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Number of deer culled
Conservancy |By |By |Income from
|commission |others |venison
|staff |(£)
---------------------------------------------------------------
Sika Deer
North England |19 |- |1,224
East England |26 |- |933
West England |17 |16 |1,901
Wales |- |- |-
North Scotland |297 |106 |16,778
Mid Scotland |293 |132 |14,231
South Scotland |67 |- |3,003
Fallow Deer
North England |2 |- |120
East England |1,193 |69 |66,679
West England |533 |7 |28,670
Wales |85 |9 |3,501
North Scotland |- |- |-
Mid Scotland |38 |13 |1,709
South Scotland |40 |- |2,669
Muntjac
East England |311 |31 |3,096
West England |14 |- |120
Roe Deer
North England |1,327 |376 |57,464
East England |473 |137 |15,863
West England |133 |31 |6,344
Wales |12 |- |157
North Scotland |2,182 |697 |100,930
Mid Scotland |2,097 |773 |83,053
South Scotland |2,390 |593 |104,883
Red Deer
North England |50 |6 |6,594
East England |2 |- |214
West England |54 |7 |5,982
Wales |- |- |-
North Scotland |1,973 |280 |204,234
Mid Scotland |2,500 |909 |274,386
South Scotland |534 |19 |55,483
SOCIAL SECURITY
Income Support
Ms. Short : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security for each region and for Great Britain as a whole how many income support and unemployment benefit claimants have (i) successfully and (ii) unsuccessfully claimed income support under the hardship rules in each month since August 1990, showing those whose claim was in doubt due to (a) actively seeking work and (b) availability for work.
Mr. Jack : Most unemployed people are required to be available for and actively seeking work as a condition of receiving benefit. A payment to avoid hardship will be automatically considered by the adjudication officer where someone fails to fulfil this condition, resulting in the loss of benefit.
The statistics kept are given in the table. The remainder of the information is not available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
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Income support MR255 |September |October |November |December
|1990 |1990 |1990
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
London South Region
Hardship claims under Regulation 8(3), availability
Number of awards made |21 |15 |7 |4
Number of awards refused |2 |9 |1 |2
Hardship claims under Regulation 10A(2), ASW
Number of awards made |1 |6 |0 |1
Number of awards refused |1 |5 |0 |9
London North Region
Hardship claims under Regulation 8(3), availability
Number of awards made |33 |34 |33 |16
Number of awards refused |9 |7 |4 |1
Hardship claims under Regulation 10A(2), ASW
Number of awards made |14 |11 |6 |4
Number of awards refused |10 |1 |0 |3
Midlands Region
Hardship claims under Regulation 8(3), availability
Number of awards made |10 |24 |7 |5
Number of awards refused |6 |9 |5 |1
Hardship claims under Regulation 10A(2), ASW
Number of awards made |2 |9 |0 |1
Number of awards refused |1 |3 |3 |1
Wales and South Western Region
Hardship claims under Regulation 8(3), availability
Number of awards made |29 |21 |20 |15
Number of awards refused |16 |16 |21 |5
Hardship claims under Regulation 10A(2), ASW
Number of awards made |9 |5 |4 |2
Number of awards refused |4 |1 |0 |1
North Eastern Region
Hardship claims under Regulation 8(3), availability
Number of awards made |10 |11 |20 |8
Number of awards refused |17 |11 |9 |3
Hardship claims under Regulation 10A (2), ASW
Number of awards made |2 |9 |8 |6
Number of awards refused |1 |10 |3 |0
North Western Region
Hardship claims under Regulation 8(3), availability
Number of awards made |37 |19 |48 |12
Number of awards refused |56 |61 |40 |37
Hardship claims under Regulation 10(A) (2), ASW
Number of awards made |4 |7 |11 |13
Number of awards refused |5 |5 |17 |1
Scotland
Hardship claims under Regulation 8(3), availability
Number of awards made |16 |8 |14 |8
Number of awards refused |7 |10 |16 |7
Hardship claims under Regulation 10A (2), ASW
Number of claims made |1 |10 |21 |11
Number of claims refused |2 |4 |5 |0
National
Hardship claims under Regulation 8(3), availability
Number of awards made |156 |132 |149 |68
Number of awards refused |113 |123 |96 |56
Hardship claims under Regulation 10A (2) ASW
Number of awards made |33 |51 |50 |39
Number of awards refused |24 |29 |28 |15
Staffing Levels
Mr. Meacher : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what consideration is being given to improving staffing levels in the local office network.
Miss Widdecombe : The Department allocates staffing resources to local offices using a system designed to match resources to requirements. The staffing levels are based on the latest estimate of workload forecasts and are kept under review.
Local Offices (Industrial Action)
Mr. Meacher : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will outline his Department's policy on checking benefit payments during the recent industrial action in a number of local benefit offices.
Miss Widdecombe : During the recent industrial action in a number of local benefit offices, the Department's policy was to continue to operate benefit checks normally
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as far as possible. Of the offices involved in the industrial action all continued to carry out security benefit payment checks in the usual way. The local benefit offices at Camberwell, Bloomsbury, Port Talbot, Wallasey, Stockton, Redcar, Hull (East) and Ilford did abandon checks on quality of work, but maintained all security checks on benefit payments.Mr. Meacher : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security whether any checks of benefit payments were abandoned in local offices where officers normally responsible for checking procedures were on strike during the recent industrial action.
Miss Widdecombe : Security checks on benefit payments were not abandoned in any of the local benefit offices affected by the recent industrial action, and were carried out in the normal way. Some checks on quality of work were abandoned in the local benefit offices at Camberwell, Bloomsbury, Port Talbot, Wallasey, Stockton, Redcar, Hull (East) and Ilford.
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Mr. Meacher : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will quantify the amount of money lost through overpayments of benefit as a result of the recent industrial action in a number of social security offices.Miss Widdecombe : The information is not available.
Disability Working Allowance
Mr. Battle : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, pursuant to his reply to the hon. Member for Exeter (Mr. Hannam) Official Report, 1 February, column 672, how many people claiming disability working allowance it is estimated will earn below the national insurance lower earnings limit.
Mr. Scott : Estimates for the disability working allowance (DWA) have necessarily been based to a significant extent on assumptions about behavioural changes among disabled people who are not currently in work. As a result, any projections of the earnings of recipients can be only tentative. We estimate, however, that up to 5,000 DWA recipients at any one time may have earnings below the national insurance lower earnings limit.
Pension Upratings
Mr. Allen : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the value of the pension upratings to be introduced in April 1991 ; and what would be the value of the pension upratings needed in April 1991 in order to bring pensions up to the same level as if pensions had been increased from their 1979 level each year in line with the rise in average earnings or the retail prices index whichever was the higher.
Miss Widdecombe : In April the basic retirement pension will rise by £5.10 for a single person and by £8.15 for a married couple. To bring the same pension up to the level that would have been paid had it been uprated by the higher of earnings or prices would require an extra £12.80 and £20.50 respectively, on top of the actual increases. The extra cost of such a measure would be in excess of £5.7 billion per annum and would cost an additional £7.90 in national insurance contributions for an employee on average earnings and his employer.
Care Homes
Mr. Allen : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what assistance is available from his Department to those whose income support level is inadequate to meet the costs charged by the residential or nursing homes for the care which is required.
Miss Widdecombe : The income support limits for various categories of residential and nursing home care represent the maximum amounts available. Any additional assistance--for example, that provided by relatives or charitable organisations--is, however, disregarded in the calculation of income support entitlement. Local authorities have powers to place people in private residential care homes and meet their fees in full, recouping from the resident an assessed amount towards the charge.
Pensioners (Income)
Mr. Allen : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list the percentages of, and the percentage increase in real terms between 1979 and the
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latest year for which figures are available in pensioner income from (a) benefits, (b) occupational pensions, (c) savings and (d) earnings.Miss Widdecombe : The information requested is in the table.
Types of Pensioners' Percentage of GrReal Terms
Income Incomes increase
Per cent
|1979 |1987 |1979-87
---------------------------------------------------------------
Total Social Security Benefits |61 |53 |17
Occupational Pensions |16 |21 |77
Savings Income |11 |19 |130
Earnings |12 |7 |-20
|-- |--
Total Income |100 |100 |31
Sources: Family Expenditure Survey 1987.
Mr. Allen : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list by quintile the percentage change in pensioner net income from 1979 to date using standard prices.
Miss Widdecombe : The information is in the table.
Changes in real income for each
pensioner net income quintile
Quintile |Increase
|(per cent.)
|1979-87
------------------------------------
Bottom |19.0
Second |23.5
Third |24.0
Fourth |26.5
Top |43.8
Source: Family expenditure survey.
Mr. Allen : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what percentage of pensioner units receive income from state benefits to the value of (a) 100 per cent. of income, (b) 75 per cent. of income or more and (c) 50 per cent. of income or more.
Miss Widdecombe : In 1987 the percentage of pensioner units receiving income from state benefits to the valueof (a) 100 per cent. of income was about 16 per cent. ; (b) 75 per cent. of income or more--about 54 per cent. and (c) 50 per cent. of income or more--about 75 per cent.
Invalidity Benefit
Mr. Allen : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list the research (a) currently under way and (b) planned into the reasons for increasing numbers of invalidity benefit recipients, giving the title of the research, its authors, its cost and its completion date in each case.
Mr. Scott : No such research is being undertaken by or on behalf of the Department. A large survey of invalidity benefit recipients is planned to start later this year and the detail of this study has yet to be agreed. It is anticipated, however, that much of the work will be undertaken by in- house researchers and the study is likely to take about two years to complete.
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Cold Weather Payments
Mr. Allen : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what special assistance is offered to those elderly people who need an immediate cold weather payment in order to pay for fuels which require immediate cash payments.
Mr. Scott : Where there is entitlement to cold weather payment, the Department's offices can and do make immediate payments to the elderly who require assistance to pay for fuels. Payments may be made at the office in cases where it is essential to do so.
Staff are encouraged to adopt a sympathetic approach in their dealings with the elderly, and often provide assistance in helping the eligible customer to complete the application form.
In cases where a request is received for an amount above the £6 award, a specially trained social fund officer may decide that an application for an interest-free crisis loan, on top of the cold weather payment, should be invited. Such an award is discretionary and would be considered if the officer identified a serious risk to the health or safety of the customer.
Mr. Meacher : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what was the average weekly temperature in each weather station area used for cold weather payments for each week since 3 February ; and how much was claimed in cold weather payments in each of these weeks.
Mr. Scott : Details of average weekly temperatures in weather station areas used for cold weather payments since 3 February are held in the Library. Details of the total amounts claimed are not yet available.
Mr. Meacher : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will specify the precise days to which the Prime Minister's announcement of 7 February, Official Report, column 408, waiving the seven consecutive day temperature requirement for cold weather payments,
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refers and the days to which the Prime Minister's statement made on 12 February, Official Report, column 728 applies.Mr. Scott : My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister's announcements of 7 and 12 February, concerning the seven-day qualifying period for cold weather payments, refer to the periods 1-7 February and 8-14 February respectively.
Mr. Allen : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) what discussions his Department has had with the electricity companies with a view to enabling those who could receive cold weather payments to use such payments at the time of need by electricity payment cards ;
(2) if he will give consideration to the possibility of putting cold weather payment vouchers in pension or benefit books to enable such payments to be turned on by the Government when necessary.
Mr. Scott : We have no plans to make changes to the methods of payment of cold weather payments this winter, but as I announced in the House on 11 February, we will be reviewing the scheme in time for next winter, including the operational arrangements.
Retirement Pensions
Mr. Meacher : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what was the value of the basic state retirement pension for (a) a single pensioner and (b) a married pensioner couple at 1979 and at each uprating since 1979, including that proposed for April 1991 ; what it would have been if it had been uprated in line with average earnings at each of these upratings ; and what was the total cumulative loss as a result of not uprating in line with earnings at each uprating (i) at current prices and (ii) at 1991 prices.
Miss Widdecombe : The information requested in part (i) of the question is in the table. We are unable to give the figures at 1991 prices as the RPI figure for April is not yet available.
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Uprating date Period used to determine rate Single Person Married Couple
|Actual rate |Hypothetical |Difference |Actual rate |Hypothetical |Difference
|rate |rate
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
November 1978 |- |19.50 |- |- |31.20 |- |-
November 1979 |November 1978-November 1979 |23.30 |23.20 |-0.10 |37.30 |37.15 |-0.15
November 1980 |November 1979-November 1980 |27.15 |27.35 |0.20 |43.45 |43.80 |0.35
November 1981 |November 1980-November 1981 |29.60 |30.65 |1.05 |47.35 |49.05 |1.70
November 1982 |November 1981-November 1982 |32.85 |33.20 |0.35 |52.55 |53.10 |0.55
November 1983 |May 1982-May 1983 |34.05 |36.10 |2.05 |54.50 |57.75 |1.25
November 1984 |May 1983-May 1984 |35.80 |37.95 |2.15 |57.30 |60.70 |3.40
November 1985 |May 1984-May 1985 |38.30 |41.30 |3.00 |61.30 |66.05 |4.75
June 1986 |May 1985-January 1986 |38.70 |43.60 |4.90 |61.95 |69.75 |7.80
April 1987 |January 1986-September 1986 |39.50 |45.50 |6.00 |63.25 |72.80 |9.55
April 1988 |September 1986-September 1987|41.15 |49.10 |7.95 |65.90 |78.55 |12.65
April 1989 |September 1987-September 1988|43.60 |53.30 |9.70 |69.80 |85.30 |15.50
April 1990 |September 1988-September 1989|46.90 |58.45 |11.55 |75.10 |93.55 |18.45
April 1991 |September 1989-September 1990|52.00 |64.80 |12.80 |83.25 |103.75 |20.50
Notes:
1. Hypothetical rate is uprated from November 1979 using prices or earnings whichever is the greater in each year.
2. Figures quoted are £s per week.
Disabled People (Employment Quotas)
Mr. Allen : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what quotas apply to his Department for the employment of disabled people arising from the Disabled Persons (Employment) Act 1944 and other legislation ; and if he will make a statement.
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Mr. Scott : In common with other Crown employers, quotas do not apply to this Department. However, the Department is aiming to meet the 3 per cent. quota.
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Benefits Take-up
Mr. Allen : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list in ascending order the percentage take-up of each benefit administered by his Department.
Mr. Jack : The latest available information on take-up is contained in the technical notes on take-up of benefits, copies of which are available in the Library.
Agency Business Plans
Mr. Allen : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list the dates for each social security-related agency to publish its business plan.
Miss Widdecombe : We intend to publish business plans for 1991-92 for each of the Department's agencies by the end of April.
Benefit Schemes
Mr. Allen : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what proportion of the cost of (a) housing benefit schemes and (b) community charge benefit schemes is met by (i) cash-limited grant from central Government and(ii) other sources by category ; and what are the trends in these proportions.
Miss Widdecombe : Most of the benefit costs of the two schemes are currently met through direct subsidy (which is not cash limited) at a rate of 97 per cent. The balance is taken into account in local government finance settlements. In addition there are a number of lower rates of direct subsidy, ranging from nil to 50 per cent. in certain "incentive" areas where authorities have most scope to control costs. Sums reflecting unavoidable expenditure in these areas are also taken into account in local government finance settlements. The main change since the 1988 social security reforms has been the introduction of the housing revenue account arrangements in England and Wales in April 1990 ; under these, most rent rebate expenditure is taken into account at 100 per cent. when calculating subsidy, with expenditure in the "incentive" areas subsidised through a cash-limit specified sum. The basic rate of subsidy for expenditure outside these arrangements will change from 97 to 95 per cent. next April ; again, this change has been taken into account in local government finance settlements.
The Department also subsidises 50 per cent. of local authorities' estimated administrative needs through a cash-limited specific grant ; the remaining 50 per cent. is taken into account in local government finance settlements. The proportion met by direct subsidy was 60 per cent. between April 1988 and March 1990 ; there are no present plans for further changes, although all subsidy matters are kept under review.
Hostels
Mr. Allen : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list the 22 hostels run by his Department via the Resettlement Agency for single homeless people and the projected date in the case of each hostel for its transfer to local authorities and voluntary bodies.
Miss Widdecombe : The Resettlement Agency is responsible for the following 22 resettlement units :
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Alvaston, Derby ;Bishopbriggs, Glasgow ;
Bridgehouse, London ;
Brighton, East Sussex ;
Camden, London ;
Cedars Lodge, London ;
Fazakerley, Liverpool ;
Lancelot Andrews House, London ;
Leeds, West Yorkshire ;
Leicester, Leicestershire ;
Newbury, Berkshire ;
Plawsworth, Co. Durham ;
Pound Lodge, London ;
Sittingbourne, Kent ;
Southampton, Hampshire ;
Spur House, London ;
Stormy Down, Mid-Glamorgan ;
Walkden, Manchester ;
West End House, London ;
West Midlands, Worcester ;
Winterbourne, Bristol ;
Woodhouse, Sheffield.
The Resettlement Agency's main aim is to establish sufficient replacement provision in the local authority and voluntary sectors to enable its resettlement units to be closed.
The Brighton resettlement unit is to close by the end of March 1991 and the running of the Fazakerley unit will be transferred to Knowsley metropolitan borough council from April 1991.
The replacement of a further four of the agency's units is to be announced shortly, but no firm dates have yet been established for closure of the remaining units.
Care Costs
Mr. Allen : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the average cost of providing (a) residential and (b) nursing home care ; and what is the average payment made to those on income support in each category.
Miss Widdecombe : The Department does not collect data on the average cost of providing residential or nursing home care. Last year we commissioned Price Waterhouse to undertake a survey into costs ; some figures are available in its report, a copy of which is available in the Library.
For information about average payments made to those on income support I refer the hon. Member to my reply to him on 5 February at column 133-34.
Mr. Allen : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the average percentage of total costs of (a) residential and (b) nursing home care met by his Department for those who are on income support.
Miss Widdecombe : The information requested is not available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Mobility Allowance
Mr. Allen : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what steps is his Department taking to increase the take-up of mobility allowance by the deaf-blind ; and if he will make a statement on progress to date.
Mr. Scott : We have been monitoring the take-up of mobility allowance by people who are both deaf and blind and we have been disappointed that more claims have not been made. That is why on 18 February we started a nationwide publicity campaign primarily targeted on
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carers and professionals working with disabled people. It involves a direct mailshot to carers and professionals, the distribution of leaflets in specialist journals, and radio broadcasts.Benefit Applications
Mr. Allen : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the average time taken to process applications for each of the main benefits for which his offices covering the Nottingham, North constituency are
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responsible ; and whether the operational strategy makes such information available to any hon. Member who asks a similar question.Miss Widdecombe : The average length of time taken to process each of the main benefit claims for the offices covering the Nottingham, North constituency over the period 1 April 1990 to 31 December 1990 is in the table. This information can be made available to any hon. Member who asks a similar question. Hon. Members may also obtain the information from the appropriate district manager.
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Clearance times in working days
|Castlegate |David lane |Shakespeare|Station
|street |street
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Income support |7.00 |3.90 |8.80 |11.00
Retirement pension |16.80 |9.00 |26.70 |17.90
Sickness/Invalidity benefit |6.80 |7.50 |10.70 |7.70
Social fund
(i) Budget loan |4.50 |17.03 |3.82 |4.83
(ii) Community care grant |7.99 |15.36 |6.26 |6.91
(iii) Crisis loan |0.30 |0.25 |0.16 |0.46
SERPS
Mr. Allen : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, further to his answer of 6 February, Official Report, column 194, within which heading the administrative costs of the state earnings-related pension scheme are subsumed ; and what are the total costs under that heading for all fees, commissions and
administrations covered by that heading.
Miss Widdecombe : The administrative costs of SERPS are not separately identified, but are included in the overall figure for retirement pension. In 1989-90 the total estimated administrative cost of retirement pension was £331 million.
Mr. Allen : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what sums have been paid for each of the years since 1986 from general taxation into the national insurance fund to make good deficits arising from opting out of the state earnings-related pension scheme.
Mr. Jack : Payments have never been made into the national insurance fund from general taxation specifically to make good contribution rebates arising from opting out of SERPS.
Management Consultancies
Mr. Allen : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, further to his answer of 12 February, Official Report, column 441, if he will list those projects for which there is a publicly available report and those for which a report is not available.
Miss Widdecombe : Consultancy reports are usually internal working documents and are not publicly available. The exception is the Price Waterhouse report on residential care and nursing home costs, which was considered to be of wider interest. A copy of this report is available in the Library.
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