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Mr. Jack Thompson : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he has any plans to ban low-altitude military flights over nuclear plants, hospitals, schools, places of worship, public buildings or factories.
Mr. Neubert : Standing instructions already prohibit military aircraft from overflying nuclear installations at low level. Other cases where protection is sought from overflights by military aircraft at low level are considered on their individual merits and there are no plans to change this position.
International Military Services
Mr. O'Neill : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether International Military Services has an office in Iran.
Mr. Alan Clark : I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Hamilton (Mr. Robertson) by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence Procurement on 12 January 1988 at column 199 . The position remains the same.
Mr. O'Neill : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether International Military Services has had any communication with the Libyan Government at any time in the last 10 years.
Mr. Alan Clark : I am assured by the company that it has not communicated with the Libyan Government at any time in the last 10 years.
Options for Change
Mr. O'Neill : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his reply of 25 June, if he will state the exact number of staff within the Ministry of Defence who have been involved at various times in certain aspects of the options for change work in addition to their normal duties.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : The number has varied considerably as more staff have been drawn into the work and consulted on particular aspects of it and as the level of activity has fluctuated. It is not, therefore, possible to give a precise figure.
Iran
Mr. O'Neill : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) whether Rolls-Royce has sold Olympus and Proteus engines to the Iranian navy at any time in the last 10 years ;
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(2) whether spare parts for Chieftain tanks have been supplied to the Iranian Government at any time in the last 10 years ; (3) whether Plessey has sold the Iranian Government air defence radars at any time in the past 10 years.Mr. Alan Clark : It has been the policy of successive Administrations not to give details of defence equipment sales to specific countries. In respect of Iran, however, the guidelines on defence exports to that country announced by my right hon. and learned Friend, the then Foreign and Commonwealth Secretary on 29 October 1985, Official Report, column 450, have been rigorously applied since the date of their promulgation in December 1984.
Libya
Mr. O'Neill : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on how many occasions in the last 10 years contracts have been agreed for the supply of non-lethal military equipment to Libya.
Mr. Alan Clark : It has been the policy of successive Administrations not to give details of defence equipment exports to specific countries. The United Kingdom has, however, had an embargo on all new defence sales to Libya since May 1984.
Mr. O'Neill : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether any Libyan military officers have received any training in this country, at any time in the last 10 years.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : A number of Libyan junior naval officers attended basic training courses between 1980 and 1984 but all such training ceased after diplomatic relations were broken off in 1984.
Soviet Union
Mr. O'Neill : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the current assessment of the nature of the military threat from the Soviet Union ; and what assessment of the potential military threat from that country has taken place as a result of the study of options for change.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : We welcome the major political changes in the Soviet Union and the shift in emphasis of Soviet military doctrine to defensive objectives. None-the-less, even after the implementation of a CFE agreement, the Soviet Union will remain the largest single military power in Europe. The changing circumstances in Europe are, of course, central to our examinations of options for change.
Radar
Mr. Nicholas Bennett : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the cost of the independent environmental impact assessment being undertaken by W. S. Atkins in connection with the proposed radar installation on St. David's airfield, Pembrokeshire.
Mr. Alan Clark : The cost of the independent environmental impact assessment for St. David's airfield is commercial-in-confidence. It is not the policy of my Department to disclose such information.
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SOCIAL SECURITY
Retirement Pension
Sir David Price : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security in the light of the recent decision by the House of Lords in the case of James v. Eastleigh borough council, what changes he intends to propose in existing legislation to ensure equality of treatment between men and women in respect of the state retirement pension.
Mrs. Gillian Shephard : The James case was concerned with concessions to people by reference to their age. It has no effect on the law on social security, and therefore there is no need to amend that law in the light of this judgment.
Computer Facilities
Mr. Jack : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what initiatives his Department is taking to develop its computer facilities in the north-west.
Mrs. Gillian Shephard : The Department continues to develop and improve its computer facilities in the north-west to ensure the effective and efficient implementation of our major programme for the computerisation of the social security benefits system. This includes an initiative to develop computer facilities for the new benefits for disabled people which are described in "The Way Ahead" (Cm 917).
Disabled People
Mr. Ieuan Wyn Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what steps he is taking to improve the benefit structure for disabled people with costs other than those relating to mobility and attendance.
Mr. Scott : The existing benefits structure already recognises that disabled people have extra costs. The OPCS surveys found that attendance allowance and mobility allowance are well directed towards the most common of the more costly disabilities. Equally important, these benefits provide help to people with other disabilities which are frequently combined with locomotion or self-care disabilities. The new disability allowance will build on that framework by offering a relatively simple and readily understood benefit to both severely and moderately disabled people.
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what steps he is taking to improve the structure of benefits for disabled people and their carers.
Mr. Scott : Our proposals to improve the balance and structure of social security benefits for disabled people and their carers are set out in "The Way Ahead : Benefits for Disabled People" (Cm 917), laid before the House on 10 January. In 1993-94 the changes will add some £300 million to the £8.3 billion we are already spending on benefits for long-term sick and disabled people and their carers.
Departmental Research (Expenditure)
Dr. Thomas : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what was the total identifiable expenditure on research by his Department in each year since 1979 ; what proportion was awarded on a customer-contractor basis ; and what proportion of his total departmental budget was expended on research for each year.
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Mrs. Gillian Shephard : Social Security became a separate Department in 1988. Research and development by DSS, all of which is managed on the customer-contractor principle, is financed through the social security research budget. For 1989-90, the total expenditure on research and development was £937,000. Information on the overall DSS budget for 1989-90 is not yet available. For 1988-89, the total research and development expenditure was £636,000, forming 0.0013 per cent. of the overall DSS budget.
Information for earlier years has been published in the "Annual Review of Government Funded Research and Development", a copy of which is available in the Library.
Income Support
Mr. Chris Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what would be the extra cost at 1990-91 benefit rates of increasing the personal allowance for couples dependent on income support to twice the rate for a single person over the age of 25.
Mrs. Gillian Shephard : The estimated cost for all income-related benefits would be £1,200 million.
Source : Modelled using data drawn from the 1985-86-87 Family Expenditure Surveys and the 1988 Annual Statistical Enquiry of Income Support recipients.
Nuclear Test Veterans
Mr. Ashley : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, pursuant to the reply, Official Report 13 June, column 215, to the right hon. Member for Stoke-on-Trent, South, if he will categorise the 248 claims for war pensions made by nuclear test veterans or their widows according to the medical condition which caused death or disablement.
Mrs. Gillian Shephard : I regret that the information is not immediately available, but it is being obtained. I will write to the right hon. Member in due course.
Personal Pension Plans
Sir John Stanley : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security whether bodies representing consumers' interests have been included in the interested bodies which have been asked for their views on the existing regulations on the disclosure of information to members of occupational and pension schemes referred to in his reply to the right hon. Member for Tonbridge and Malling on14 June, Official Report, column 331 ; and if he will list the interested bodies that have been asked for their views.
Mrs. Gillian Shephard : The bodies, including those representing consumers' interests, which have been asked for their views on the current regulations on disclosure of information are :
Occupational Pensions Board
Association of Consulting Actuaries
Institute of Actuaries
Faculty of Actuaries
Nationalised Industries Pension Group
Society of Pension Consultants
Confederation of British Industry
Trades Union Congress
Association of British Insurers
National Association of Pension Funds
Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales Institute of Chartered Accountants in Scotland
Occupational Pensions Advisory Service
Association of Pension Lawyers
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Fraud
Mr. Meacher : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Poole (Mr. Ward) of 21 June, column 709, if he will send the hon. Member for Oldham, West a copy of the report "Working Together."
Mrs. Gillian Shephard : Pursuant to the reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Poole (Mr. Ward) on 21 June, a copy of the report "Working Together" was placed in the Library on that date. I am sending a copy to the hon. Member separately.
Local Office, Cumbernauld
Mr. Norman Hogg : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the current number of staff vacancies, identifying the number in each grade, at the DSS office in Cumbernauld.
Mrs. Gillian Shephard : Planning for future resource requirements is progressive and at 26 June 1990 there was only 0.5 local officer 1 vacancy to be filled. Arrangements have been made to fill this on 1 August 1990.
Mr. Norman Hogg : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the current staff establishment, identifying the number in each grade, at the DSS office in Cumbernauld.
Mrs. Gillian Shephard : On 26 June 1990, the staff in post at Cumbernauld integrated local office was :
|Number
---------------------------------------
Senior executive officer |1
Higher executive officer |6
Local officer 1 |30
Local officer 2 |53
Administrative assistant |16
Telephonist |1
Typist |3
Messenger |1
|----
Total |111
In addition, eight casual administrative assistants are in post.
Social Fund
Mr. Meacher : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many persons who have received loans from the social fund are making repayments at (a) above 15 per cent., (b) 15 per cent., (c) above 10 per cent. but less than 15 per cent., (d) 10 per cent., (e) above 5 per cent. but less than 10 per cent., (f) 5 per cent. and (g) less than 5 per cent. of the income support applicable amount.
Mr. Scott : At 30 April 1990, the latest date for which data are available, 103,055 social fund loans were being recovered. A detailed breakdown of the percentage rates at which loans are being refunded by individual applicants is not available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Community Charge
Sir Ian Gilmour : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what will be the effect of a community charge levied at (a) £350 and (b) £450 on the replacement ratios,
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expressed as out-of-work spending power divided by in-work spending power, of unemployed people under 25 years, living with their parents, and offered jobs at (a) £80 a week, (b) £100 a week and (c) £120 a week, assuming work expenses averaging £10 a week.Mrs. Gillian Shephard [holding answer 5 June 1990] : The information is listed in the table. It should be noted that the results in the table remain arbitrary. They cannot reflect, except by chance, the actual circumstances of particular people and cannot claim to be representative of the population at large.
Replacement ratios
Gross |Community |Community
earnings per |charge |charge
week |£350 |£450
£ |per cent. |per cent.
----------------------------------------------------
80 |43 |43
100 |36 |36
120 |30 |31
Notes:-
1. The methods and assumptions are those used in
the published Tax/Benefit Model Tables but in this
example it has been assumed that no rent is
payable.
2. Rounded to the nearest per cent.
Sir Ian Gilmour : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what will be the effect of a community charge levied at (a) £350 and (b) £450 on the replacement ratios expressed as out-of-work spending power divided by in-work spending power, of a teenage, single mother with one child under five years, living with her parents, and offered a job at (a) £60 a week, (b) £80 a week, and (c) £100 a week, assuming fares to work and child-care costs totalling £50 a week.
Mrs. Gillian Shephard [holding answer 5 June 1990] : The information is listed in the table. It should be noted that the results in the table remain arbitrary. They cannot reflect, except by chance, the actual circumstances of particular people and cannot claim to be representative of the population at large.
Replacement ratios
Gross |Community |Community
earnings |charge £350|charge £450
per week £ |per cent. |per cent.
------------------------------------------------
60 |56 |56
80 |54 |54
100 |51 |52
Notes:
1. The methods and assumptions are those used
in the published Tax/Benefit Model Tables but
in this example it has been assumed that no
rent is payable.
2. Rounded to the nearest per cent.
Sir Ian Gilmour : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what will be the effect of a community charge levied at (a) £350 and (b) £450 on the replacement ratios, expressed as out-of-work spending power divided by in-work spending power, of an unemployed man with non- earning wife and two children under five years, a mortgage of £40,000 and work expenses averaging £10 a week, assuming offer wages of £120, £140, £160, £180, £200, £220, £240, £260, £280 and £300 a week.
Mrs. Gillian Shephard [holding answer 5 June 1990] : The information is listed in the table. It should be noted that the results in the table remain arbitrary. They cannot
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reflect, except by chance, the actual circumstances of particular people and cannot claim to be representative of the population at large.
Replacement ratios
Gross |Community |Community
earnings |charge £350|charge £450
per week £ |per cent. |per cent.
------------------------------------------------
120 |264 |268
140 |240 |243
160 |221 |223
180 |177 |178
200 |144 |145
220 |119 |123
240 |102 |105
260 |89 |91
280 |78 |80
300 |70 |72
Notes:
1. The methods and assumptions are those used
in the published Tax/Benefit Model Tables but
in this example mortgage interest payments were
calculated assuming payment over 25 years and
an interest rate of 15.4 per cent.
2. Rounded to the nearest per cent.
Pensions and Benefits
Mr. Meacher : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) what were the November 1979 and April 1990 rates of benefit in cash, giving couple and single rates separately where appropriate, and showing the percentage change in real terms, using the RPI and Rossi indexes for (a) November 1979 to April 1990 and (b) November 1979 to September 1989 for (i) retirement pension, (ii) non-contributory retirement pension, (iii) unemployment benefit, (iv) sickness benefit, (v) maternity allowance, (vi) child benefit, (vii) one-parent benefit, (viii) industrial disablement benefit, (ix) industrial death benefit, (x) war disablement pension, (xi) war widow's pension, (xii) attendance allowance, higher and lower rate, (xiii) invalid care allowance, (xiv) severe disablement allowance, (xv) mobility allowance and (xvi) supplementary benefit and income support personal allowance for (1) those aged 16 and 17 years, (2) those aged 18 to 24 years and (3) persons aged over 25 years ;
(2) if he will publish in the Official Report the (a) November 1979 and (b) April 1990 rates of benefit in cash, giving couple and single rates separately where appropriate, and showing (1) the percentage change in real terms, using the retail prices index and Rossi indexes as
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appropriate for the period November 1979 to September 1989, (2) the percentage change in real terms, using the retail prices index and Rossi indexes as appropriate for the period November 1979 to April 1990, (3) the percentage change in relation to the increase in male average earnings in the period November 1979 to September 1989, and (4) the percentage change in relation to the increase in male average earnings in the period November 1979 to April 1990 for (i) retirement pension, (ii) non-contributory retirement pension, (iii) unemployment benefit, (iv) sickness benefit, (v) maternity allowance, (vi) child benefit, (vii) one-parent benefit, (viii) industrial disablement benefit, (ix) industrial death benefit, (x) war disablement pension, (xi) war widow's pension, (xii) attendance allowance, higher and lower rate, (xiii) invalid care allowance, (xiv) severe disablement allowance, (xv) mobility allowance and (xvi) supplementary benefit/income support personal allowance for (a) 16 to 17 years old, (b) 18 to 24 years old and (c) persons aged 25 years plus.Mrs. Gillian Shephard [holding answer 15 June 1990] : I regret that it is not possible, on the basis of the information contained in the question, to provide the information requested in relation to the supplementary benefit and income support schemes. Nor, since September 1989 was not an uprating date, would it be appropriate to provide an analysis related to that date of the change in the value of the benefits listed.
The table therefore provides figures on the same basis as in the answer to a comparable question from the hon. Member which I gave on 20 December 1989, updated to April 1990. As I pointed out at that time, comparisons over the period in question are complicated by the change in 1983 from uprating partly based on forecasts of future inflation to upratings based on known movements in the retail prices index to the latest available date. Moreover, in November 1979 long-term benefit rates were increased by 2 per cent. more than forecast inflation to make up for the fact that the forecast underlying the 1978 uprating had proved 2 per cent. lower than the actual growth in earnings of 13.3 per cent. between November 1977 and November 1978. The table gives the figures requested in relation to both 1978 and 1979. The retail prices index has been used as this is the appropriate index for those benefits listed in the table. It also shows the change in the average real value of benefit between the uprating years November 1978 to November 1979, and April 1989 to April 1990.
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Table: Comparison of benefit rates
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Retirement pension
Single person |19.50|23.30|47.52|48.38|46.90|26.9 |27.0 |20.5 |-1.3 |-3.1
Married couple |31.20|37.30|76.04|77.44|75.10|43.1 |43.3 |32.7 |-1.2 |-3.0 |5.4
Unemployment benefit
Single person |15.75|18.50|38.38|38.41|37.35|21.8 |21.5 |16.3 |-2.7 |-2.8 |3.8
Married couple |25.50|29.95|62.15|62.18|60.40|35.2 |34.7 |26.3 |-2.8 |-2.9 |3.7
Sickness benefit
Single person |15.75|18.50|38.38|38.41|37.70|21.8 |21.5 |15.6 |-7.0 |-7.1 |-0.7
Married couple |25.50|29.95|62.15|62.18|57.80|35.2 |34.7 |25.2 |-7.0 |-7.0 |-0.7
Industrial disablement
benefit |31.90|38.00|77.74|78.90|76.60|44.1 |44.1 |33.4 |-1.5 |-2.9 |5.2
Industrial death benefit |20.05|23.85|48.86|49.52|46.90|27.7 |27.7 |20.5 |-4.0 |-5.3 |2.5
Maternity allowance
Single person |15.75|18.50|38.38|38.41|35.70|21.8 |21.5 |15.6 |-7.0 |-7.1 |-0.7
Married couple |25.50|29.95|62.15|62.18|57.80|35.2 |34.7 |25.2 |-7.0 |-7.0 |-0.7
Non-contributory retirement pension
Single person |11.70|14.00|28.51|29.07|28.20|16.2 |16.2 |12.3 |-1.1 |-3.0 |5.5
Married couple |18.75|22.40|45.70|46.51|45.05|25.9 |26.0 |19.6 |-1.4 |-3.1 |5.2
War disablement pension |31.90|38.00|77.74|78.90|76.60|44.1 |44.1 |33.4 |-1.5 |-2.9 |5.2
War widows pension |25.55|30.45|62.67|63.22|60.95|35.3 |35.3 |26.7 |-2.7 |-3.6 |5.5
Attendance allowance
Higher rate |15.60|18.60|38.02|38.62|37.55|21.5 |21.6 |16.4 |-1.2 |-2.8 |5.4
Lower rate |10.40|12.40|25.35|25.75|25.05|14.4 |14.4 |10.9 |-1.2 |-2.7 |5.6
Invalid care allowance
Single person |11.70|14.00|28.51|29.07|28.20|16.2 |16.2 |12.3 |-1.1 |-3.0 |5.5
Married person |18.75|22.40|45.70|46.51|45.05|25.9 |26.0 |19.6 |-1.4 |-3.1 |5.2
Severe disablement allowance
Single person |11.70|14.00|28.51|29.07|28.20|16.20|16.2 |12.3 |-1.1 |-3.0 |5.5
Married couple |18.75|22.40|45.70|46.51|45.05|25.90|26.0 |19.6 |-1.4 |-3.1 |5.2
Mobility allowance<1> |10.00|12.00|24.91|24.91|26.25|13.8 |13.9 |11.4 |5.4 |5.4 |12.3
Child benefit<2> |3.00 |4.00 |7.31 |8.30 |7.25 |4.1 |4.6 |3.4 |-0.8 |-12.7|-4.1
One parent benefit |2.00 |2.50 |4.87 |5.19 |5.60 |2.8 |2.9 |2.4 |15.0 |7.9 |22.3
<1> For mobility allowance, the initial uprating period is July 1979 to November 1979.
<2> For child benefit, the initial uprating period is April 1979 to November 1979.
<3> Average gross weekly earnings, all full-time workers on adult rates (Source: New Earnings Survey
1989-the latest available information). Interpolated by the seasonally adjusted monthly index of average
earnings, all employees in industries and services (published by DE).
<4> The percentage change between uprating periods is calculated as the percentage change in the average
real value of benefits during the uprating period April 1989 to April 1990, as compared to the period
November 1978 to November 1979.
Mr. Meacher : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security when he expects to provide a substantive reply to the question regarding the value of benefits in 1979 and 1990 tabled for answer on 15 June.
Mrs. Gillian Shephard : I have replied to the hon. Member's question today.
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Family Credit
Mr. Meacher : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many Department of Social Security employees are in receipt of family credit.
Mrs. Gillian Shephard [holding answer 25 June 1990] : The number of employees in receipt of family credit is 570, including those cases where the family credit is received by the partner of an employee.
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