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Local Government Finance, Gloucestershire
Mr. French : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will take steps using his powers under the local government legislation to prepare a report on the finances of Gloucestershire county council.
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Mr. Key : No. My right hon. Friend has no such powers.Sites of Special Scientific Interest
Dr. David Clark : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the sites of special scientific interest in England for which management agreements are currently being negotiated, giving details of the damage threatened in each case ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Trippier : The information requested is confidential to English Nature and the owner-occupier of the SSSI.
Tenants Charter
Sir John Stanley : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many tenants in (a) England and (b) the United Kingdom currently have statutory rights under the tenants charter.
Sir George Young : At 1April 1990, in England, there were 4,370,000 tenants of local authorities and 563,000 tenants of housing associations, making a total of 4,933,000. The Department does not hold figures on the total number of secure tenants who meet the conditions of part IV of the Housing Act 1985 and have statutory rights under the tenants charter. For information about Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, I refer my right hon. Friend to my right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for Northern Ireland, for Scotland and for Wales.
SOCIAL SECURITY
National Insurance Contributions
19. Sir David Mitchell : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many people at the upper earnings limit pay national insurance contributions on overtime payments.
Mr. Jack : At least 3 million people benefit from the existence of the upper earnings limit and this includes those who normally earn below the upper earnings limit but whose earnings in any one week including overtime exceed the weekly limit. The upper earnings limit ensures such people pay national insurance contributions on only part of their earnings from overtime.
Pensioners
20. Mr. Squire : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will detail the movement in pensioners' real earnings (a) between 1974 and 1979 and (b) 1979 and to the latest date and compare each with the underlying movement in average earnings for the same period.
Mr. Newton : My hon. Friend will be interested to hear that the average real value of the earnings of those single pensioners in work, or pensioner couples where one or both were working, increased by 36 per cent. between 1979 and 1988. This compared with a decrease of 6 per cent. between 1974 and 1979. The average real earnings of the whole economy rose by 1 per cent. between 1974 and 1979 and by 25 per cent. between 1979 and 1988.
Mr. Brandon-Bravo : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the average income of a single pensioner and a pensioner couple on income support ; and what is the total weekly value of their income from all benefits.
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Mr. Newton : I refer my hon. Friend to my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Dulwich (Mr. Bowden) earlier today.
21. Mr. Pawsey : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will give an estimate of the trend in pensioners' real incomes since 1979.
Mr. Newton : My hon. Friend will be pleased to hear that the average total net income of single pensioners and pensioner couples increased by 34 per cent. between 1979 and 1988.
Dame Elaine Kellett-Bowman : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what will be the increase in income support rates for a pensioner couple aged over 80 years as a result of this year's uprating.
Miss Widdecombe : A pensioner couple aged over 80 years will see an increase in their income support of £7.70 at the April 1992 uprating. This is an increase of 8.7 per cent. We have increased the higher pensioner premium by £1.50 for couples and £1 for single people, in addition to the 7 per cent. increase in income support personal allowances and premiums. This premium is payable to disabled pensioners aged 60 to 79 as well as those aged over 80.
Elderly People (Services)
22. Mr. Battle : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what steps are being taken to improve DSS service to the elderly.
Miss Widdecombe : We are continually improving our services to the elderly. The recent introduction of the local office computer network has already resulted in a speedier service for pension claims and inquiries. For example, retirement pension claims which were taking, on average, 20 days to clear in 1990-91 are now taking only 16 days.
National Insurance
23. Sir Trevor Skeet : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what would be the weekly cost to someone on (a) £25,000 a year and (b) £30,000 of the removal of the national insurance upper earnings limit.
Mr. Jack : If the national insurance upper earnings limit were to be removed, someone on earnings of £25,000 or £30,000 a year would pay extra contributions of approximately £8.17 or £16.82 respectively each week.
Care Homes
24. Mr. Stevens : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many people are expected to benefit from the increased funding from residential care and nursing home income support limits announced in October 1991.
Miss Widdecombe : I refer my hon. Friend to my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Medway (Dame P. Fenner) earlier today.
Mr. Ralph Howell : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the total full-year cost of increases in income support limits for people in residential care and nursing homes announced in the last two years.
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Miss Widdecombe : The estimated full-year cost of the April 1991 increase in residential care and nursing home limits is £225 million and for the April 1992 increase £190 million.Disabled People
148. Mr. Bill Michie : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will make a statement on help available to people with disabilities in the form of grants from the European Community.
Mr. Scott : The EC does not make grants to individual disabled people. However, disabled people do benefit from the EC's programmes which I listed in my reply to the hon. Member on 12 November at column 475.
150. Mr. Bill Michie : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will receive a deputation of Sheffield people with disabilities to discuss the distribution of European Community grants.
Mr. Scott : If the hon. Member will write to me with details I will certainly consider the request.
151. Mr. Bill Michie : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he has received any recent representations about the funding by the European Community for helping people with disabilities.
Mr. Scott : We have received no such representations recently.
Mr. Alfred Morris : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how much money from the European Commission budget has been spent on projects for disabled people in the United Kingdom in each of the last 10 years.
Mr. Scott : We are seeking the information requested direct from the Commission. I will write to the right hon. Member.
Sir Patrick Duffy : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list the moneys available from the European Community for helping people with disabilities in member states.
Mr. Scott : I refer the hon. Member to my reply to the hon. Member for Sheffield, Heeley (Mr. Michie) on 12 November at column 475 .
Community Charge
Mr. Marlow : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security by what amount income support for a single person will be reduced, pursuant upon the introduction of the council tax, based on today's rate of payments made to compensate for 20 per cent. community charge payments, assuming no increase in the cost of living.
Mr. Fraser : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security whether it is his intention on enactment of the Local Government Finance Bill to take into account in the re-rating of social security benefits the abolition of the obligation to pay a minimum of 20 per cent. of the community charge.
Miss Widdecombe : I refer my hon. Friend and the hon. Gentleman to paragraph 3.8 of the Government's consultation document "A New Tax For Local Government", which is in the Library.
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Mr. Meacher : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will make a statement on the proportion of his Department's spend to be transferred to local authorities when his policy of community care is implemented.
Miss Widdecombe : We shall transfer to local authorities, via the Department of Health, the expenditure which would otherwise have been incurred by this Department on the care element of income support for people who enter residential care and nursing homes after 31 March 1993.
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Sheffield, Brightside (Mr. Blunkett), on 12 November, Official Report, column 477, what is the estimated cost for 1991-92 of the adjustments made to income-related benefit levels in April 1989 in respect of the 20 per cent. poll tax contribution, excluding the first 50p of the adjustments for single persons and the first £1 for couples.
Miss Widdecombe : The full cost of the adjustment made to income- related benefit levels is estimated to be £580 million at 1991-92 benefit levels. Reducing the personal allowances for all the income-related benefits by 50p for single people and £1 for couples would save an estimated £210 million.
Source : Modelled using data drawn from the 1986-7-8 Family Expenditure Surveys at 1991-92 prices and benefit levels.
War Pensions
Mr. Ashley : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will make a statement on the progress of discussions to simplify the war pensions scheme ; and when changes are expected to be implemented.
Miss Widdecombe : Copies of the scrutiny report which made proposals, inter alia, for the simplification of the war pensions scheme have been given to members of the Central Advisory Committee on War Pensions and various other ex-service organisations for them to comment. The report was discussed at the June meeting of the committee and will be discussed again at its next meeting on 5 December. Comments are still being received and in general they are supportive. Any changes agreed as a result of these discussions will be implemented as soon as possible. One small change, the absorption of dependency allowance into the basic war disablement pension, has already been announced to be implemented from next April following the unanimously favourable response to this improvement.
Benefit Claims
Mr. Nellist : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security for each quarter since October 1989, how many income support and unemployment benefit claimants in Coventry have (a) successfully and (b) unsuccessfully claimed income support under the hardship rules, showing those whose claim was in doubt due to (i) not actively seeking work, (ii) refusing suitable employment and (iii) availability for work.
Miss Widdecombe : The administration of income support is a matter for Mr. Michael Bichard, the chief executive of the Benefits Agency. He will write to the hon.
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Member with such information as is available and copies will be placed in the Library and the Public Information Office.Social Fund
Mr. Nellist : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many claimants applied for grants or loans under the social fund during the 1990-91 financial year in Coventry ; how many were turned down and for what reason ; what was the average size of the grant, crisis loan or budgetary loan in the year ; and if he will provide comparable figures for the first three and six months of 1991-92.
Mr. Scott : The administration of the social fund 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. Meacher : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will make inquiries to ascertain the number of districts currently paying social fund loans where there is considered to be serious risk to health and safety.
Mr. Scott : All Benefits Agency districts are currently paying social fund loans to applicants where there is considered to be a serious risk to health and safety.
Mr. Allen : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what social fund directions concerning the provision of assistance to people entering, or returning to, the United Kingdom from abroad have been issued in the last 18 months ; and what they are, to whom they apply, the period for which they are in force and where they are published.
Mr. Scott : On 7 September 1990 special, temporary, arrangements were introduced to provide help from the social fund for people returning to or entering the United Kingdom, where the entry or return was as a result of war or hostilities in the country which they left, or a neighbouring country. These arrangements were made as a result of the Gulf crisis.
Details of the special arrangements were published in the main social security leaflet "Which Benefit" (FB2) and also in various other leaflets. The availability of this help was also mentioned in the annual report on the social fund 1990-91, Cm 1580, presented to Parliament by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State on 17 July 1991.
I have today sent the hon. Member a copy of the Secretary of State's directions, which give effect to the special arrangements, and a copy will be placed in the Library. The directions apply to any person who fulfils the conditions laid down in them. The directions will be withdrawn on 27 November, since the purpose for which they were put into place no longer exists. The directions are as follows :
"Settlement or resettlement loan
Direction 3A. A Social Fund payment may be awarded to assist an eligible person to meet, for a temporary period following his entry or return to the United Kingdom from another country, reasonable settlement or resettlement expenses where his entry or return is a result of war or hostilities in that or a neighbouring country. Travel grant
Direction 4A. A Social Fund payment may be awarded to assist an eligible person with reasonable travel, accommodation or subsistence expenses arising from his or a member of
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his family's entry or return to the United Kingdom from another country where the entry or return is as a result of war or hostilities in that or a neighbouring country to the extent that those expenses have been or are likely to be necessarily incurred whilst in transit between the port of entry and his likely place of stay in the United Kingdom.Direction 6A. An award within direction 4A is referred to in these directions as a travel grant and shall not include a determination that it is repayable.
Settlement or resettlement loans and travel grants
(a) Eligibility
Direction 29A. A person is eligible for a settlement or resettlement loan under direction 3A or a travel grant under direction 4A if he is aged 16 or over and the conditions of that direction are satisfied and the applicant has no available or insufficient resources to meet the expenses to which that direction relates at the date when the application is determined.
(b) Effect of capital on settlement or resettlement loans Direction 29B. Where the total capital resources available to the applicant and his partner exceed £500 (£1,000 if the applicant or partner is aged 60 or over) any settlement or resettlement loan which would but for this direction be awarded, shall be awarded only to the extent that the amount exceeds the amount by which the available capital resources exceed £500 (£1,000 if the applicant or partner is aged 60 or over).
(c) Maximum amounts
Direction 29C. The maximum amounts which may be awarded-- (a) under direction 3A is £2,500 but, if an amount has already been awarded under that direction to the applicant or his partner, the maximum amount must not exceed the difference between any sum already repayable to the Social Fund by the applicant or his partner in respect of any award under that direction and £2,500 ;
(b) under direction 4A in respect of the applicant and each member of his family is £500."
Local Offices (Coventry)
Mr. Nellist : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what are the current targets for his Department's offices in Coventry for meeting (a) delivery and (b) accuracy for benefits administered.
Miss Widdecombe : The setting of targets for district offices 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. Nellist : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many (a) permanent and (b) temporary staff were employed in each category in his Coventry offices on 1 January 1991, 1 May 1991 and at the latest convenient date ; and if he will make a statement.
Miss Widdecombe : The staffing of district offices 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. Nellist : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what action he is taking to improve the services his Department offers for people in Coventry ; and if he will make a statement.
Miss Widdecombe : Customer service in local offices 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.
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Pension Schemes
Sir John Stanley : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security when the regulations following his review of the disclosure requirements for occupational and personal pension schemes, including unit-linked personal pension plans, to which he referred in his answer of 20 December 1990, Official Report, column 318, will be laid.
Miss Widdecombe : Draft regulations on disclosure requirements for occupational and personal pensions schemes, including unit-linked personal pension plans, were referred to the Occupational Pensions Board. The board has now reported to the Secretary of State and regulations will be laid shortly.
Mrs. Edith Hirons-Wing
Mr. Meacher : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will ensure that Edith Mary Hirons-Wing of 9 Molesworth road, Cobham, Surrey receives her pension book this week.
Miss Widdecombe : I understand from Mr. Michael Bichard, the chief executive of the Benefits Agency, that a retirement pension order book was sent to Mrs. Hiron-Wing on 1 November 1991.
Mrs. Mary Trotter
Mr. Meacher : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security when Mrs. Mary Bryant Trotter, reference FY/123/63A, submitted a claim for night allowance ; and if he will ensure that a decision on her claim is sent to her within the next week.
Mr. Scott : Mrs. Trotter applied for higher rate attendance allowance on 13 March 1991. The result of her application together with payment in full was sent to her on 15 November 1991.
Local Offices
Mr. Meacher : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will set up an inquiry into the extent of closing of benefit claim offices during official opening hours.
Miss Widdecombe : We have no plans to do so. Mr. Michael Bichard, the chief executive of the Benefits Agency will write to the hon. Member and copies will be placed in the Library and the Public Information Office.
Mr. Meacher : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, pursuant to his answer of 5 November, Official Report, column 90, what information is available concerning the closure of benefit claim offices during official opening hours ; and what procedures or regulations govern closure during official opening hours and what discretion is left to the local managers.
Miss Widdecombe : The closure of benefit claim offices 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.
Income Support
Mr. Meacher : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, pursuant to his answer of 5 November, Official Report, column 83, on transitional protection, if he will
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break down the number of income support transitional claimants by pensioners, long-term sick and disabled, families with children and others.Miss Widdecombe : The information is as follows :
|Number
-------------------------------------------------
Pensioners |10,000
Long-term sick and disabled people |5,000
Families with children |5,000
Others |10,000
|----
Total |25,000
Note: Figures may not sum to total due to
rounding.
Source: Based on modelling using data drawn from
the May 1990 Annual Statistical Enquiry of
Income Support recipients.
Family Credit
25. Mr. Alison : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security by how much rates of family credit will change in April 1992.
26. Sir William Shelton : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security by how much rates of family credit will change in April 1992.
Mr. Jack : In April 1992 all the rates which are used in the calculation of family credit will be increased by 7 per cent. Families receiving family credit will also gain from the increase in child benefit.
Mr. Nellist : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many people in Coventry are currently receiving family credit ; and what were the figures six and 12 months ago.
Mr. Jack : Operational issues of family credit are 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.
Child Benefit
Mr. Dykes : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what will be the total value to a two-child family of the three increases in child benefit which will have taken place in the year to April 1992.
Mr. Beaumont-Dark : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what will be the total value to a two-child family of the three increases in child benefit which will have taken place in the year to April 1992.
Mr. Jack : I refer my hon. Friends to my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Erewash (Mr. Rost) earlier today.
Mr. Barry Field : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what will be the full-year cost of the last two increases in child benefit and next April's proposed increase.
Mr. Jack : The full-year cost in 1992-93 will be over £1 billion. This represents an increase of 22 per cent. compared with the expenditure for 1990-91.
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