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Mr. Lennox-Boyd [holding answer 3 June 1991] : An energy survey, including an energy audit, of the main Foreign and Commonwealth Office building in Whitehall was carried out in 1990. The consultants concluded that annual savings of £53,000 could be achieved with no capital expenditure and further savings of £7,100 per annum could be achieved with a capital expenditure of £19,400. The majority of the recommendations have already been implemented.
AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD
Food Research
Dr. David Clark : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many ministerial visits were paid to each of the institutes of food research at (a) Norwich, (b) Reading and (c) Langford in each of the past five years ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Gummer : In the past five years, four ministerial visits have been made to the Agricultural and Food Research Council institute of food research : once to Norwich in 1986, twice to Norwich in 1987 and once to Reading in 1990.
EMPLOYMENT
Cash Limits
Mr. Stevens : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment whether any changes will be made to the cash limits or running costs limits for 1991-92 within the employment group.
Mr. Jackson : Subject to parliamentary approval of the necessary supplementary estimates, the following changes will be made. The cash limit for class VI, vote 1 (programmes and central services) will be increased by £90,392,000 from £2,266,849,000 to £2, 357,241,000. The increase is the net result of an increase of £105, 000,000 for employment training in England and Wales which was announced to the House on 26 February (partly offset by increased receipts of £8,408,000 from the Welsh Office, class XVI, vote 4) ; a transfer of £4,500,000 to class VI, vote 3 for offshore safety ; a transfer of £1,186,000 to the Ministry of
Column 185
Defence class I, vote 1 for payments to participants in their youth training scheme and a transfer of £514,000 to the Employment Service, class VI, vote 2 to reflect the transfer of certain responsibilities for common services and telecommunications.The cash limit for class VI, vote 2 (Employment Service) will be increased by £17,514,000 from £436,335,000 to £453,849,000. The increase is the net result of an increase of £55,000,000 for the increased costs of the administration of unemployment benefit and associated payments (offset by increased receipts of £38,000,000 from the Department of Social Security, class XIV, vote 4) and additional provision to help unemployed people, including extra counselling and jobsearch seminars, and a transfer of provision of £514,000 from class VI, vote 1 to cover certain common service responsibilities. The cash limit for class VI, vote 3 (Health and Safety Commission and Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service), will be increased by £18,071,000 from £160,735,000 to £178,806,000. The increase reflects the transfer of the offshore safety function to the Health and Safety Executive and is the net result of a transfer of £12,549,000 from the Department of Energy, class V, votes 2 and 3 (partly offset by increased associated receipts of £353,000) ; a transfer of £4,500,000 from class VI vote 1 ; a transfer of £300,000 from the Department of Transport, class VIII, vote 2 (More than offset by increased associated receipts of £325,000) ; and increased provision of £1,046,000 to cover superannuation payments for offshore safety staff (fully offset by increased receipts to the civil superannuation vote).
The single running cost limit for the Department of Employment (class VI votes 1 and 2) will be increased by £55,000,000 from £1,002,699,000 to £1,057,699,000.
The running cost limit for the Health and Safety Commission (class VI vote 3) will increase by £11,129,000 from £121,957,000 to £133,086,000.
These increases will be charged to the reserve and therefore will not add to the planned total of public expenditure.
Labour Statistics
Mr. Vaz : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many people are employed in the east midlands in the textile or footwear industries ; what percentage of the total work force of the east midlands this represents ; what is his estimate of the number of people in the east midlands whose jobs depend upon the east midlands textile and footwear industry ; if he will express this as a percentage of the total work force ; and what the equivalent figures and percentages were in 1979.
Mr. Forth [holding answer 3 June 1991] : Estimates of employment at the required level of detail are only available from the census of employment.
The available information is given in the table.
L
Textiles and Footwear
|Number |Percentage of
|Civilian Workforce
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
1981
September<1> |103,000 |5.7
1989
September |75,000 |3.9
<1> Earliest comparable date.
Column 186
Tourism
Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment whether he will publish a table showing nationally, regionally and for each district, the central Government provision in the standard spending assessment for tourist expenditure and the expenditure on and income from tourism ; and if he will take steps to encourage local authorities to recover expenditure on tourism from a tourist tax.
Mr. Key : I have been asked to reply.
Tourism will have an impact on a range of services provided by local authorities. These include those provided by districts, for example, on environmental health, refuse collection and street cleaning. There will also be an impact on a wider range of services, predominantly provided by counties, such as police and highway maintenance. For some services it is possible for the authorities concerned to offset expenditure with income from charges ; car parking and leisure facilities are the most obvious examples. There is no explicit element for tourism within the standard spending assessment for an authority, but, within the standard spending assessment components for district and county level services generally, the annual number of domestic visitor nights spent in the authority is one of the factors used in the distribution. A table showing the amount of standard spending assessment distributed on the basis of this factor alone for 1991-92 has been placed in the Library.
I am also placing in the Library a table showing the latest information on estimated central Government expenditure on tourism-related activities ; and one on income from tourism as measured by the estimated spending of visitors.
On the question of a tourist tax, the Government have no specific proposals in this area. However, we are willing to consider as part of the local government review any suggestion for new local sources of revenue which might assist authorities in this area.
SOCIAL SECURITY
Agencies
Mr. Rogers : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what was the total cost of launching the Benefits Agency at (a) national, (b) area and (c) district levels.
Miss Widdecombe : The information requested is a matter for Mr. Michael Bichard, the chief executive of the Benefits Agency. He will write to the hon. Member, and copies will be placed in the Library and the Public Information Office.
Mr. Rogers : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what was the total cost of launching the Contributions Agency at (a) national, (b) area and (c) district levels.
Mr. Jack : The information requested is a matter for Miss Ann Chant, the chief executive of the Contributions Agency. She will write to the hon. Member with such information as is available and copies will be placed in the Library and the Public Information Office.
Column 187
Mobility Allowance
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is his assessment of the effect of the implementation of the Disability Living Allowance and Disability Working Allowance Bill upon entitlement to motability ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Scott : The motability scheme will be available to people on the higher rate of the mobility component of disability living allowance in the same way as it is to people currently on mobility allowance. The extension of the higher rate of the mobility component to severely mentally handicapped people with severe behavioural problems means that more disabled people will have the opportunity to benefit from motability when DLA is introduced than at present.
Local Offices, Doncaster
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what change there has been in the numbers of claims and the time involved in (a) the assessment of a claim and (b) the notification of the assessment to the claimant in his Department's offices in the Doncaster area, following the installation of computer systems.
Miss Widdecombe : The delivery of social security benefits is a matter for Mr. Michael Bichard, the chief executive of the Benefits Agency. He will write to the hon. Member, and copies will be placed in the Library and the Public Information Office.
Pensioners
Mr. Colvin : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he plans to change the pension rules so that expatriate Britons can have their pensions upgraded as they are in the United Kingdom ; and how much such a move would cost.
Mr. Jack : Annual pension increases are paid to United Kingdom pensioners living in 32 overseas countries. We have no plans to extend the payment of these increases to all UK pensioners worldwide. Such a move would cost £337 million a year at April 1991 rates of benefit.
Mortgage Debt
Mr. Ian Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will publish a table for the past five financial years showing how much his Department spent servicing mortgage lending debt incurred by borrowing from building societies.
Miss Widdecombe : Estimates of amounts included for mortgage interest in the assessment of supplementary benefit and, from 1988, income support, are given in the table for each of the past five years for which information is available.
Information about building society loans is not collected. The amounts shown relate to the interest on loans from all mortgage lenders. In 1989, some 281,000 claimants had an amount for mortgage interest included in their assessment. For the vast majority, the amount is less than £100.00 per week.
|£ million
------------------------------
1984 |218.5
1986 |351.2
1987 |335.2
1988 |285.6
1989 |353.1
Source: Annual Statistical
Enquiries 1984-89.
Notes:
In 1985 the Annual
Statistical Enquiry was not
undertaken.
Figures are rounded to the
nearest hundred thousand.
Social Assistance
Mr. Alfred Morris : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what discussions are taking place with the European Community concerning the establishment of a minimum level of social assistance in each member state ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Jack : Officials have been taking part in preliminary discussions with the Commission and other member states on a draft Council recommendation on common criteria concerning social assistance schemes. The resultant draft has not yet been received by the Government, but the indications are that it will not present serious problems for the United Kingdom, which is one of the member states that already has a comprehensive scheme in the shape of income support.
Cash Limits
Mr. Andrew Mitchell : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security whether there have been any changes in the cash limits or running costs limits of his Department for 1991-92.
Mr. Scott : Subject to parliamentary approval on the necessary supplementary estimate the cash limit for class XIV vote 4 (Administration and Miscellaneous Services) will be increased by £42, 658,000, from £1,838,770,000 to £1,881,428,000. The revision takes account of the work involved in the uprating of child benefit and national insurance contributions on company cars as announced by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer in his Budget statement (£5,004,000) ; provision for the work carried out by the Department of Social Security on behalf of the Department of Employment (£4,589,000) ; a transfer to the Department of Health (class XIII vote 3) of £847,000 ; a transfer to the Home Office (class IX vote 3) of £4,000 ; a transfer from the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys (class XIII vote 6) of £269,000 ; a transfer from the Office of the Minister of the Civil Service (class XIX vote 1) of £10,000, an increase in agency payments to the Department of Employment (class VI vote 2) of £38,000,000 and a transfer from the civil superannuation vote (class XVIII vote 4) of £40,000. The additional requirements are partially offset by an increase in receipts of £4,403,000. The balance will be charged to the reserve and will therefore not add to the planned total of public expenditure.
In addition, running cost changes result from a transfer to the Department of Health and Social Services (Northern Ireland) (£1,965, 000) for the running costs of the Belfast social security centre. There will be a corresponding increase on the Department of Health and Social Services (Northern Ireland) vote 3 Administration and Miscellaneous Services ; also a reduction of £50,000 to take account of a variation from a previously anticipated pattern of expenditure.
Column 189
As a result of these changes, the running cost limit of the Department of Social Security is increased by £8,605,000 from £2,107, 212,000 to £2,115,817,000.Local Government Finance
Mr. Cousins : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will recalculate the tables provided, pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Norfolk, North (Mr. Howell) Official Report, 27 March, columns 443-48, to include the effects of the Community Charges (General Reduction) Act 1991.
Mr. Jack [holding answer 8 May 1991] : The information is set out in the tables. All assumptions are as set out in the published tax- benefit model tables. Each family is assumed to live in council property appropriate to its size and to pay estimated average rent and community charge.
Column 190
The weighted average headline community charge for Great Britain in accordance with the Community Charges (General Reduction) Act is £246 a year as from April. The tables have been adjusted to take into account all the other April Budget proposals/benefit changes, as well as the proposed changes in October.It should be noted that the results in the tables 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. The tables use hypothetical rents so they do not reflect the full range of housing costs which people can pay.
Single person (aged 25 or over)
|£ per week
-----------------------------------------------
Assumed rent |21.59
Assumed Community Charge |4.70
Gross |Tax |National |Take home |Rent rebate |Community |Total net |Net income
earnings |Insurance |pay |Charge |income |after rent and
|benefit |Community
Charge |Charge
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
60.00 |0.00 |2.18 |57.82 |13.03 |1.78 |72.63 |46.34
80.00 |4.16 |3.98 |71.86 |3.90 |0.00 |75.76 |49.47
100.00 |9.16 |5.78 |85.06 |0.00 |0.00 |85.06 |58.77
120.00 |14.16 |7.58 |98.26 |0.00 |0.00 |98.26 |71.97
140.00 |19.16 |9.38 |111.46 |0.00 |0.00 |111.46 |85.17
160.00 |24.16 |11.18 |124.66 |0.00 |0.00 |124.66 |98.37
180.00 |29.16 |12.98 |137.86 |0.00 |0.00 |137.86 |111.57
200.00 |34.16 |14.78 |151.06 |0.00 |0.00 |151.06 |124.77
Married Couple
|£ per week
-----------------------------------------------
Assumed rent |21.59
Assumed Community Charge |9.40
£ per week
Assumed rent 21.59
Assumed Community Charge 9.40
Column 189
Gross |Tax |National |Take home |Rent rebate |Community |Total net |Net income
earnings |Insurance |pay |Charge |income |after rent and
|benefit |Community
Charge |Charge
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
60.00 |0.00 |2.18 |57.82 |21.59 |7.52 |86.93 |55.94
80.00 |0.00 |3.98 |76.02 |19.14 |6.95 |102.11 |71.12
100.00 |0.89 |5.78 |93.33 |7.89 |4.36 |105.58 |74.59
120.00 |5.89 |7.58 |106.53 |0.00 |2.38 |108.91 |77.92
140.00 |10.89 |9.38 |119.73 |0.00 |0.40 |120.13 |89.14
160.00 |15.89 |11.18 |132.93 |0.00 |0.00 |132.93 |101.94
180.00 |20.89 |12.98 |146.13 |0.00 |0.00 |146.13 |115.14
200.00 |25.89 |14.78 |159.33 |0.00 |0.00 |159.33 |128.34
Married Couple with one child aged 11
|£ per week
-----------------------------------------------
Child benefit |9.25
Assumed rent |23.82
Assumed Community Charge |9.40
£ per week
Child Benefit 9.25
Assumed rent 23.82
Assumed Community Charge 9.40
Column 189
Gross |Tax |National |Take home |Family |Rent rebate|Community |Total net |Net income
earnings |Insurance |pay |credit |Charge |income |after rent
|Benefit |and
|Community
Charge |Charge
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
60.00 |0.00 |2.18 |57.82 |54.40 |10.48 |4.44 |136.39 |103.17
80.00 |0.00 |3.98 |76.02 |44.76 |4.92 |3.16 |138.11 |104.89
100.00 |0.89 |5.78 |93.33 |32.64 |1.54 |2.38 |139.14 |105.92
120.00 |5.89 |7.58 |106.53 |23.40 |0.00 |1.78 |140.96 |107.74
140.00 |10.89 |9.38 |119.73 |14.16 |0.00 |1.19 |144.33 |111.11
160.00 |15.89 |11.18 |132.93 |4.92 |0.00 |0.60 |147.70 |114.48
180.00 |20.89 |12.98 |146.13 |0.00 |0.00 |0.00 |155.38 |122.16
200.00 |25.89 |14.78 |159.33 |0.00 |0.00 |0.00 |168.58 |135.36
Column 191
Married couple with two children aged 8 and 11
|£ per week
-----------------------------------------------
Child benefit |16.75
Assumed rent |26.03
Assumed Community Charge |9.40
Gross |Tax |NI |Take home |Rent rebate |Community |Total net |Net income
earnings |pay |Charge |income |after rent and
|benefit |Community
Charge |Charge
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
60.00 |0.00 |2.18 |57.82 |64.10 |10.35 |3.90 |152.92 |117.49
80.00 |0.00 |3.98 |76.02 |54.46 |4.79 |2.62 |154.64 |119.21
100.00 |0.89 |5.78 |93.33 |42.34 |1.41 |1.84 |155.67 |120.24
120.00 |5.89 |7.58 |106.53 |33.10 |0.00 |1.24 |157.62 |122.19
140.00 |10.89 |9.38 |119.73 |23.86 |0.00 |0.65 |160.99 |125.56
160.00 |15.89 |11.18 |132.93 |14.62 |0.00 |0.06 |164.36 |128.93
180.00 |20.89 |12.98 |146.13 |5.38 |0.00 |0.00 |168.26 |132.83
200.00 |25.89 |14.78 |159.33 |0.00 |0.00 |0.00 |176.08 |140.65
Married couple with three children aged 8, 11 and 15
£ per week
Child Benefit 24.25
Assumed Rent 26.03
Assumed Community Charge 9.40
Column 191
Gross |Tax |National |Take home |Family |Rent rebate|Community |Total net |Net income
earnings |Insurance |pay |credit |Charge |income |after rent
|Benefit |and
|Community
Charge |Charge
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
60.00 |0.00 |2.18 |57.82 |80.20 |8.01 |3.36 |173.64 |138.21
80.00 |0.00 |3.98 |76.02 |70.56 |2.45 |2.08 |175.36 |139.93
100.00 |0.89 |5.78 |93.33 |58.44 |0.00 |1.30 |177.32 |141.89
120.00 |5.89 |7.58 |106.53 |49.20 |0.00 |0.70 |180.68 |145.25
140.00 |10.89 |9.38 |119.73 |39.96 |0.00 |0.11 |184.05 |148.62
160.00 |15.89 |11.18 |132.93 |30.72 |0.00 |0.00 |187.90 |152.47
180.00 |20.89 |12.98 |146.13 |21.48 |0.00 |0.00 |191.86 |156.43
200.00 |25.89 |14.78 |159.33 |12.24 |0.00 |0.00 |195.82 |160.39
Married Couple with Four children aged 3, 8,
11 and 15
|£ per week
-----------------------------------------------
Child benefit |31.75
Assumed rent |26.03
Assumed Community Charge |9.40
£ per week
Child Benefit 31.75
Assumed rent 26.03
Assumed Community Charge 9.40
Column 191
Gross |Tax |National |Take home |Family |Rent rebate|Community |Total net |Net income
earnings |Insurance |pay |credit |Charge |income |after rent
|Benefit |and
|Community
Charge |Charge
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
60.00 |0.00 |2.18 |57.82 |89.90 |5.67 |2.82 |187.96 |152.53
80.00 |0.00 |3.98 |76.02 |80.26 |0.00 |1.54 |189.57 |154.14
100.00 |0.89 |5.78 |93.33 |68.14 |0.00 |0.76 |193.98 |158.55
120.00 |5.89 |7.58 |106.53 |58.90 |0.00 |0.16 |197.34 |161.91
140.00 |10.89 |9.38 |119.73 |49.66 |0.00 |0.00 |201.14 |165.71
160.00 |15.89 |11.18 |132.93 |40.42 |0.00 |0.00 |205.10 |169.67
180.00 |20.89 |12.98 |146.13 |31.18 |0.00 |0.00 |209.06 |173.63
200.00 |25.89 |14.78 |159.33 |21.94 |0.00 |0.00 |213.02 |177.59
National Insurance Contributions
Mr. Allen : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what are the percentages for national insurance contributions at each income band, using constant 1991 prices, for each year since 1979.
Column 192
Mr. Jack [holding answer 3 June 1991] : The information requested is in the table.
Column 193
National Insurance contribution (NIC) percentage rates<1> 1979 onwards
Tax Year |Employees' NIC rate |Employers' NIC rate |Weekly income
|bands at which
|different NIC rates
|£
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1979-80 |6.5 |13.5<2> |Single percentage
1980-81 |6.75 |13.7<2> |rate applied to
1981-82 |7.75 |13.7<2> |all earnings between
1982-83 |8.75 |13.7<2> |lower and upper
1983-84 |9.00 |11.95<2> |earnings limits
1984-85 |9.00 |11.45<2>
1985-86 (to 5 October 1985) |9.00 |10.45<2>
6 October 1985 to 5 April 1986 |5.00 |5.00 |35.50-54.99
|7.00 |7.00 |55.00-89.99
|9.00 |9.00 |90.00-129.99
|9.00 |10.45 |130.00-265.00
|NIL |10.45 |Above 265.00
1986-87 |5.00 |5.00 |38.00-59.99
|7.00 |7.00 |60.00-94.99
|9.00 |9.00 |95.00-139.99
|9.00 |10.45 |140.00-285.00
|NIL |10.45 |Above 285.00
1987-88 |5.00 |5.00 |39.00-64.99
|7.00 |7.00 |65.00-99.99
|9.00 |9.00 |100.00-149.99
|9.00 |10.45 |150.00-295.00
|NIL |10.45 |Above 295.00
1988-89 |5.00 |5.00 |41.00-69.99
|7.00 |7.00 |70.00-104.99
|9.00 |9.00 |105.00-154.99
|9.00 |10.45 |155.00-305.00
|NIL |10.45 |Above 305.00
1989-90 |5.00 |5.00 |43.00-74.99
|7.00 |7.00 |75.00-114.99
|9.00 |9.00 |115.00-164.99
|9.00 |10.45 |165.00-325.00
|NIL |10.45 |Above 325.00
|Employee |Employer
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5 October 1989 to 5 April 1990 |2.00 |5.00 |43.00 |43.00 to 74.99
|9.00 |7.00 |43.01 |75.00 to 114.99
|9.00 |to |115.00 to 164.99
|10.45 |325.00 |165.00 or more
1990-91 |2.00 |5.00 |46.00 |46.00 to 79.99
|9.00 |7.00 |46.01 |80.00 to 124.99
|9.00 |to |125.00 to 174.99
|10.45 |350.00 |175.00 or more
1991-92 |2.00 |4.60 |52.00 |52.00 to 84.99
|9.00 |6.60 |52.01 |85.00 to 129.99
|8.60 |to |130.00 to 184.99
|10.40 |390.00 |185.00 or more
Notes:
<1> All rates are in respect of not contracted-out employment.
<2> Includes National Insurance surcharge.
<3> Percentage rates are applied to all earnings once the level of earnings reaches a certain point. In 1986-87,
for example, NICs would have been levied at a single rate of 7 per cent. on gross earnings of £65.00.
<4> All figures shown are those current at the time. The lower and upper earnings limits for the payment of NICs,
and the earnings bands between those levels, increase broadly in line with price inflation.
Child Support Agency
Mr. Butler : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what progress he has made in setting up the Child Support Agency.
Mr. Jack : Pursuant to my reply of 15 April at column 9-10, no final decisions have yet been made on the location of administration centres for the Child Support Agency,
Column 194
since its establishment depends on the passage of the Child Support Bill currently before the House. However, for planning purposes the assumption is that there should be up to six new offices housing about 3,000 staff--in addition to the CSA staff who will be based in local offices of the Department's Benefits Agency, making a total of about 4,500 in all. It is the Government's intention to locate the new administration centres in different areas throughout the country as part of its policy of relocating civil service jobs.Substantial progress has been made in identifying suitable locations with over 100 sites visited by my officials at 31 different locations. Detailed negotiations and discussions are being conducted about six particular locations in Falkirk, Belfast, Birkenhead, the black country (Dudley), Hastings and Plymouth--all of which appear to meet the criteria required for supporting a large CSA office. The discussions are aimed at establishing the ability of each location to meet the Department's accommodation specification, cost requirements and timetable. Once I am satisfied on all these matters, I will confirm the final decisions on the locations of the new administration centres. If successful, this will create new jobs for people in the travel-to-work areas in these six locations. The Department's decision to locate the work of the new agency in different parts of the country should be seen in conjunction with the announcement earlier this year confirming the location of 700 more jobs in the north-east--at Newcastle--for the Contributions Agency, in addition to the 1,000 jobs for Newcastle announced last year. A further 800 DSS jobs are due to move to Leeds from mid-1992 as part of the initiative to relocate work from DSS headquarters offices in London and Southampton. From April 1992, the administration of the new benefits for disabled people will require about 1,100 staff who will be located in a number of areas spread around the country. Relocation of work from London social security offices has been in progress since 1989 and a total of over 1,500 new jobs have been created in Glasgow, Belfast and Ashton-in-Makerfield. By the end of 1992, it is estimated that about 83 per cent. of jobs in DSS will be in locations outside London.
NORTHERN IRELAND
Northern Ireland Railways
Mr. Beggs : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what would be the cost of providing two years' pensionable pay when death occurs during service for employees of Northern Ireland Railways ; and what is the cost of the present scheme.
Mr. Needham : Employees of Northern Ireland Railways qualify for membership of the pension scheme administered by the Northern Ireland Local Government Officers' Superannuation Committee under the Superannuation (Northern Ireland) Order 1972.
The cost of providing benefits under the NILGOSC scheme is not recorded on an individual basis. It would not be possible, therefore, without an actuarial valuation to calculate the cost of providing two years' pensionable pay when death occurs during service.
The cost to existing members of the NILGOSC scheme is 5 per cent. of salary for manual employees and 6 per cent. of salary for non-manual employees with employing authorities contributing 6.2 per cent.
Employees of Northern Ireland Railways are, of course, entitled to join a private pension scheme, the benefits and cost of which may differ from the NILGOSC scheme.
Column 196
Regional Waste Licensing
Mr. Beggs : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what provisions are being made to establish a regional waste licensing system for Northern Ireland.
Mr. Needham : The Government are currently preparing proposals for a comprehensive waste management strategy for Northern Ireland which will take into account comments received from district councils on the Aspinwall report. The proposed strategy will be the subject of consultation in due course.
Listed Buildings
Mr. Beggs : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what resources are being allocated to ensure that stated targets for listed buildings, surveying historic monuments and sites and designating conservation areas can be met.
Mr. Needham : In 1991-92, the Department of the Environment for Northern Ireland will spend £5.1 million, including staff costs and programmes expenditure, on tasks or functions related to historic building and monuments. The Department remains on course for meeting the targets set out in Government's White Paper "This Common Inheritance" (Cmd 1200).
Street Lighting
Mr. McGrady : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what criteria are used to decide whether any part of a road in the Downpatrick and Craigavon divisions of the Department of the Environment should be provided with street lighting.
Mr. Needham : The criteria used to decide whether any part of a road in the Downpatrick and Craigavon divisions should be provided with street lighting are traffic volumes, road safety, and the density of housing and other developments.
Road Improvement Schemes
Mr. McGrady : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what major road improvement schemes have been carried out in the Downpatrick and Craigavon divisions between 1 March 1984 and 31 March 1991.
Mr. Needham : The information requested is :
Downpatrick Division--
Balloo Road, Bangor--Stage 1
Union Bridge, Lisburn
Lisburn through pass ; Benson Street-Longstone Street
Dunmurry by-pass--Stage 2A
Lisburn through pass ; Governors Road-Laganbank Road
Balloo Road, Bangor--Stage 2
Hillsborough by-pass ; Lisburn Road junction
Shimna Bridges, Newcastle
Donaghadee Road, Newtownards
Dunmurry by-pass--Stage 2C
Craigavon Divison--
Patrick Street/Borans Hill, Newry
Upper Dromore Road, Warrenpoint
A1--Ballintaggart Crest
A1--Climbing Lane at Customs Station, Newry
Kilmorey Street junction, Newry
A1--Edenordinary final surfacing
A1--Beechill
Banbridge by-pass bridge
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