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Miss Widdecombe : I understand from Mr. Michael Bichard, the chief executive of the Benefits Agency, that the information is not available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Mr. Meacher : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) what plans he has to monitor the effects of the Income Support (General Amendment) Regulations, S.I., 1991, No. 1559, on new claimants who are not covered by transitional protection and not entitled to family credit ;

(2) how many people he estimates will lose entitlement to income support and not be entitled to family credit as a result of the Income Support (General Amendment) Regulations, S.I., 1991, No. 1559 ;

(3) how many claimants currently receiving income support will need transitional protection as a result of the Income Support (General Amendment) Regulations, S.I., 1991, No. 1559 ; and what he anticipates the total cost of that transitional protection will be ; (4) how much his Department will save on payments of income support as a result of the reduction from 24 to 16 hours in the number of hours claimants can work.

Miss Widdecombe [holding answer 5 November 1991] : The reduction in the remunerative work rule from 24 to 16 hours in the income- related benefits comes into effect from April 1992. It is part of a package of measures which will result in many working families with children being better-off through easier access to family credit. The estimated cost of the change across the benefits is expected to be around £50 million in the first year reducing to about £25 million in the longer term.

Claimants who are working, or whose partners are working, between 16 and 24 hours a week and receiving income support at the point of change will not lose their entitlement to that benefit. Around 30,000 of them are likely to be families with children who will be entitled to more family credit than they would otherwise receive in income support. A similar number, about 30,000, will remain on income support under provisions giving them indefinite protection at an estimated cost of £30 million in the first year. It is expected that a further 35,000 parents, who are already working 16 hours or more and who are not yet on benefit, will come on to family credit in due course after April 1992, and that many more people will be attracted into work and on to family credit in the longer term and so become better off. However, because of likely behavioural changes it is not possible to forecast with any degree of accuracy what the net effect might be on claims

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for income support made after April 1992. We will be carefully monitoring the effects of the change in the remunerative work rule in all the income-related benefits.

Benefits

Mr. Allen : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what steps he is taking to reduce the time between his uprating announcement and the first payment of the uprated benefits.

Miss Widdecombe : The uprating date was moved to April in 1986 to align changes in social security benefits as closely as possible with the tax year and the local authority financial year. In order to ensure that the new benefit rates are implemented smoothly and efficiently to all beneficiaries in April, it is still necessary to announce them the previous autumn.

Mortgage Interest

Mr. Allen : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what proposals he has for meeting mortgage interests costs through housing benefit.

Miss Widdecombe : Help with mortgage interest is currently given through income support. We have no plans to extend these arrangements.

Parliamentary Questions

Mr. Allen : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many questions he has not answered in the last year because of disproportionate costs.

Miss Widdecombe : In the last year 70 questions were not answered because of disproportionate cost.

National Insurance

Mr. Gerald Bowden : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will investigate the case of Mr. Derek Merralls of 48 Worlingham road, London : and if he will review his Department's policy with regard to the payment of unemployment benefit to employees from whom national insurance payments have been deducted by an employer but not paid into the national insurance fund by an employer.

Mr. Jack : The case of Mr. Derek Merralls and the Department's policy on the effect on unemployment benefit of non-payment of national insurance contributions by employers is a matter for Miss Ann Chant, the chief executive of the Contributions Agency. She will write to my right hon. Friend and a copy will be placed in the Library and the Public Information Office.

War Disability Pensions

Mr. Steen : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how much the Government spend anually on war disability pensions ; and how many staff are employed in his Department on this.

Miss Widdecombe : Net expenditure on war disablement pensions in the financial year 1990-91 was about £570 million. About 1,050 staff are employed on all aspects of war pensions work, including the welfare service.

Mr. Steen : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the cost to his Department of the 90 per

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cent. rebates paid to local authorities by central Government by way of the standard rebate scheme for those on war disability pensions.

Miss Widdecombe : The information requested is not available. Overall figures for the amount of subsidy for housing benefit and community charge benefit are held, but it is not possible to obtain a breakdown within that of subsidy paid in respect of particular groups.

Mr. Steen : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list the local authorities in the south, south-east and south-west which use their discretionary powers to increase the rebates paid to those on war disability pension to above the 90 per cent. rebate refunded by central Government ; and what is the total cost to the community charge payers of each local authority which uses its discretionary powers in this way.

Miss Widdecombe : In the year 1990-91, 277 of the 370 local authorities in England reported that they excercised their discretionary power to disregard more than the statutory £10 of a war disablement pension. These local authorities are listed in the table. The most up-to- date information held of the total cost to local authorities of operating local schemes in respect of war disablement and war widows' pensions is for the 1989-90 financial year. In that year the costs incurred in respect of rate rebates was in the order of £4.3 million and in the order of £10 million in respect of rent rebates and allowances. It is not possible to break down these figures between war disablement and war widows' pensions.

Authorities in England operating a local scheme for war disablement             

pensions in 1990-91                                                             

Child Support

Dr. Godman : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list the organisations which have been invited to comment upon his consultation document "The Proposed Contents of the Child Support Regulations" to be made under the Child Support Act 1991 ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Jack : The organisations which have so far been sent a copy of the consultation document are as follows :

Action of Churches Together in Scotland (Law Department) Association for Payment & Clearing Services

Association of British Chambers of Commerce

Association of County Councils

Association of Directors of Social Services

Association of District Judges

Association of District Councils

Association of London Authorities

Association of Magisterial Officers

Association of Metropolitan Authorities

Association of Scottish Chambers of Commerce

Barnardos

British Agencies for Adoption & Fostering

British Bankers Association

British Computer Society

Building Societies Association

Campaign for Justice in Divorce

Campaign for Work

Centre for Policy Studies

Chief Adjudication Officer (Chief Child Support Officer

Designate)

Child Poverty Action Group

Child Support Agency (Chief Executive Designate)

Childrens Legal Centre

Childrens Society

Church Action on Poverty

Citizens Advice, Scotland

Commission for Racial Equality

Committee of Scottish Clearing Bankers

Confederation of British Industry

Confederation of British Industry (Scottish Region)

Convention of Scottish Local Authorities

Council of Her Majesty's Circuit Judges

Council on Tribunals

Derbyshire County Council

Disability Alliance

Equal Opportunities Commission

Faculty of Advocates

Families Need Fathers

Family Law Association of Scotland

Family Law Bar Association

Family Law Commission

Family Policies Studies Centre

Family Welfare Association

General Bar Council of England and Wales

Gingerbread

Gingerbread Scotland

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Independent Tribunal Service

Inner London Magistrates' Courts Service

Justices' Clerks' Society

Law Society

Law Society of Scotland

Legal Action Group

London Boroughs Association

Lord President of the Court of Session

Magistrates' Association

Magistrates' Court Committee, Archway Road

Magistrates' Court Committee, Ashton-under-Lyme

Magistrates' Court Committee, Aylesbury

Magistrates' Court Committee, Barking

Magistrates' Court Committee, Barnet

Magistrates' Court Committee, Barnsley

Magistrates' Court Committee, Bedford

Magistrates' Court Committee, Bexleyheath

Magistrates' Court Committee, Birkenhead

Magistrates' Court Committee, Birmingham

Magistrates' Court Committee, Bishopsgate

Magistrates' Court Committee, Blackpool

Magistrates' Court Committee, Bolton

Magistrates' Court Committee, Bootle

Magistrates' Court Committee, Bradford

Magistrates' Court Committee, Bridgend

Magistrates' Court Committee, Bridgwater

Magistrates' Court Committee, Bristol

Magistrates' Court Committee, Bromley

Magistrates' Court Committee, Bury

Magistrates' Court Committee, Caernarvon

Magistrates' Court Committee, Cambridge

Magistrates' Court Committee, Cardiff

Magistrates' Court Committee, Carlisle

Magistrates' Court Committee, Chelmsford

Magistrates' Court Committee, Cheshire

Magistrates' Court Committee, Chesterfield

Magistrates' Court Committee, Church End

Magistrates' Court Committee, Coventry

Magistrates' Court Committee, Croydon

Magistrates' Court Committee, Doncaster

Magistrates' Court Committee, Dudley

Magistrates' Court Committee, Durham

Magistrates' Court Committee, Ealing

Magistrates' Court Committee, Esher

Magistrates' Court Committee, Exeter

Magistrates' Court Committee, Gateshead

Magistrates' Court Committee, Gloucester

Magistrates' Court Committee, Great Eastern Road

Magistrates' Court Committee, Gwent

Magistrates' Court Committee, Halifax

Magistrates' Court Committee, Harrow

Magistrates' Court Committee, Hastings

Magistrates' Court Committee, Havant

Magistrates' Court Committee, Haverford West

Magistrates' Court Committee, Hebburn (Tyne & Wear)

Magistrates' Court Committee, Herefordshire

Magistrates' Court Committee, Hertford

Magistrates' Court Committee, Huddersfield

Magistrates' Court Committee, Huyton

Magistrates' Court Committee, Ilford

Magistrates' Court Committee, Isle of Wight

Magistrates' Court Committee, Kingston upon Thames

Magistrates' Court Committee, Leeds

Magistrates' Court Committee, Leek

Magistrates' Court Committee, Leicester

Magistrates' Court Committee, Lincoln

Magistrates' Court Committee, Liverpool

Magistrates' Court Committee, Maidstone

Magistrates' Court Committee, Manchester

Magistrates' Court Committee, Middlesbrough

Magistrates' Court Committee, Middlesex

Magistrates' Court Committee, Mold

Magistrates' Court Committee, Morpeth

Magistrates' Court Committee, Newcastle upon Tyne

Magistrates' Court Committee, Newtown (Powys)

Magistrates' Court Committee, Northampton

Magistrates' Court Committee, North Humberside

Magistrates' Court Committee, North Shields

Magistrates' Court Committee, Nottingham

Magistrates' Court Committee, Oldham

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