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Mrs. Gillian Shephard : The Secretary of State does not give advice on this matter. It is for the chief adjudication officer to issue such guidance, a copy of which is available in the Library.
Income Support
Ms. Short : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will publish a table showing the rise in real values of income support using the statutory uprating dates of September to September between 1988- 89 and 1990-91 for (i) a single person aged 18 to 24 years, (ii) a single person aged 25 years, (iii) a couple, (iv) a couple with two children under 11 years, (v) a single parent with one child under 11 years and (vi) a pensioner.
Mrs. Gillian Shephard : The information requested is in the table.
|April 1988 |April 1988 |Actual
|rates |rates at |rates April
|September |1990
|1989 pri-
|ces<1>
|(£) |(£) |(£)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Single aged 18 to 24 |26.05 |28.69 |28.80
Single aged 25 |33.40 |36.79 |36.70
Couple (one aged 18 or
over) |51.45 |56.67 |57.60
Couple with two children
under 11 |79.10 |87.12 |89.65
Single parent (aged 18 or
over) with one child
under 11 |54.00 |59.48 |60.50
Pensioner aged 60 to 74 |44.05 |48.52 |48.50
Pensioner aged 75 to 79 |44.05 |48.52 |51.10
Pensioner aged 80 or
over/60 or over and
disabled |46.45 |51.16 |53.75
<1> Based on the movement in the index of retail prices less housing
costs between September 1987 and September 1989.
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will publish a table showing the value of income support as a proportion of average net male earnings in 1990-91, using an estimate of average earnings for (i) a couple with two children aged under 11 years, (ii) a single person aged under 25 years, (iii) a single person over 25 years, (iv) a couple, (v) a single pensioner and (vi) a single mother with one child aged under 11 years.
Mrs. Gillian Shephard : I refer the hon. Member to my reply to the hon. Member for Peckham (Ms. Harman) on 1 February 1990 at column 347. Figures on which to provide estimates will not be available until July.
Erythropoletic Porphyria
Mr. Ashley : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many people in the United Kingdom are estimated to be suffering from the disease congenital erythropoletic porphyria.
Mr. Scott : This information is not available.
Residential Care Homes
Mr. Hinchliffe : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will consider the introduction of a graduated system of income support payments to persons in residential care, with higher levels of payment being made available to those in smaller homes, as a means of reducing the financial incentives which encourage the establishment of larger homes.
Mrs. Gillian Shephard : Under the new funding arrangements for community care, taking effect from April 1991, local social services authorities will have discretion to determine the fees they are prepared to meet. Accordingly we see no need to consider changing the income support rules in the way proposed.
Mr. Meacher : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if, pursuant to his answer of 23 April, Official Report, column 36, he will provide such information as is available to him on a sample basis about the shortfall in residential and nursing home fees above the income support limits.
Mrs. Gillian Shephard : I refer the hon. Member to my replies to him on 4 April at column 682 and to the hon. Member for Sheffield, Brightside (Mr. Blunkett) on 15 February at columns 376-78. Centrally held data on actual charges are not statistically reliable, but in the year ended August 1989 it is estimated that just over half all claimants in residential and nursing homes had fees at or below the appropriate limit.
Column 652
Social Security Spending
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will publish a table showing the real rise in social security spending between 1978-79 and 1989-90 broken down into the different factors that have contributed to the rise.
Mr. Scott : Total social security spending increased in real terms between 1978-79 and 1989-90 by nearly £14,000 million, or around 35 per cent. There have been many reasons for this growth. While it is not possible to evaluate the exact effect of every factor, the Government's increased provisions for the elderly and for disabled people, and improved benefit schemes such as family credit, have been significant. So, too, have economic changes such as the increase in unemployment in the first half of the decade, and the rise in rents, and demographic changes such as the growth in numbers of lone parents and the steady reduction in the number of widows. The table shows, in real terms, spending on benefits for the various client groups, in 1978-79 and 1989-90.
|c|Real terms benefit spending in 1978-79 and 1989-90 by client
group|c|
£ million at 1989-90 prices
Client group |1978-79 |1989-90
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Elderly people |20,460 |25,550
Sick and disabled people |5,850 |9,520
Family (including lone parents) |5,875 |9,200
Unemployed people |3,210 |4,740
Widows and orphans |1,615 |1,240
|------- |-------
Total |37,010 |50,250
Unemployment Benefit
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how much is unemployment benefit for a single person and a couple as a proportion of average net male earnings in 1989-90 ; and if he will estimate similar figures for 1990-91.
Mrs. Gillian Shephard : The information for April 1989 is available from table 6.1b of the Department's "Abstract of Statistics for Index of Retail Prices, Average Earnings, Social Security Benefits and Contributions." A copy of this publication is in the Library. The information for April 1990 cannot be estimated until the earnings figures for April 1990 are known.
Family Credit
Ms. Short : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how much family credit rose in real terms using the statutory uprating dates of September to September between 1988-89 and 1990-91 for (i) a single parent with one child under 11 years and (ii) a couple with two children under 11 years old.
Mrs. Gillian Shephard : The family credit rates for 1990-91 represent increases over those for 1988-89 which exceed the rise in the RPI (excluding housing costs) over the two-year period to September 1989 by the following overall amounts :
(1) for a couple or lone parent with one child under 11 : £2.70 or 6.4 per cent.
(2) for a couple or lone parent with two children under 11 : £4.30 or 8.9 per cent.
Column 653
Employment (21-hour Rule)
Mr. Fatchett : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, further to the reply of 30 April, what steps he will take to make available to the public instructions to be given to his officials about the application of the 21-hour rule.
Mrs. Gillian Shephard : Existing information given to officials concerning the application of the 21-hour rule is published by Her Majesty's Stationery Office in the "Adjudication Officer's Guide", volume 3, and in the "Income Support Manual", section 3, which are available in the Library. The clarification referred to in my reply of 30 April will be published by Her Majesty's Stationery Office in an income support circular.
Housing Benefit
Mr. Paice : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will give the housing benefit entitlement of a widow aged 75 years, living alone, whose sole income is £46 per week with savings of less than £3,000 paying rent of (a) £20 per week, (b) £25 per week, (c) £30 per week, (d) £35 per week and (e) £40 per week.
Mrs. Gillian Shephard : A 75-year-old widow, with this level of income and capital, would be entitled to maximum housing benefit because her personal allowance (applicable amount) of £51.10 is greater than her income. On the assumption that all the rent was eligible for housing benefit, and that the accommodation was not unreasonably expensive, this means that each of the rent levels quoted would be met in full. Such a claimant would also be well advised to apply for income support to bring her income up to the full amount of £51.10 provided for in the income support personal allowances.
Family Incomes
Mr. Frank Field : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will publish an analysis of the composition of the lowest quintile of income in 1979 on the same basis as in "Households Below Average Incomes" identifying the proportion of families that are (a) married pensioners, (b) single pensioners, (c) married with children, (d) married without children, (e) single with children and (f) single without children ; and whether he will publish separate data before and after housing costs.
Mrs. Gillian Shephard [holding answer 12 March 1990] : The information requested is in the table.
|c|Lowest quintile of equivalised household income in 1979|c|
Persons by family type (percentages) |Before |After
|housing |housing
|costs |costs
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Married pensioner |18 |18
Single pensioner |17 |16
Married couple with children |41 |42
Married couple without children |6 |6
Single person with children |10 |10
Single person without children |8 |8
All family types |100 |100
Column 654
HOME DEPARTMENT
Juvenile Offenders
6. Mr. Alexander : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment his Department has made of the success of community-based penalties in preventing juveniles from re-offending.
49. Mr. Gill : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of community- based penalties in preventing juveniles from re-offending.
Mr. Stevens : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of community-based penalties in preventing juveniles from re-offending.
Mr. Waddington : The available information suggests that young offenders who receive community penalties are less likely to be reconvicted than those who receive custodial sentences.
21. Mr. Burns : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps are being taken to make parents more responsible for crimes committed by their children.
37. Mr. Hague : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps are being taken to make parents more responsible for crimes committed by their children.
44. Dr. Goodson-Wickes : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps are being taken to make parents more responsible for crimes committed by their children.
Mr. John Patten : The White Paper "Crime, Justice and Protecting the Public" sets out proposals for strengthening the statutory provisions relating to parents' attendance at court with their children ; parents' payment of their children's fines ; and the binding over of parents of convicted juvenile offenders.
Mr. Speller : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he is taking to enable young offenders to complete day centre requirements of probation orders while undertaking youth employment training.
Mr. Waddington : We are concerned that young offenders' training needs and benefit entitlements should not be adversely affected by their attendance at day centre programmes as a condition of a probation order. To this end, we have agreed with the Training Agency that day centre attendance should be integrated with the youth training scheme. Arrangements for this were promulgated in January. This should ensure that 16 and 17-year-old offenders do not lose their eligibility for income support as a result of attending a day centre.
Unemployed adult offenders attending day centres on weekdays remain eligible for benefit provided that they are seeking work at the same time as part of the day centre programme or on the days when they do not attend the day centre.
Column 655
Prison Statistics
8. Mr. Fishburn : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the current prison population ; what it was one year ago ; and what projections he has made for the prison population over the next five years.
Mr. Wood : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the current prison population ; what it was one year ago ; and what projections he has made for the prison population over the next five years.
Mr. Waddington : I refer my hon. Friends to the answer given earlier today to a question from my hon. Friend the Member for Staffordshire, Moorlands (Mr. Knox).
20. Mr. Yeo : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent representations he has received regarding the size of the prison population.
Mr. Mellor : The Home Office has answered a number of inquiries about the current, and expected future levels of the prison population.
Her Majesty's Prison, Leicester
14. Mr. Janner : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received concerning conditions in Her Majesty's prison, Leicester.
Mr. Mellor : Within the last 12 months we have responded to five parliamenary questions on conditions in Her Majesty's prison, Leicester. The governor of Her Majesty's prison, Leicester has also responded to a number of representations made by interested parties.
Cocaine
15. Mr. John Greenway : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of seizures of cocaine, in the most recent years for which figures are available, was of cocaine entering the United Kingdom from member states of the European Community.
26. Mr. Irvine : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of seizures of cocaine, in the most recent years for which figures are available, was of cocaine entering the United Kingdom from member states of the European Community.
Mr. Mellor : Of the total amount of cocaine seized by Customs in 1989, some 64 per cent. by weight--equivalent to 267 kgs--was known to have been consigned from or routed through other member states of the European Community. These are provisional figures.
The corresponding final figures for 1988 and 1987 are 36 and 24 per cent. respectively.
Birmingham Pub Bombings
16. Mr. Allen : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he has now consulted the Lord Chief Justice on the Birmingham pub bombings case.
Mr. Waddington : I have not consulted the Lord Chief Justice on this case.
64. Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he has taken to prevent material in police archives relating to the Birmingham pub bombings case from being destroyed or tampered with.
Column 656
Mr. Waddington : I understand that the West Midlands police and the Devon and Cornwall constabulary have made arrangements to ensure that all material in their possession relating to the Birmingham pub bombings case is stored in secure conditions pending the outcome of further inquiries into the safety of the convictions of the Birmingham Six.
Rape
17. Mr. Janman : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the average sentence imposed for the crime of rape for the latest period for which figures are available and for 1979.
32. Mr. David Davis : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the average sentence imposed for the crime of rape for the latest period for which figures are available and for 1979.
Mr. John Patten : In England and Wales, the average sentence length for rape was 6.2 years in 1988, compared with four years in 1979.
Car Security
18. Mr. Andrew Mitchell : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what information he has on efforts made by motor manufacturers in the last year to improve the quality of car security.
Mr. John Patten : I refer my hon. Friend to the reply given earlier to a question from my hon. Friend the Member for Fulham (Mr. Carrington).
Violent Crime
19. Mr. Bell : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many crimes of violence against the person were reported to police forces in England and Wales in 1989 ; and by what percentage they changed over 1988.
Mr. John Patten : A total of 177,000 offences of violence against the person were recorded in England and Wales in 1989, an increase of 12 per cent. compared with 1988. In Cleveland, the increase was 2 per cent.-- 40 more offences. Some of the increase in recorded figures is the result of more crimes being reported to the police.
33. Mr. Hind : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of total crime is made up of violent and sexual crimes.
Mr. John Patten : Six per cent. Further information is given in Home Office statistical bulletin 10/90, a copy of which is available in the Library.
Neighbourhood Watch
22. Mr. Norris : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many neighbourhood watch schemes are now established in England and Wales.
47. Miss Emma Nicholson : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many neighbourhood watch schemes are now established in England and Wales.
Mr. John Patten : At the end of December 1989 there were estimated to be over 81,000 neighbourhood watch schemes in England and Wales, compared to 64,000 at the end of December 1988, an increase of 26.5 per cent.
Column 657
46. Mr. Colin Shepherd : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many neighbourhood watch schemes are now in operation ; and what assessment he has recently made as to their effectiveness in crime prevention.
Mr. John Patten : At the end of December 1989 there were estimated to be over 81,000 neighbourhood watch schemes in England and Wales. Studies have shown that neighbourhood watch schemes, where carefully designed and implemented, have contributed to a reduction in crime and fear of crime in some areas. It has also been shown that members of neighbourhood watch schemes are more likely than others to take crime prevention measures and to report suspicious incidents to the police ; and they appreciate a greater sense of security.
Religious Cults
23. Mr. Meale : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will issue a direction to the BBC to refrain from the broadcasting of matters likely to promote religious cults or their associated training organisations.
Mr. Mellor : No. My power to impose broadcasting restrictions on the BBC under clause 13(4) of their licence and agreement is exercised only in extreme circumstances and when it is in the national interest to do so. In other circumstances, programme content is a matter for the broadcasting authorities which operate independently of Government. The BBC is aware of its impartiality obligations, which mean that programmes should not promote any particular viewpoint on religious or other subjects.
Sunday Trading
24. Mr. Andrew MacKay : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he has received recent representations on Sunday trading legislation.
Mr. Mellor : Yes. Since last I answered a similar question from my hon. Friend the Member for Hendon, South (Mr. Marshall) on 16 March, 11 written representations broadly in favour of Sunday trading and nine against have been received.
Dog Breeding
25. Mr. Colvin : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will review the Breeding of Dogs Act 1973.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : As I indicated during the Adjournment debate on puppy farms on 21 December, the Government are considering amendments to the 1973 Act which would improve the way in which the Act is enforced and so bring illegal and unlicensed dog breeding establishments under the control of the law.
Prison Education
27. Mr. Harry Greenway : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much money was spent on (a) prison education generally and (b) prison education at Strangeways prison in the past two years ; and if he will make a statement.
Column 658
Mr. Mellor : Total expenditure on education in (a) prison establishments generally and (b) HM prison Manchester for the two most recent years available was :
Year |Total |HM prison
|£'000 |Manchester
|£'000
--------------------------------------------
1988-89 |25,200 |246
1987-88 |21,400 |237
Remand Prisoners
28. Mr. Sheerman : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the average length of time now spent by prisoners awaiting trial on remand in custody in the United Kingdom.
Mr. Mellor : Provisional figures for 1989 indicate that the average time spent on remand in prison service establishments, prior to the finding of the court, is about 53 days for males and 45 days for females.
51. Ms Quin : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if his Department has any new proposals for the treatment of remand prisoners.
Mr. Mellor : Governors are to be given discretion to vary visits to unconvicted prisoners by relatives and friends. This will enable longer, less frequent visits to be allowed instead of brief daily visits, which often have to be limited to 15 minutes because of pressure on the facilities available.
A pilot scheme to reduce routine censorship of the correspondence of unconvicted prisoners to a 5 per cent. sample started on 1 February in three local prisons. We shall soon be assessing the results of the trial and considering whether the change should be extended.
Another pilot scheme is being established at Winchester prison to enable unconvicted prisoners to use cardphones subject to certain safeguards. If the scheme is successful, cardphones will be installed for such prisoners at other prisons and remand centres.
Prison Conditions
29. Mr. Gow : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he is satisfied with conditions in Her Majesty's prisons.
Mr. Mellor : While modern prisons are built and operated to high standards, the conditions in some establishments--particularly local prisons and remand centres where the problems are exacerbated by overcrowding--leave a lot to be desired. Unfortunately, one effect of the recent disturbances is to increase the pressures, and thereby worsen conditions, elsewhere in the prison system. We are determined to see improvements as soon as possible.
We shall continue to tackle the problem of overcrowding by the dual strategy of encouraging the use of non-custodial sentences and prison building, which has proved successful to date. My right hon. and learned Friend has already announced his intention to place more emphasis on refurbishing existing prisons and, in particular, to speed up the provision of integral sanitation. At the same time, levels of regime activity are being improved, or where they are already good, sustained.
Column 659
56. Mr. Maclennan : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department by what date he will end the practice of slopping out in Her Majesty's prisons.
Mr. Mellor : The Government are committed to providing access to sanitation in prisons. Already the majority of prison places have such access. We are looking at ways of providing access for three quarters of all places within the next few years, and of ensuring that the remaining places are provided with access as quickly as possible thereafter.
Police Pay and Conditions
30. Mr. Beith : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will list the issues on which he has, during the last year, declined to implement the results of arbitration on police pay and conditions.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : On 4 January this year my right hon. and learned Friend declined to implement in full recommendations made to him on police rent allowance by the Police Negotiating Board after both sides of the board had gone to arbitration.
36. Mr. Patrick Thompson : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what has been the real increase in a police constable's pay over the last 10 years.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : I refer my hon. Friend to the reply given to a question from my hon. Friend the Member for Medway (Dame Peggy Fenner) earlier today.
Prisoners (Europe)
31. Mr. Wallace : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he has made any assessment of the treatment of prisoners in other European countries.
Mr. Mellor : The Home Office is regularly in touch with officials in other European countries, and views and information on the treatment of prisoners are exchanged.
Reporting of Offences
34. Mr. Win Griffiths : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the change in offences reported to police forces in England and Wales in 1989 (a) by total and (b) by percentage over 1988.
Mr. John Patten : The total number of crimes recorded by the police in 1989 was 154,000 more than in 1988, an increase of 4 per cent.
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