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Health Targets
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will publish his health targets for Northern Ireland.
Mr. Hanley : Current health targets for Northern Ireland are contained in "Health and Personal Social Services--A Regional Strategy for Northern Ireland 1987-1992", a copy of which has been placed in the Library.
Planning
Mr. Clifford Forsythe : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list those planning consents made in the year ended 31 March 1990, which include environmental conditions.
Mr. Needham : This information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Mr. Clifford Forsythe : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether he proposes to make any changes to the planning system in order to improve the safeguarding of areas of environmental or ecological importance.
Mr. Needham : The hon. Gentleman will be aware that the Select Committee on the Environment Committee, in its recent report on environmental issues in Northern Ireland, expressed concern about planning controls and environmental safeguards. I am at present examining the recommendations in this report. The Government's response to the report will take the form of a Command Paper and I would not wish to pre-empt that response at this stage.
Forster Green Junction
Mr. John D. Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether tenders have been invited for the Forster Green junction improvement scheme in Castlereagh borough ; when he expects work to commence on site ; and what is the contract period for this scheme.
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Mr. Needham : Tenders have not yet been received for the Forster Green junction improvement scheme which is expected to commence during the 1991-92 financial year. The date is dependent on a number of factors including the acquisition of the necessary land. The contract period will be approximately one year.Environmental Protection
Mr. Clifford Forsythe : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether he will consider establishing an independent environmental protection agency with policing powers ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Needham : The hon. Gentleman will be aware that the Select Committee on the Environment, in its recent report on environmental issues in Northern Ireland, recommended the establishment of such a body. I am at present examining the recommendations in this report. The Government's response to the report will take the form of a Command Paper and I would not wish to pre-empt that response at this stage.
Mr. Clifford Forsythe : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether he will publish an annual report on the environment, including an analysis of wildlife habitat loss.
Mr. Needham : The hon. Gentleman will be aware that the Select Committee on the Environment, in its recent report on environmental issues in Northern Ireland, recommended the publication of an annual report on the environment. I am at present examining the recommendations in this report. The Government's response to the report will take the form of a Command Paper and I would not wish to pre-empt that response at this stage.
SOCIAL SECURITY
Savings
2. Mr. Malins : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what percentage of people retiring today receive income from savings.
Miss Widdecombe : My hon. Friend will be pleased to hear that, in 1987, 82 per cent. of recently retired pensioners received income from savings.
Know-how Fund
14. Mr. Harris : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what assistance his Department is giving in establishing social security systems in eastern Europe.
Mr. Jack : As I mentioned earlier, officials have been working closely with the Polish and Czechoslovak Governments. Assistance has also been provided to Hungary.
Low-income Families
15. Mr. Brazier : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what estimate he has of the number of low-income working families facing deduction rates of 100 per cent. or more (a) prior to 1988 social security reforms and (b) currently.
Mr. Newton : The social security reforms in 1988, together with subsequent changes including the major
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restructuring of national insurance in October 1989, have to all intents and purposes ended the situation in which the combined effect of tax and contribution deductions and benefit withdrawal could leave a family worse off as a result of increased earnings. Prior to the reforms, it is estimated that some 70,000 families were in this position.Disabled People
16. Mr. Alfred Morris : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many people his Department expects to benefit from proposals outlined in "The Way Ahead".
26. Mr. Harry Greenway : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many disabled people will benefit from the measures announced in "The Way Ahead".
Mr. Scott : We estimate that some 850,000 disabled people and their carers will benefit from the proposals set out in "The Way Ahead : Benefits for Disabled People" (Cmd. 917).
Child Benefit
17. Mr. Sedgemore : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what percentage of mothers in receipt of child benefit earn less than the average wage.
Mr. Newton : Our latest information is that of the 15 per cent. of mothers getting child benefit who are in full-time work, 63 per cent. were earning below average female full-time earnings.
Miss Lestor : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many petitions containing how many signatures his Department has received or been notified of on the subject of child benefit since November 1986.
Mr. Jack : The information requested is not available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Retirement Pensions
18. Mr. Atkinson : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will make a statement on the percentage change in real terms in the value of the state retirement pension since 1979.
Miss Widdecombe : My hon. Friend will be pleased to learn that the average real value of the state retirement pension in the year ending April 1990 was 5 per cent. higher than in the year to November 1979, although its value decreased by 3 per cent., if one merely compares its worth on the dates in 1979 and 1990 when it was uprated. My hon. Friend will, of course, agree with me that what really matters to pensioners is their total income which, as a result of the Government's successful economic strategy, increased by 31 per cent. in real terms between 1979 and 1987.
Hospices
19. Mr. Bowis : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will review the current ruling that hospices must make a compulsory charge to patients before patients can claim benefit to pay for a contribution to the running of the hospice.
Miss Widdecombe : Income support is a personal benefit intended to meet a claimant's day-to-day living costs. It
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would be inappropriate to pay the higher rates of income support intended to meet the fees for nursing homes in cases where no fees are charged. People in hospices who do not have to pay a charge can claim the normal rates of income support, from which they may make a contribution to the hospice if they wish.Invalid Care Allowance
20. Mr. Cyril D. Townsend : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security by how much the earnings disregard in invalid care allowance has risen over the last two years.
22. Mr. Moss : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security by how much the earnings disregard in invalid care allowance has risen over the last two years.
Mr. Scott : The earnings limit for invalid care allowance was raised from £12 to £20 a week in April 1990. In his statement on 24 October 1990 about the uprating of social security benefits my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State announced our intention to increase the limit by a further 50 per cent. to £30 a week from April this year.
National Insurance
21. Mr. Beaumont-Dark : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many taxpayers with a marginal tax rate of 25p would be affected were the upper earnings limit on national insurance contributions to be removed.
Mr. Jack : If the upper earnings limit for employees' national insurance contributions were removed it is currently estimated that about 3.3 million people would pay more contributions, of whom about 2.2 million would have a marginal tax rate of 25p. If the corresponding upper profits limit for self-employed people were also removed it is estimated that about another 0.6 million people would pay more contributions of whom about 0.3 million would have marginal tax rate of 25p.
Pensioners' Earnings Rule
24. Mr. Lord : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many pensioners are estimated to be benefiting from the abolition of the pensioners' earnings rule.
Miss Widdecombe : l refer my hon. Friend to the answer given earlier to my hon. Friend the hon. Member for Keighley (Mr. Waller).
Pensioner Households
25. Mr. Paice : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the current value of the assets held by the average pensioner household ; and what was the comparable figure in real terms in 1978-79.
27. Mr. Jessel : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the current value of the assets held by the average pensioner household (a) currently and (b) in 1978-79, in real terms.
Miss Widdecombe : My hon. Friend will be pleased to hear that we estimate that the average real value of pensioners' assets doubled between 1979 and 1987.
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Family Credit
28. Mr. Irvine : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the average current family credit award.
Mr. Jack : The average amount of family credit in payment is over £30 a week. Nearly a third of families get £40 a week or more, over half of whom get £50 a week or more.
Pensioner Support
Mr. Vaz : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what additional support he is proposing to give to pensioners.
Mr. Newton : The national insurance pension will go up in April by £5.10 a week for a single person and £8.15 for a couple. In addition, following the £200 million special increase in income support premiums for less-well-off older and disabled pensioners which took place in October 1989, the basic pensioner premium is being increased in April by more than a normal uprating, to give real extra help totalling some £80 million to another 400,000 pensioners aged 60 to 74 directly through income support, and well over £1.5 million through housing benefit and community charge benefit. Less-well-off pensioners are also the principal group of beneficiaries who will be helped by the April increase of well over £200 million in income support limits for those in residential care or nursing homes.
Single Payments
Mr. Kirkwood : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security whether he has any plans to repeal the benefit regulation guaranteeing single payments to people in need because of serious risk to their health and with no other source of help.
Mr. Scott : A social security appeal tribunal has awarded a single payment under the terms of the (former) Supplementary Benefit (Urgent Cases) Regulations 1980. The adjudication officer has applied for leave to appeal to the social security commissioner against the decision. Any further action will depend on the outcome of the application for leave to appeal and, if appropriate, the appeal itself.
Pension Age
Mr. Patrick Thompson : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what decision has been reached on the means of achieving equal state pension age ; and whether the principle for its achievement will be a flexible retirement decade centred on a common age of 65 years.
Miss Widdecombe : I refer my hon. Friend to paragraph 18 of the Government's response to the 10th report from the House of Lords Select Committee on the European Communities, Session 1988-89, on "Equal Treatment for Men and Women in Pensions and Other Benefits"--Cm. 1038.
SERPS
Mr. Meacher : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if, pursuant to his answers of 12 December 1990, Official Report, columns 427- 28 and 14 January, Official
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Report, columns 394-95, on the value of the state earnings related pension scheme, he will now give the figures from 1990 to 2029 on the same basis but at April 1990 prices.Miss Widdecombe : The information requested is in the table. It is important to note that calculations of this nature can provide only a hypothetical view of the distant future based, as they are, on unchanged assumptions about economic variables and policies.
Year |UEL |Average |Half Average
|Earnings |Earnings
|(£ s per week)|(£ s per week)|(£ s per week)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1990 |48.65 |31.85 |12.70
1991 |53.20 |34.95 |13.90
1992 |57.55 |38.10 |15.15
1993 |62.15 |41.50 |16.65
1994 |66.70 |44.90 |18.00
1995 |71.35 |48.40 |19.45
1996 |76.25 |52.25 |21.15
1997 |81.10 |56.00 |22.75
1998 |86.00 |59.90 |24.45
1999 |86.55 |60.75 |24.80
2000 |86.45 |61.15 |25.10
2001 |86.15 |61.35 |25.25
2002 |85.80 |61.55 |25.40
2003 |85.45 |61.70 |25.55
2004 |85.05 |61.85 |25.70
2005 |84.65 |61.95 |25.85
2006 |84.10 |61.95 |25.90
2007 |83.55 |61.95 |26.00
2008 |82.95 |61.90 |26.05
2009 |82.35 |61.80 |26.10
2010 |82.85 |62.65 |26.50
2011 |83.35 |63.50 |26.95
2012 |83.90 |64.35 |27.45
2013 |84.40 |65.15 |27.85
2014 |84.95 |66.00 |28.35
2015 |85.55 |66.80 |28.80
2016 |86.20 |67.70 |29.35
2017 |86.80 |68.50 |29.85
2018 |87.40 |69.30 |30.30
2019 |88.05 |70.15 |30.85
2020 |88.65 |70.95 |31.35
2021 |89.35 |71.80 |31.90
2022 |90.00 |72.60 |32.45
2023 |90.70 |73.40 |33.00
2024 |91.35 |74.25 |33.55
2025 |92.05 |75.05 |34.10
2026 |92.80 |75.90 |34.70
2027 |93.50 |76.70 |35.30
2028 |93.05 |77.05 |35.70
2029 |92.65 |77.30 |36.05
Weekly amounts of Additional pension payable on retirement on 6 April in the
stated year with earnings equal to the Upper Earnings Limit (UEL), average
earnings and half average earnings; at April 1990 prices.
From 1990 onwards 5 per cent. prices and 6.5 per cent. earnings growth is
assumed.
Mr. Hinchliffe : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what was his estimate of the loss to the national insurance fund through individuals contracting out of
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state earnings-related pension scheme for each year since the implementation of the Social Security Act 1986 ; and what has been the actual loss for each of these years.Mr. Jack : It was not possible to make an advance estimate of the income likely to be forgone to the national insurance fund as a result of individuals choosing personal pensions as a means of contracting out of SERPS. The table shows the actual amounts of contracted-out rebates and incentives paid in respect of such optants for 1988-89 and 1989-90. The table also shows the amounts used by the Government Actuary as working assumptions for the purposes of his reports on the national insurance fund in respect of those years.
Personal pensions standard rebates and incentives
Government Actuary's working assumptions
£ million
Assumptions for reports made
during
|1988-89 |1989-90 |Actual
|amounts paid
|in the year
-----------------------------------------------------------------
1988-89 |260 |n/a |289
1989-90 |690 |2,582 |2,434
The national insurance fund has a substantial balance of past surpluses and this is set to remain above the minimum recommended by the Government Actuary.
Independent Living Fund
Mr. Allen : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security when he next intends to visit the offices of the independent living fund ; and when he last did so.
Mr. Scott : I have no immediate plans to visit the offices of the independent living fund, although I am in regular contact with the trustees. I last visited it on 2 December 1988.
Benefit Forms
Mr. Allen : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what further steps are under consideration to simplify forms used to claim benefits.
Miss Widdecombe : The Department has a continuing programme of review, impartial testing and monitoring of new and existing forms to make them easy to use, simplified and fit for their purpose.
Local Offices
Mr. Allen : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many staff are employed and at what level in each of his Department's Nottingham offices.
Miss Widdecombe : At 31 January 1991 the number of staff, including part-time staff, employed in the Department's Nottingham local offices was as follows :
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|Castlegate |David Lane |Shakespeare Street|Station street
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Grade 7 |1.0 |1 |1.0 |2.0
SEO |1.0 |- |- |-
HEO |7.0 |6 |7.0 |6.0
Local Officer 1 |30.0 |29 |33.0 |32.5
Local Officer 2 |66.0 |61 |64.5 |66.0
Administrative Assistant 13.5 21 12.5 19.5
Typing Manager |- |- |1.0 |-
Typist |4.0 |2 |3.0 |3.0
Support Grade 1 |- |- |- |1.0
Support Grade 2 |4.0 |3 |5.0 |4.0
|--- |--- |--- |---
Total<1> |126.5 |123 |127.0 |134.0
<1> In addition 20 casual staff are employed.
Social Fund
Mr. Allen : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many individuals in receipt of benefit are repaying from that benefit an amount relating to a loan from the social fund.
Mr. Scott : At 31 December 1990, 354,357 people were repaying social fund loans from a social security benefit.
Plain English Society
Mr. Allen : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security when he last met the director of the Plain English Society to discuss DSS forms.
Mr. Scott : My right hon. Friend has not done so. However, experts in the Department's document design unit meet members of the society from time to time and the Department has been the recipient of the society's plain english awards on a number of occasions.
Office Refurbishment
Mr. Allen : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what refurbishment plans are being considered, what is the nature of the work envisaged and when was the last time such work was done, for his Department's offices in the Nottingham area.
Miss Widdecombe : Four offices are involved. All have recently been supplied with new desks and chairs as part of their introduction of computer systems. In addition to the routine rolling programme of maintenance, decoration and replacement of furniture, carpets and fittings, the following special initiatives have been undertaken. Nottingham, Castle Gate
A fast-flow reception system has been introduced together with refurbishment of customer seating.
Nottingham, David Lane
Caller areas were upgraded two years ago with the installation of new seating and flooring. All caller facilities previously located on two floors are now on the ground floor to provide an enhanced service and easy access for disabled customers.
Nottingham, Shakespeare Street
A fast-flow reception system has been introduced together with new seating.
Nottingham, Station Street
Caller areas have been restyled and an advice desk incorporated. The provision of a toilet for disabled staff is planned.
Benefits
Mr. Simon Coombs : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he has any plans to vary the level of income support, community charge benefit or housing benefit for people under 25 years of age.
Miss Widdecombe : We have no plans to do so although, of course, all benefits are kept under continual review.
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what would be the total cost of increasing overall child support, child benefit and child dependency increase,
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to 1979 levels for (a) war widows, (b) national insurance widows, (c) people on invalidity benefits and (d) pensioners.Mr. Jack : The costs of increasing overall child support, child benefit and child dependency increase for these beneficiaries are shown in the table. Except for war widows, where there is minimal eligibility for such benefits, these figures are net of corresponding savings on income- related benefits.
|£ million
----------------------------------------------------------
(a) War Widows
Children's allowance |1.0
Child Benefit |0.2
|-------
Total |1.2
(b) National Insurance Widows
Child dependency increase |9.7
Child Benefit |2.4
|-------
Total |12.1
(c) People on invalidity benefits
Child dependency increase |25.8
Child Benefit |5.2
|-------
Total |31.0
(d) Retirement pensioners
Child dependency increase |4.1
Child Benefit |0.7
|-------
Total |4.8
Food Purchase
Miss Lestor : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how much money is allocated for food purchase in benefit payments (a) per adult and (b) per child aged (i) 16 to 17 years, (ii) 11 to 15 years, (iii) six to 10 years, (iv) three to five years and (v) nought to two years.
Miss Widdecombe : Income-related benefit levels are not set on this basis.
Mature Students
Mr. Speller : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will introduce regulations to allow mature students attending college on not more than two weekdays each week to qualify for unemployment benefit for the duration of their course.
Mr. Jack : The present position is that a mature student attending college part-time may be entitled to unemployment benefit for days on which he is available for work. He must be able to show that any restrictions he places on the days or hours he is prepared to work are not inconsistent with having a reasonable prospect of obtaining employment. He must also take reasonable steps to seek work.
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Cold Weather Payments
Mr. Nigel Griffiths : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what are the figures for (a) the numbers of claimants who successfully qualified for a cold weather payment in Scotland for the years 1988-89 and 1989-90, (b) the numbers of successful claimants in each weather station area, as defined in the Social Fund Cold Weather Payments Regulations, and the number of times each weather station area was triggered for the years 1988-89 and 1989-90 and (c) the estimated numbers of potentially eligible claimants, as defined in the said regulations for each weather station area triggered in the years 1988-89 and 1989-90.
Mr. Scott : (a) The total number of cold weather payments and the estimated number of successful claimants in Scotland for the years 1988-89 and 1989-90 are in the table :
|1988-89 |1989-90
-------------------------------------------------
Number of payments |502 |<1>48,212
Number of payments |502 |<2>24,726
(b) (c) The number of potentially eligible claimants is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. The number of payments and periods of cold weather (triggers), for each weather station area in Scotland where a period of cold weather was actually recorded in 1988-89 and 1989-90 are in the table.
Weather station |Payments |Claimants |Triggers
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1988-89
Eskdalemuir |502 |502 |1
1989-90
Glasgow Airport |46,971 |<2>23,485 |2
Dumfries |526 |526 |1
Fort William |150 |150 |1
Kinloss |536 |536 |1
Lerwick |29 |29 |1
<1>This figure includes payments made in April/May 1990 in respect of the
winter of 1989-90.
<2>The number of claimants is different to the actual number of payments and
can only be estimated, because a claimant can receive a payment each time his
local weather station triggers. In Glasgow some claimants received two
payments.
War Pensions
Mr. Wareing : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many cases involving casualties of the Bari harbour mustard gas disaster in 1943 have been investigated by his Department with a view to the possible payment of war pensions ; how many pensions have been made payable ; and what the criteria have been for such payments.
Miss Widdecombe : The information is not available in the form requested. Of the 693 casualties known to have arisen from the Bari harbour incident, 161 were killed or declared missing. Information on how many war widows' pensions resulted is not available.
A special exercise in 1986-87 to trace the remainder showed that 185 claims for war pension had been made, of which 106 were successful.
As with all claims for war pension, awards are made where disablement or death is due to service in the armed
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forces or, for those who served in the merchant navy or were members of the naval auxilary, where disablement or death is directly attributable to a war injury or a war risk injury.Sick Pay
Mr. Hinchliffe : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what guidance he has issued to employers about payment of statutory sick pay to employees with less than two years' service.
Mr. Scott : Entitlement to statutory sick pay (SSP) is not dependent on an employee having worked for an employer for two years. Sufficient information to enable employers to administer the SSP scheme is contained in the "Quick Guide to SSP" and more detailed information is in the employer's manual to SSP. A copy of each was issued to all known employers in February 1989 for use from April 1989, and a revised edition of the quick guide was issued in February 1990.
SCOTLAND
Scottish Steel
Mr. Dewar : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the cost of the Arthur D. Little inquiry into the future of the Scottish steel industry up to and including the publication of the interim report on 24 January.
Mr. Lang : It would not be appropriate for me to disclose the value of the Scottish Development Agency's contract with Arthur D. Little, since such information is commercially confidential. The contract was awarded on the basis of competitive tendering.
Hospital Trusts
Mr. Sillars : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on the latest position of Scottish hospitals and trust status.
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