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Benefit Costs
Mr. Allen : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what research his Department has done on changing the balance between income tax and national insurance so that total benefit costs are met from national insurance contributions.
Mr. Jack : No such research has been undertaken.
Community Charge Benefit
Mr. Allen : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security when he expects to have information on the take-up level of community charge benefit.
Miss Widdecombe : Information on the take-up of income-related benefits such as community charge benefit, can be obtained only from retrospective data. Information about take-up for the first full year of the community charge benefit scheme can be produced only after the results of the 1991 family expenditure survey become available.
Attendance Allowance
Mr. Allen : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what guidance is issued by his Department to ensure that those in receipt of attendance allowance are made aware of other benefits which they may claim ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Scott : The Department's leaflets are available to people receiving attendance allowance from normal outlets including social security offices, citizens advice bureaux, post offices, voluntary organisations and by writing or telephoning the Department of Social Security's leaflets unit at Stanmore. In addition the attendance allowance claim pack (DS2) gives information about invalid care allowance and home responsibilities protection. It also directs potential attendance allowance beneficiaries to sources of help and advice, including the social security freeline telephone service. The leaflet which is sent with all decisions on attendance allowance (DS668) alerts recipients to a range of other
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social security benefits to which they might be entitled, including invalid care allowance, income support, housing benefit and severe disablement allowance, and where to seek advice about social security benefits. It also gives details of the independent living fund. Children approaching 16 years of age who are receiving attendance allowance are sent specific advice about severe disablement allowance and income support, for which they may qualify.Mr. Allen : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what percentage of attendance allowance reviews by doctors, of original decisions by delegated medical practitioners not to award, result in an award of attendance allowance ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Scott : The information is not available in the form requested.
Information on all successful reviews is given at table E1.02 of "Social Security Statistics 1990", a copy of which is available in the Library. The figures for 1990 are given in the table.
Decisions on review by the Attendance Allowance
Board and reason
for review
|Figures
------------------------------------------------
Total Reviews |68,094
Number successful |51,320
Success rate |75 per cent.
Reason for Review
Dissatisfaction:
Number reviewed |33,615
Number successful |21,330
Success rate |63 per cent.
Deterioration:
Number reviewed |32,347
Number successful |29,084
Success rate |90 per cent.
Other change:
Number reviewed |2,132
Number successful |906
Success rate |42 per cent.
Note: A successful review is one where an award
is made or increased or is backdated.
Quality of Service Targets
Mr. Allen : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will include in his next departmental report the key quality of service targets for his Department and current performance results on each target.
Miss Widdecombe : We will continue to publish key targets for forward periods and results for past periods in the most appropriate documents. The results for years to 1989-90 and targets for 1990-91 were published in the departmental report (Cm 1514) on 1 February 1991. Targets for 1991-92 for the DSS executive agencies will be published in the individual agencies' business plans in April.
National Insurance
Mr. Allen : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what percentage of national insurance contributions is collected by the (a) Inland Revenue and (b) other bodies.
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Mr. Jack : In 1989-90 the Inland Revenue collected 93 per cent. of all national insurance contributions. The remaining 7 per cent. were collected by the Department of Social Security.
Mr. Allen : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the total cost of staff and administration in collecting national insurance for each of the last 10 years.
Mr. Jack : The information is in the table. The figures show Department of Health and Social Security (now DSS) and Inland Revenue costs for the administration and collection of national insurance contributions.
The increase is accounted for mainly by the effects of inflation on salary and other operational costs. In addition, accommodation costs were transferred from the PSA to the administrative vote during the period covered by the table.
Income tax |Cost year |£ million --------------------------------- 1980-81 |98 1981-82 |103 1982-83 |116 1983-84 |130 1984-85 |138 1985-86 |145 1986-87 |152 1987-88 |163 1988-89 |174 1989-90 |183
Benefit Changes
Mr. Allen : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security who set the criteria for the changes in benefits listed on page 6 and 7 of his departmental report--Cm. 1514 ; and what consultations took place on these criteria with the legislature.
Miss Widdecombe : Paragraphs 4 to 8 of the departmental report (Cm. 1514) set out the Government's approach to social security policy and its development. That approach, and all the proposals and actions of the Department, are subject to continuous parliamentary scrutiny.
Next Steps" Agencies
Mr. Allen : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what changes he envisages in (a) parliamentary accountability in general and (b) his method of handling parliamentary written and oral questions arising from the move to agencies.
Miss Widdecombe : As my right hon. Friend the former Prime Minister said in reply to the hon. Member for Newport, West (Mr. Flynn) on 6 June 1990 at column 615, Ministers remain fully accountable to Parliament for the work of their Departments, including executive agencies.
As one of the objectives of establishing executive agencies is to respond better to the concerns of hon. and right hon. Members, answers to written questions relating to operational matters for which authority has been delegated to a chief executive will normally be answered with an explanation that the chief executive, as the person best placed to give a prompt and effective response, will write to the hon. Member and a copy of the reply will be
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placed in the Library. Answers to oral questions relating to operational matters will normally be based on information supplied by the chief executive.Special Schools
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will clarify paragraph 17 of his draft circular of 21 December 1990, on the application of local management of schools procedures to special schools in
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Wales, by specifying the precise advantages he believes special schools in Wales can obtain from delegated management.Sir Wyn Roberts : I have been asked to reply. We propose to extend the openness and fairness of formula funding to all special schools and to give the opportunity to manage its own budget to every special school that wants to do so and can show that it is able to do so.
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