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Mr. Allan Stewart [holding answer 10 December 1990] : Proposals for RECHAR programmes in eastern and western Scotland were submitted by the Government to the European Commission on 27 July. Decisions are awaited. Assuming the Commission grants money to the Scottish programmes, the Government will ensure that the provisions of the Community regulations on additionality are fully met.
Health Service
Mr. David Marshall : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the formula whereby the Greater Glasgow health board calculates the reimbursement of ancillary staff salaries to general practices.
Mr. Michael Forsyth [holding answer 10 December 1990] : This is a matter for Greater Glasgow health board, within the terms of the statement of fees and allowances.
Scottish Development Agency
Mr. Worthington : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will state the proceeds of the sale of the Scottish Development Agency property portfolio in 1990-91 ; and how these proceeds have been used.
Mr. Allan Stewart [holding answer 10 December 1990] : Receipts for the period 1 April 1990 to 30 November 1990 in respect of all disposals of property amount to £58.5 million. These proceeds, taken together with the agency's general business receipts and with grant-in-aid provision, are being used to finance the agency's gross expenditure during the year.
Mental Handicap Nursing
Mr. Kirkwood : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) what advice he has given to local authorities in Scotland regarding the maintenance and professional role of those nurses with mental handicap training in Scotland ; and if he will make a statement ;
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(2) what specific future role there is for nurses with mental handicap training in the new arrangements for community care in Scotland ;(2) what specific future role there is for nurses with mental handicap training in the new arrangements for the national health service in Scotland.
Mr. Michael Forsyth [holding answer 10 December 1990] : Nurses with mental handicap training will continue to fulfil a vital role in the provision of specialised health services for people with mental handicaps. Although over time, some of these nurses may change their place of work, they will continue to be required to provide skilled care for people with severe or profound handicaps whether living in institutions or the community where they will often be members of community mental handicap teams. In addition, hospitals, although reduced in size, will continue to provide care for a substantial number of patients for the foreseeable future. In due course local authorities will make their own decisions on the skill mix and the staffing levels required for their services and any necessary central guidance will be issued at the appropriate time.
Training
Mr. Worthington : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland at 1990 -91 figures, how much was spent on youth training in 1989-90 and 1990-91 ; and how much will be spent in 1991-92 in Scotland.
Mr. Allan Stewart [holding answer 10 December 1990] : Expenditure on youth training in Scotland in 1989-90 at 1990-91 prices was £110, 976,000.
Figures for expenditure on youth training in Scotland for the year 1990-91 will not be available until after the end of that financial year.
Budgets for expenditure on youth training in Scotland in 1991-92 have yet to be finalised and will in due course be published in grant-in-aid tables in the supply estimates for the regional and general industrial support, Scotland vote (class XV vote 3) for 1991-92.
Mr. Worthington : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland at 1990 -91 figures, how much was spent on employment training in 1989-90 and 1990- 91 ; and how much will be spent in 1991-92 in Scotland.
Mr. Allan Stewart [holding answer 10 December 1990] : Expenditure on employment training in Scotland in 1989-90 at 1990-91 prices was £133,686,000.
Figures for expenditure on employment training in Scotland in 1990-91 will not be available until after the end of that financial year.
Budgets for expenditure on employment training in Scotland in 1991-92 have yet to be finalised and will in due course be published in the grant-in-aid tables in the supply estimates for the regional and general industrial support, Scotland vote (class XV vote 3) for 1991-92.
Agency Funding
Mr. Worthington : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the gross provision for the Scottish Development Agency in every year since 1979 and the non-training element of Scottish Enterprise for 1991-92 expressed at 1990-91 price levels.
Mr. Allan Stewart [holding answer 10 December 1990] : The information is set out in the table :
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|£ million
------------------------------
1979-80 |174.8
1980-81 |178.8
1981-82 |162.9
1982-83 |191.2
1983-84 |172.6
1984-85 |167.0
1985-86 |176.2
1986-87 |170.1
1987-88 |166.9
1988-89 |163.9
1989-90 |171.0
1990-91 |<1>179.0
1991-92 |<2>170.0
<1> Estimated.
<2> Planned.
Planned provision for 1991-92 is not directly comparable to provision for earlier years because it reflects an adjustment to the division of responsibility for environmental improvements between Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise, as compared with that which has existed between the Scottish Development Agency and the Highlands and Islands Development Board.
Mr. Worthington : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will itemise how the budget of Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise in 1991-92 are made up in terms of grant in aid, property income, equity income, training and other items.
Mr. Allan Stewart [holding answer 10 December 1990] : The composition of the budgets of Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise for 1991-92 has yet to be finalised and is under discussion with the two bodies. The information will be shown in due course in grant-in-aid tables published as part of the supply estimates for the regional and general industrial support Scotland vote (class XV vote 3) for 1991-92.
Mr. Worthington : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the gross provision for the Highlands and Islands Development Board for 1991-92, expressed at 1990-91 price levels.
Mr. Allan Stewart [holding answer 10 December 1990] : The Highlands and Islands Development Board will be replaced by Highlands and Islands Enterprise on 1 April 1991. As well as taking over the functions of the Highlands and Islands Development Board, Highlands and Islands Enterprise will take over the Scottish Development Agency environmental function and the Training Agency's functions in the Highlands and Islands area. The notional amount allocated to former Highlands and Islands Development Board functions for 1991-92, expressed at 1990-91 price levels, is £50.4 million.
SOCIAL SECURITY
Disabled People
Mr. Hannam : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many people will receive disability working allowance because they were receiving (a) invalidity benefit alone, (b) severe disablement allowance alone and (c) a disability premium with income-related benefits within eight weeks before claiming disability working allowance.
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Mr. Scott : Estimates of the likely case load of disability working allowance can be only tentative. Our best estimate is that, once the benefit is established, about 50,000 people will receive DWA at any given point. Of these, around 25 per cent. will have been getting invalidity benefit (but not income support) before claiming DWA ; 10 per cent. will have been getting severe disablement allowance (but not income support) before claiming ; and 35 per cent. will have been getting an income-related benefit with a disability premium (alone or with invalidity benefit or severe disablement allowance) before claiming. A further 30 per cent. will already be in work and will qualify because they have disability living allowance. Of the first two categories a number will have been receiving housing benefit or community charge benefit.Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security whether he has any plans to extend financial assistance available to disabled people with special dietary needs.
Mr. Scott : The OPCS surveys showed that the existing extra costs benefits are providing good coverage of people with all sorts of disabilities, including people with eating, drinking and digestion disorders. The new disability living allowance with its lower rates will extend this to people not currently receiving benefit.
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will publish estimates of the extra expenditure in gross and net terms if no tariff income from capital was taken into account in calculation of disability working allowance.
Mr. Scott : Estimates of the likely expenditure on disability working allowance (DWA) have been based on assumptions about behavioural changes among people who have a continuing entitlement to a long-term incapacity benefit, but who might take the opportunity offered by DWA to do some work. As a result, the projections can be only tentative and it is not possible to
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estimate with confidence the extra expenditure, either in gross or net terms, if no tariff income from capital was taken into account.Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what assessment he has made of the average potential gains in income for recipients of the disability working allowance.
Mr. Scott : Disability working allowance will ensure that the great majority of potential recipients will be better off in work than they would be on incapacity benefits. However, it is not possible to predict with confidence the average gain in income for recipients.
Statutory Sick Pay
Mrs. Gorman : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what discussions were held with the National Federation of Self Employed and Small Businesses Ltd. in respect of employers' liability to fund SSP payments on the introduction of statutory sick pay ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Jack : Ministers held a series of meetings with representatives of small business organisations, including the National Federation of Self Employed and Small Businesses, prior to the introduction of statutory sick pay (SSP). Among the matters discussed at those meetings was the method of compensating employers for payments of SSP.
Community Care Grants
Mr. Rooker : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will make extra funds available for community care grants for his Department's local office in Perry Barr, Birmingham.
Mr. Scott : We have no plans to do so.
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Consumer Goods
Mr. David Shaw : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what information he has on the acquisition and ownership of consumer goods by pensioners in 1974, 1979 and 1990.
Miss Widdecombe : Information on ownership of selected goods is given in the table. The data have been calculated using published data from the family expenditure survey. The year 1989 is the latest year for which these figures are currently available.
Percentage of pensioner households with goods ------------------------------------ Telephone |32.0|49.8|85.7 Central heating |31.9|43.2|70.1 Fridge |65.2|84.0|96.6 Washing machine |45.6|55.5|71.4 Television |89.5|94.1|98.0 Car |20.6|23.1|37.9 Note:This covers the following types of households: one adult retired households mainly dependent on state pensions; one man and one woman retired households mainly dependent on state pensions; other retired households containing one adult; other retired households containing one man and one woman.
Youth Training (Income Support)
Mr. Meacher : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what was the number of youth training trainees in receipt of income support during 1988-89 and 1989-90 ; and what was the average size of income support payments to youth training trainees in each of those two years.
Miss Widdecombe : The information requested is not available.
State Pension Scheme
Mr. Allen : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will express the cost of the Government's scheme on opting out of the state earnings-related pension scheme (a) in cost terms, (b) in terms of the pence reduction equivalent in income tax, (c) in terms of a reduction in poll tax, for the average poll tax payment and (d) in terms of a one-off cash payment to each pensioner.
Miss Widdecombe : Contracting out of the state earnings-related pensions scheme by virtue of an approved occupational pension scheme was introduced by the Social Security Pensions Act 1975. The Government Actuary's report on the Social Security Benefits Up-rating Order 1990 and the Social Security (Contributions) (Re-rating) Order 1990 (Cm. 948) showed that in 1990-91 the total contribution reductions attributable to both occupational and personal pensions would be about £7.6 billion of which about £2 billion would be in respect of rebates and incentives for personal pensions. It is not appropriate to express these reductions in other ways because they relate directly to benefits that would otherwise be a charge upon the national insurance fund, and the fund in turn depends upon the levels of national insurance contributions and the benefit expenditure which it is required to meet.
Pension Funds
Mr. Cousins : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will take steps to enlarge the power of pension fund trustees.
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Miss Widdecombe : We have no plans to do so.
Mr. Cousins : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what representations he has received over the operation of company pension funds.
Miss Widdecombe : The Department receives representations from time to time on various aspects of company pension funds.
Mr. Cousins : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will take steps to secure the financial interest of company pension fund beneficiaries.
Miss Widdecombe : The Social Security Act 1990 introduced a number of measures to help members of occupational pension schemes. Members will have a statutory right to annual increases for pension rights built up in the future. Schemes will have to use any surpluses to give increases up to a required level. On the insolvency of an employer, an independent trustee must be appointed to look after members' interests on the winding up of a scheme. From 1 January 1991 early leavers will get the whole of their preserved pension revalued.
In addition, a pensions ombudsman will be able to assist individuals who have problems with their occupational or personal pension scheme.
Mr. Cousins : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what legal or regulatory frameworks exist to control the relationship of a company pension fund to its parent company.
Miss Widdecombe : Most occupational pension schemes are set up voluntarily by employers as irrevocable trusts and are therefore subject to trust law. In addition, schemes are required to satisfy the statutory requirements laid down by the Social Security Acts and the requirements for obtaining tax approval under the Income and Corporation Taxes Act 1958.
Research
Mr. Robin Cook : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list (a) in cash terms and (b) deflated according to an appropriate index of higher education pay and prices the spending on social security research in each year from 1979 to the most recent year which his Department has funded in universities, polytechnics and other related institutions.
Miss Widdecombe : Total spending on social security research in 1989 -90 (the latest year for which information is available) was £937,000. Available information for previous years is published in the Cabinet Office annual review of research and development, a copy of which is in the Library.
Goods and Services
Mr. Fisher : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security whether he will publish tables showing the amount spent on (a) acquiring and (b) commissioning goods and services by his Department in each of the last five years.
Mr. Jack : Departmental purchasing information systems do not differentiate between acquiring and commissioning goods and services. In 1987, a departmental purchasing supply directorate was established by
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the Department of Health and Social Security. Before that date purchasing information in the Department of Health and Social Security was not consolidated and information for the financing year 1985-86 is not readily available. Information on purchasing expenditure for the financial years 1986-87 to 1988-89 is given in the table. The figures for the years 1986-87 to 1988-89 cover the Department of Health as well as the Department of Social Security. This information is set out in the annual reports of the Central Unit on Purchasing, copies of which are in the Library.
£ million
|1986-87<1>|1987-88 |1988-89 |1989-90
------------------------------------------------------------------
Goods |244.118 |268.348 |205.090 |187.835
Services |363.780 |375.463 |437.249 |487.181
Capital |53.741 |57.060 |99.348 |137.740
|---- |---- |---- |----
Total |661.639 |700.838 |741.687 |812.756
<1> Estimate.
Mobility Allowance
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many deaf-blind people have (a) claimed mobility allowance and (b) been awarded mobility allowance since April.
Mr. Scott : From 11 April 1990 to 30 November 1990, 747 mobility allowance claims have been made under the deaf-blind provisions. Of these, 347 have been awarded mobility allowance, 278 have been refused and 122 claims are currently being processed.
Advertising
Mr. Fisher : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security whether he will publish a table showing the amount spent in each of the last five years by his Department on (a) advertising in the press, (b) advertising on television and radio, (c) other advertising and promotion and (d) promotion videos and sound cassettes.
Miss Widdecombe : For information from 1985-86 to 1988-89, I refer the hon. Member to replies given to the hon. Member for Holborn and St. Pancras (Mr. Dobson) on 19 December 1986 at columns 793-94 , on 14 January 1988 at column 402 and on 13 March 1989 at column 30 . Expenditure by the Department in 1989-90 is :
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD
Enzootic Bovine Leukosis
Mr. Gill : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what steps are being taken to ensure that cattle with enzootic bovine leukosis are not imported into the United Kingdom.
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Mr. Maclean : Imported cattle must be accompanied by a health certificate, signed by an official veterinarian of the Government of the exporting country, confirming among other things that the animals originate from holdings which have been free of enzootic bovine leukosis (EBL) for up to three years, and that the animals have been subjected to the required testing for EBL, with negative results, before export.
From 1 July 1991, rules governing trade between member states of the European Community will require that cattle for breeding and production must come only from herds which are officially recognised as EBL free.
Farmed Salmon
Mr. Ron Davies : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether his Department has any evidence that residues of dichlorvos are found in the flesh of farmed salmon.
Mr. Maclean : I refer the hon. Member to the reply given on 22 November to the hon. Member for Hexham (Mr. Amos), Official Report, column 215 .
Cling Film
Mr. Colvin : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what steps he has taken to assure himself that the additives used in the manufacturing of cling film have been adequately tested and have been approved for use with all foodstuffs, including fatty foodstuffs ; what requirements there are for product labelling with this information ; and what assessment he has made of the risk to public health from this product.
Mr. Maclean : The Food Advisory Committee and the Committee on Toxicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment have recently advised that there is no evidence to suggest that the use of additives in cling films has caused harm to human health, and these films remain suitable for most food uses. However, for some additives the toxicological data are not yet complete and as a matter of prudence the committees have advised that cling films should not be used in certain applications, such as in contact with high fat foods.
Manufacturers are recommended to label packs in accordance with the advice given in the food safety directorate's information bulletin, special edition, a copy of which is in the Library.
Advertising
Mr. Fisher : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he will publish a table showing the amount spent in each of the last five years by his Department on (a) advertising in the press, (b) advertising on television and radio, (c) other advertising and promotion and (d) promotion videos and sound cassettes.
Mr. Curry : Expenditure by this Department in each of the last five years on advertising in the press, radio and television and other promotion is as follows :
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-------------------------------------------------- 1985-86 |29,000 |Nil |656,000 1986-87 |54,000 |Nil |825,000 1987-88 |12,000 |Nil |693,000 1988-89 |380,000 |Nil |1,004,000 1989-90 |116,000 |Nil |2,385,000
The figures for other promotional material include videos produced as part of overall public information campaigns. Separate figures for production of these and sound cassettes could be produced only at disproportionate cost.
Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy
Dr. David Clark : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the countries which are refusing to import British milk due to concerns over BSE ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Gummer : The only countries currently restricting imports of milk and milk products because of concerns about BSE are China, Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey and the USSR.
All the scientific evidence is that milk and milk products are quite safe to consume in any form. This view has been endorsed by the European Community's scientific experts and those of the Office Internationale des Epizooties (OIE). A recent OIE report on BSE recommends that exports of milk and milk products from the United Kingdom should not be restricted for either animal or public health reasons. We will continue to press countries which have imposed restrictions to lift them.
Pesticides
Dr. David Clark : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many pesticide active ingredients applications he has (a) received, (b) approved and (c) rejected to date in 1990 ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Gummer : The information requested is set out in the table in respect of applications for agricultural pesticides submitted to this Ministry for approval by the six Departments responsible. Applications for which the Health and Safety Executive is primarily responsible--non- agricultural pesticides--are not included.
|Number
-------------------------------------------------
Received |7
Approved (fully/provisonally) |6
Approved for experimental use only |1
Rejected/Withdrawn |5
Dr. David Clark : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the active pesticide ingredients which have been reviewed since March 1989 ; whether they were subject to a full or partial review ; whether the active ingredients were withdrawn fully or partially ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Gummer : The following agricultural pesticides have been reviewed by the Advisory Committee on Pesticides since March 1989. (F=Fully, P=Partially).
Captafol
Captafol (F)Phased revocation (final use ended 31 October 1990) Daminozide (P)No change Dimethoate (P)Approvals amended Fenbutatin oxide (P)No change Fentin acetate (P)Approvals amended Fentin hydroxide (P)Approvals amended Iprodione (P)Approvals amended Alachlor (F)Approvals amended EBDC's (P)Approvals amended 2-Aminobutane (P)Approvals amended
At present 43 agricultural pesticides are undergoing review, of which four are partial reviews.
Dr. David Clark : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many (a) active ingredients and (b) pesticide products are currently approved for use in the United Kingdom.
Mr. Gummer : The approximate number of pesticides currently approved for use is as follows :
|Agricultural |Non-agricultural
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Active ingredients |360 |90
Products |3,400 |1,100
Full details are given in Her Majesty's Stationery Office publication "Pesticides 1990", a copy of which has been lodged in the Library.
Environmentally Sensitive Areas
Mr. Ron Davies : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what are the present levels of environmentally sensitive area payments ; if he has any plans to revise them ; and if he will also express them at 1986 prices.
Mr. Curry : The present level of ESA payments is shown in the table.
ESA |£/HA
--------------------------------------------------
Broads |Tier 1 |125
|Tier 2 |200
Breckland |Tier 1 |100
|Tier 2 |125
|Tier 3:
|UWS |300
|CH |100
North Peak |Tier 1 |10
|Tier 2 |20
Pennine Dales |100
Shropshire Borders |Tier 1 |30
|Tier 2 |80
Somerset Levels and Moors |Tier 1 |82
|Tier 2 |120
South Downs |Tier 1 |35
|Tier 2 |160
Suffolk River Valleys |Tier 1 |70
|Tier 2 |180
|Tier 3 |200
Test Valley |80
West Penwith |60
It was made clear at the outset that it would not be appropriate for these payments to be index-linked, but that they would be reviewed after three years. The review carried out last year for those ESAs designated in 1987 concluded that the payments were still at broadly the right levels. I am now reviewing payments in ESAs designated in 1988, and I will be conducting a full-scale review of the scheme next year to determine the way forward.
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Monetary Compensatory Amounts
Mr. Leighton : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on the reasons which lay behind the introduction of monetary compensatory amounts.
Mr. Curry : Monetary compensatory amounts were introduced in 1969 when it was agreed that changes in exchange rates should not immediately apply to the exchange rates used to convert common agricultural support prices into national currencies ; they were intended to enable trade between member states to continue at common price levels and so prevent the distortions of trade that use of differing exchange rates would have encouraged.
Flooding, River Severn
Mr. Win Griffiths : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what information he has about the number of places along the River Severn where its banks have burst in each of the last 10 years and the number of dwellings, farms and small holdings that have been damaged as a result.
Mr. Curry : There has been no breaching of the banks of the River Severn over the last 10 years. All the flooding which has occurred over this period has been caused by banks being over-topped, consistent with the design which allows over-topping so that river levels can be kept below the point where serious urban flooding of large towns might occur.
No precise data are available on the number of properties flooded over the last 10 years in the lower and upper Severn areas. In the tidal reach downstream of Gloucester, about 100 domestic properties and two caravan sites in this area have been flooded by high tides, some on more than one occasion. The incidence of tidal flooding along these banks will be reduced as the River Severn tidal defence scheme progresses.
The extensive floods of last winter, which were of a magnitude that might occur once in 20 years, caused damage to about 350 properties in the upper and lower Severn flood plain. About 60 of these were commercial properties and a further six were farm houses. During this event, a total of 75 sq km of agricultural land was inundated by flood water. Most of the lower Severn over-topped its banks on both sides between Worcester and Gloucester and in the upper Severn upstream of Worcester over-topping occurred in approximately six places.
Goods and Services
Mr. Fisher : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he will publish tables showing the amount spent on (a) acquiring and (b) commissioning goods and services by his Department in each of the last five years.
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