reply. The North York moors farm scheme is managed by the North York moors national park authority and funded by £50,000 from its budget. Shell UK has made a contribution of £10,000. My Department provides 75 per cent. of this approved expenditure through NPSG which is paid to the national parks, the balance being met from local authority resources.
Storm Damage (Financial Assistance)
Sir Patrick McNair-Wilson : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether owners of woodlands damaged in this year's storms will receive financial assistance towards their restoration.
Mr. Gummer : Immediately after the initial storm on 25 January 1990, the Forestry Commission set up a forest windblow action committee based on the model of the successful committee it established following the storm in October 1987. The action committee was given the task of assessing the full scale of the damage to woodlands in those areas badly affected by the 25 January storm and those which followed, in southern England, Wales and the midlands, and making recommendations to the commission. Although storms occurred at this time in other parts of Britain, the damage to woodlands in these areas was not of the same exceptional nature.
In its recently published report, copies of which have been placed in the Library of the House, the action committee has estimated that the volume of timber blown down in woodlands in the areas concerned was of the order of 1.3 million cubic metres. This compares with nearly 4 million cubic metres blown down in the October 1987 storm. Most of the damage (some 82 per cent. by volume) was sustained in conifer woodlands, 55 per cent. of which were in private ownership. The damage to broadleaved woodlands, over 90 per cent. of which were privately owned, mainly affected mature and over-mature trees, particularly beech. The action committee recommended that special assistance towards replanting should be made available to the owners of the storm-damaged woodlands in the form of supplements to the Forestry Commission's normal planting grants.
In considering the action committee's recommendations, I have had regard to the effect that the additional volumes of timber arising from the recent storms are likely
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to have on the market price of wood in the areas concerned. Following the storm in 1987, timber prices were severely depressed as a result of the glut of wood on the market. It is clear that the salvaging and sale of the broadleaved timber arising from this year's storms will, in the majority of cases, again fail to provide a sufficient return to cover the necessary replanting, bearing in mind the extraordinary expenses that owners will face both in the difficult task of preparing the sites for planting and in the planting itself. Against this background, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales and I have decided to provide a special supplement of £400 per hectare for broadleaved replanting in those woodland areas damaged by the storms, to be paid on top of the Forestry Commission's normal planting grants, on the same basis as the effective arrangement we introduced after the 1987 storm. By contrast, the softwood market is not much affected on this occasion and the conifer woods can be expected to pay their own way with the help of the standard planting grants.The supplement for broadleaved planting, which is at the same level as that paid after the 1987 storm, will be available over the next four years for all eligible replanting carried out by applicants under the woodland grant scheme and by those who still qualify under the Forestry Commission's dedication schemes. Applications will be considered for those woodlands in the commission's East England, West England and Wales conservancies which were damaged in the succession of severe storms which occurred over the period from 25 January 1990 to the end of February 1990. The European Commission is being informed under the provisions of article 93 of the treaty of Rome. Full details of the administrative arrangements for the new supplement will be set out in a Forestry Commission leaflet to be published shortly, copies of which will be placed in the Library. Any owners who have already taken steps to secure the replanting of their storm-damaged woods with broadleaves under the commission's grant schemes will not be placed at a disadvantage as we have agreed that the supplement may be applied to them retrospectively.
It is estimated that the total cost of the supplement will be £320, 000 spread over the four-year period. This will be in addition to the estimated cost of the normal grants for replanting the damaged woodlands (including the conifer woodlands) of £1.68 million, also spread over four years. There will be no addition to the overall provision for public expenditure programmes set out in Cm. 1003. The storms have left a trail of devastation, and we hope that the supplement now on offer, taken with the Forestry Commission's normal planting grants, will serve to encourage the restoration of well-loved woodland landscapes.
DEFENCE
Electromagnetic Interference
Mr. Nicholas Bennett : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what information he has as to accidents caused to aircraft and other military equipment as a result of electromagnetic interference.
Mr. Neubert : All accidents involving United Kingdom military aircraft and other United Kingdom military
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equipments are fully investigated. None of the investigations so far has shown that electromagnetic interference was a contributory cause. I understand that other nations have lost aircraft in circumstances where the effect of electromagnetic interference was suspected. However, in the United Kingdom, there are strict rules which govern the minimum distances which must be observed when aircraft and other equipments approach emitters of high frequency radio transmissions.Foreign Tank Manufacturers
Mr. Rogers : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what talks his Department has had regarding (a) offset arrangements or investments or (b) other topics with foreign tank manufacturers in the past year ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Alan Clark : The Defence Export Services Organisation has negotiated an industrial participation (offset banking) memorandum of understanding with General Dynamics, the purpose of which is to encourage the US company to offer the British defence industry opportunities to bid for a share of the work on all General Dynamics' major defence programmes.
We have also had discussions on industrial participation with foreign tank manufacturers bidding for the Army Chieftain replacement programme. A formal agreement with Krauss Maffei is already in place.
Atomic Weapons Establishment (Unions)
Mr. Teddy Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he plans to impose restrictions on trade union membership to the atomic weapons establishment.
Equipment (Environmental Impact)
Mr. Ieuan Wyn Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what literature has been published by his Department on the environmental impact of equipment produced to his Department's specifications.
Mr. Neubert : The environmental impact of Ministry of Defence equipment is considered in a variety of departmental publications.
Mr. Ieuan Wyn Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he takes to (a) evaluate the environmental friendliness of the production processes required to make equipment ordered by his Department and (b) set environmental pollution control conditions on the suppliers of equipment to his Department.
Mr. Neubert : The responsibility for ensuring that the production processes employed in making equipment for the Ministry of Defence meet the appropriate legislative and regulatory standards on environmental pollution control lies with the companies from which the equipment is procured.
Cappagh (Incident)
Ms. Short : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will provide full details of any injuries sustained by civilians or members of the security forces as a result of the exchange of fire on the evening of 24 March in Cappagh, County Tyrone ; and whether he will make a statement.
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Mr. Archie Hamilton : On 24 March at Cappagh, County Tyrone, terrorists, without warning, opened fire on a member of the security forces in civilian clothes travelling in a civilian car. The Royal Ulster Constabulary is investigating the incident, including the possibility of any terrorist injuries. However, I can confirm that no member of the security forces or members of the public sustained injuries as a result of this attack.Turkey
Mr. Amos : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will meet the Turkish Defence Minister to discuss Turkey's defence capability in the light of the reduction in Bulgaria's defence forces ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : My right hon. Friend will meet his Turkish colleague at NATO meetings later this month. A range of current defence issues will be discussed, including progress on conventional arms negotiations which would lead to reductions in NATO and Warsaw pact force levels in certain categories.
Longmoor Training Area (Hunts)
Mr. Meale : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will revoke the licences that allow the Goschen foxhounds, Chiddingfold, Leconfield and Cowdray foxhounds, and the Hampshire hunt to hunt on the site of special scientific interest Ministry of Defence training area at Longmoor.
Mr. Neubert : It is the Department's policy to permit access to Ministry of Defence land for recreational purposes, including hunting, wherever operational and safety considerations permit, where it is consistent with the interests of tenants and licensees and where it does not unreasonably affect local amenities and the environment. In the case of Longmoor, those criteria, including taking into consideration the site of special scientific interest, have been met.
The site of special scientific interest was designated by the Nature Conservancy Council, whose staff closely monitor the area to ensure that users of the land do not damage the site. As this recreational pursuit is not causing any damage to the site of special scientific interest, we do not propose to revoke the licences that allow the Goschen foxhounds, Chiddingfold, Leconfield and Cowdray foxhounds, and the Hampshire hunt to hunt over this area.
Shackleton Fleet
Mr. Macdonald : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he last reviewed the age and airworthiness of the RAF Shackleton fleet ; whether he has any plans for a further review ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : The airworthiness of the Shackleton is kept under regular review. Age is not in itself a material factor.
Military Aircraft (Statistics)
Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) how many (a) crashes and (b) near misses have occurred for each year since 1960 in which military aircraft carrying radioactive material have been involved ; and if he will make a statement ;
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(2) how many aeroplane flights occurred in 1989 in United Kingdom air space in which radioactive material for military purposes was carried ; and if he will make a statement.Mr. Archie Hamilton : It is not our practice to give information of the kind requested on the transport of defence nuclear materials. I can confirm, however, that there has never been an accident involving transportation of defence materials in the United Kingdom which has led to the release or a serious risk of release of radiation or radioactive contamination.
Narvik (Commemoration)
Mr. Kaufman : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence why his Department refuses to provide support for veterans of the Narvik operation wishing to travel to Narvik for the 50th anniversary commemoration on 26 to 28 May.
Mr. Neubert : There is no provision in the defence budget to provide financial assistance to enable ex-service personnel to attend commemoration ceremonies and we are unable to offer any other assistance to veterans wishing to attend the Narvik 50th anniversary commemorations.
Radiation
Mr. Gordon Brown : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will authorise a case control study in Fife to examine the possible link between nuclear radiation and the incidence of leukaemia or cancer.
Mr. Neubert [holding answer 26 April 1990] : The Government base their policy on these matters on the independent advice of the Committee on Medical Aspects of Radiation in the Environment (COMARE). In its advice to Government on the Gardner report on 2 April 1990, COMARE said it did not wish to see multiple independent studies, which would cause undue inconvenience to the small number of individuals and families concerned. COMARE also recommended some form of co-ordination of research to ensure the best possible use of resources. Responsibility for that co- ordination, and for instituting any study of the sort proposed, is a matter for my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Health, whose Department has set up a co-ordinating group on which the Ministry of Defence is represented.
Mr. Gordon Brown : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the average individual radiation dose, whole body equivalent, for all Rosyth dockyard workers involved or who have been involved in the nuclear programme.
Mr. Neubert [holding answer 26 April 1990] : The average individual lifetime radiation dose for those workers currently registered as employed at Rosyth dockyard in the defence radiological protection service's record keeping system is 79.61 mSv. Data for employees who have previously ceased radiation work are not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Mr. Gordon Brown : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he is reviewing the maximum permitted radiation dosages in milliSieverts for any one year.
Mr. Neubert [holding answer 26 April 1990] : My Department takes radiation exposure matters very
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seriously indeed and continues to operate a limit of 30 mSv, which is substantially below the statutory limit of 50 mSv. Radiation exposures are authorised only on the basis that they are justified, comply with Ministry of Defence and statutory limits, and are as low as reasonably practicable. The Ministry's policy over many years has been based on the recommendations of the International Commission on Radiological Protection.Mr. Gordon Brown : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the total occupational whole body equivalent radiation exposure of Rosyth dockyard workers in milliSieverts, for each year since the onset of the nuclear programme.
Mr. Neubert [holding answer 26 April 1990] : The cumulative radiation doses of all workers in Rosyth dockyard, for each of the years 1979 to 1989 inclusive, are shown in the following table. These figures include the cumulative radiation doses of employees monitored for exposure to ionising radiations by the local issue of direct reading dosimeters while employed under a written system of work. Figures for earlier years are not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
|c|Cumulative radiation
dose-Rosyth dockyard|c|
Year |Cumulative
|dose (mSv)
---------------------------------
1989 |4,202
1988 |2,738
1987 |2,294
1986 |2,670
1985 |4,197
1984 |6,478
1983 |7,811
1982 |5,288
1981 |5,818
1980 |6,793
1979 |8,144
SOCIAL SECURITY
Asbestosis
Mr. Spearing : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will state the number of claims for asbestosis-related diseases made to each of the eight special medical boards during 1988 together with the respective numbers in which disease was diagnosed.
Mr. Scott : The available information is in the table.
|c|Initial references and diagnoses of asbestosis-related diseases 1988|c|
Medical boarding centre |Initial |Positive
|references |diagnoses
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cardiff |174 |77
Glasgow |270 |131
London |400 |238
Manchester |261 |110
Newcastle |278 |126
Sheffield |169 |110
Stoke |69 |44
Swansea |33 |16
All centres |1,654 |852
Notes: Prescribed diseases included are PD D1, D3, D8 and D9. Figures included for PD D1 relate
only to references when the claimant had worked in the asbestos industry.
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War Pensions
Mr. Tony Lloyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will make a statement in respect of the application by Mr. HS, reference M8/221641, for war disablement pension, on the length of time it took the report from the war pensions committee of 28 October 1987 to be received by the social security central office, war pensions branch, in May 1989, and on the length of time it took to compile a report from the general surgeon concerning this case.
Mrs. Gillian Shephard : The war pensions committee which met on 28 October 1987 recommended that an independent medical examination should be carried out on Mr. HS and that his case should then be reviewed by the Department. The examination was arranged by the solicitors acting for Mr. HS and took place on 29 June 1988. A report of the examination was received by the Department in May 1989. As the report was inconclusive the Department's doctors decided in July 1989 that Mr. HS should be examined by a general surgeon. An examination was carried out in August 1989 but the surgeon's report was not received by the Department until February 1990. Unfortunately this, too, was inconclusive. The Department's doctors therefore requested a further consultant examination which took place on 4 April. As soon as this report is received it will be referred to the Department's doctors, and Mr. HS will be notified of the outcome as soon as possible afterwards. Of course, if Mr. HS's claim is successful payment will be backdated.
Cohabitation Rule
Mr. Tony Lloyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what advice he gives to local offices about determining whether a couple are living together for the purpose of assessing benefit entitlement.
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