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Sir Wyn Roberts : No. Improvements to ports are matters for the port operators to take forward as they see fit.
Bilingual Schools
Mr. Geraint Howells : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many children attend bilingual schools in Wales ; and if he will make a statement.
Sir Wyn Roberts : The latest statistics available--1990--show that 104,616 children attend schools where some or all the teaching is through the medium of Welsh. This represents an increase of more than 1,000 pupils on the previous year.
Uniform Business Rate
Mr. Alex Carlile : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) if he will introduce a scheme of relief against the uniform business rate in Wales for those whose businesses have had to close because of financial failure ; and if he will make a statement ;
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(2) if he will make transitional relief against the uniform business rate available to new occupiers of existing shop and business premises in Wales ; and if he will make a statement.Mr. David Hunt : I have no plans to do so.
Wind Farms
Mr. Alex Carlile : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will introduce planning guidelines to ensure that the effect upon local television and radio reception is taken into account by local planning authorities when considering applications for the construction of wind farms in Wales ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Nicholas Bennett : A draft planning policy guidance note on renewable energy, including an annex on wind energy, was recently issued for public consultation. Paragraphs 52 to 56 of the annex give guidance on television and radio reception issues advising that "provided careful attention is paid to siting, wind turbines should not cause any significant problems of electromagnetic interference". The consultation period expired on 12 February and the responses received are being assessed.
Heartbeat Wales
Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales when he expects to publish the evaluation study of the first five years of Heartbeat Wales.
Mr. Nicholas Bennett [holding answer 24 February 1992] : The Heartbeat Wales programme is a multi-faceted project. Its evaluation is a complex process and is being undertaken in separate stages. The Health Promotion Authority for Wales--HPAW--published a technical report on "Recent Trends in Lifestyles in Wales 1985-1990" in February 1992 and compares 1985, 1988 and 1990 date on diet, smoking, alcohol, exercise weight and obesity by age and sex. The authority expects to publish two further technical reports in March 1992 examining changes in lifestyle by social class and sex, and by health authority district and sex.
By March 1993, the HPAW plans to publish a further four technical reports summarising community survey data and one technical report on clinical survey data. The final evaluation report is expected to be available by early summer 1993.
I am placing a copy of the February report in the Library of the House, and have arranged for copies of future reports to be placed similarly.
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SCOTLAND
Inverclyde Enterprise Zone
16. Dr. Godman : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent representations he has received concerning the Inverclyde enterprise zone ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Allan Stewart : Recent representations have related to the possible location within Inverclyde enterprise zone of the proposed expansion of the Registers of Scotland. It has now been decided to locate this operation at Cowglen, Glasgow.
I met the hon. Member and representatives of Inverclyde development corporation on 23 December to discuss prospects for the Inverclyde enterprise zone.
Bus Lanes
17. Mr. Bill Walker : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he plans to meet representatives of the Bus and Coach Council for Scotland to discuss its report," Buses mean Business", on bus lanes in cities.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : I hope to meet the Bus and Coach Council for Scotland on 9 March.
Defence
18. Mr. Douglas : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on the action which he proposes to take in relation to the report by Scottish Enterprise on defence in Scotland.
Mr. Allan Stewart : The report now received by Scottish Enterprise is an important contribution to the development of the defence industries initiative. Information from that study will be used by Scottish Enterprise to take forward work already in hand with local enterprise companies and defence companies to identify practical steps to help companies and communities adapt to the changing demand for defence-related goods and services.
Fishing Industry
19. Mr. Wallace : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he next intends to meet fishing industry representatives in Scotland to discuss the future structure of the industry.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : My noble Friend the Minister with responsibility for fisheries in Scotland will meet representatives of the fishing industry before the Fisheries Council meeting scheduled for 3 April.
Forestry Commission
20. Mr. Barry Field : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many hectares of Forestry Commission land have been sold off since 1979.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : The Forestry Commission had sold 155,000 hectares of land in the decade ended 1991.
Skye Bridge
21. Mr. Kennedy : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will estimate the cost of contract cancellation to the public purse arising from the
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cancellation of the commercial agreement entered into between his Department and the construction consortium for the purposes of building a toll-funded bridge to the Isle of Skye ; and if he will make a statement.Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : No cancellation costs arise, because the contract has not been cancelled.
Hospital Fund Raising
22. Mr. Nigel Griffiths : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is his estimate of the amount of money being raised by charities for Scottish hospitals.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : Just under one half of 1 per cent. of health service funding is contributed from charitable sources. The NHS is very appreciative of the support which is provided in this way.
Scottish Power
23. Mr. Foulkes : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what discussions he has had recently with the chairman of Scottish Power on the future of electricity generation and distribution.
Mr. Allan Stewart : My right hon. Friend meets the chairman of Scottish Power from time to time when a range of issues is discussed.
Drug Offences
24. Mr. David Marshall : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many people in Scotland, in each of the last five years, have been convicted, and what was their average sentence, for dealing, providing, pushing, selling, supplying or trafficking in drugs ; and if he will make a statement.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : Information on convictions for drugs offences is published annually in "Statistics of the misuse of drugs : seizures and offenders dealt with, United Kingdom, Scotland tables", copies of which are in the Library.
Financial Services
25. Mr. Darling : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is his estimate of the number of people employed in the financial services sector in (a) Scotland and (b) Lothian region.
Mr. Allan Stewart : The latest figures available, showing the number of people employed in the financial services sector, come from the 1989 Employment Department census of employment. The figures are (a) 83,856 for Scotland and (b) 27,566 for Lothian region.
Council House Sales
26. Mr. Knox : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many council houses have been sold to sitting tenants in Scotland since May 1979.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : Between April 1979 and September 1991 nearly 234,000 public sector houses in Scotland were sold to sitting tenants. Included in that figure are nearly 173,000 sales by local authorities.
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Nurse Training
27. Mr. Harry Ewing : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he has any plans to meet health service unions in Scotland to discuss nurse training.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : My right hon. Friend has no plans to meet health service unions in Scotland to discuss nurse training. Nurse training will, of course, change radically when we introduce Project 2000 courses later this year. My right hon. Friend also announced in February last year our plans for the future funding and organisation of nurse education and training following the enactment of the current legislative changes.
Renfrewshire Enterprise Company
28. Mr. Graham : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what discussions he has had with the Renfrewshire enterprise company regarding training and industrial development.
Mr. Allan Stewart : I had a very useful and constructive meeting with the chairman of Renfrewshire Enterprise and his colleagues on 14 October last year at which a wide range of topics relating to training and industrial development were discussed. My right hon. Friend and I also have frequent discussions with the chairman and members of Scottish Enterprise about developments in the Scottish economy generally.
Unemployment
29. Mr. Wray : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what action he is taking to solve unemployment in Scotland.
Mr. Allan Stewart : The key to increased employment is a prosperous and productive economy. The Government are firmly committed to removing the barriers to economic growth and to the stimulation of economic development, through various measures including the activities of Scottish Enterprise, Highlands and Islands Enterprise and their networks of local enterprise companies.
In relation to unemployed individuals, this Government have introduced the most comprehensive range of measures there has ever been in this country to help people back to work. The Employment Service provides a wide range of services which result in two thirds of people who become unemployed leave unemployment within six months. The Employment Service also manages the employment action programme, delivered through local enterprise companies as a complement to the range of training schemes which they offer and which make a major contribution to helping young people and the long-term unemployed to improve their prospects of entering employment.
The effectiveness of these measures in Scotland can be seen from the fact that the number of those unemployed for over a year rose in Scotland by only 8.4 per cent. between January 1991 and January 1992, less than a fifth of the average for Great Britain as a whole.
Dumfries-Stranraer Rail Link
30. Mr. Beggs : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what application he has received for support for the reinstatement of direct rail links between Dumfries and Stranraer ; and if he will make a statement.
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Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : My right hon. Friend has received representations seeking support, in principle, for the restoration of the railway line between Dumfries and Stranraer. Investment in railways is, however, a matter for British Rail. I understand that British Rail do not consider that this particular project could be economically or financially justified in the foreseeable future.
The Union
31. Mr. Gill : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what representations he has received in support of the maintenance of the Union between Scotland and England.
Mr. Lang : In the past six months I have received 47 letters supporting the maintenance of the Union between Scotland and England. That is more than I have received in favour of independence.
NHS Building
32. Sir Hector Monro : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many hospitals and other health board facilities have been built in Scotland since 1979 ; and at what cost.
Mr. Lang : Eighty-seven major hospital building projects have been completed since 1979 at a cost of £482 million. In addition to hospital new build and redevelopment, completed projects have included hospital service facilities, residences and energy saving schemes.
In the same period a large number of minor hospital projects and developments were completed. There has also been a major investment in information technology and a special programme to tackle backlog maintenance worth over £200 ; and significant new investment in health centres and colleges of nursing.
Capital investment in the NHS in Scotland has increased by 50 per cent. in real terms from 1979 to the year end 1991-92 and a total of nearly £230 million has been allocated to health boards in Scotland for capital expenditure for 1992-93.
A further 41 major projects with a value of £300 million are currently in the pipeline, representing the largest building programme in the history of the NHS in Scotland.
Fishing Industry
33. Mr. Menzies Campbell : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what proposals he has for the restructuring of the fishing industry in Scotland.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : The future structure of the fishing industry in Scotland is linked to the need for the United Kingdom to develop a new multi-annual guidance programme for the fishing fleet for the period 1993- 96. This is currently under discussion with the European Commission.
Constitutional Reform
34. Mr. Marlow : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what representations he has received in favour of a devolved Scottish assembly.
Mr. Lang : In the past six months I have received 55
representations supporting a devolved Scottish assembly, and 35 against a devolved Scottish assembly.
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35. Mr. Tom Clarke : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he next expects to meet the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities to discuss the future governance of Scotland.Mr. Lang : I meet the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities, regularly, but it has not sought a meeting specifically to discuss the future governance of Scotland.
Departmental Officials
36. Mr. Home Robertson : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the cost to his Department of (a) arranging for officials to be in attendance at the Scottish Grand Committee in Edinburgh on 24 February and (b) arranging for officials to be in attendance for Scottish Question Time in Westminster today, 26 February.
Mr. Lang : As Scottish Office officials in attendance at Scottish Grand Committee meetings in Edinburgh are deployed from other duties, my Department does not bear any significant extra costs in respect of their attendance. Officials attending Scottish Question Time do so in pursuit of their duties and, therefore, as a rule, extra costs are not involved.
Manufacturing Output
37. Mr. Cran : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland by how much manufacturing output in Scotland has risen since 1979.
Mr. Allan Stewart : Manufacturing output in Scotland has risen by 11.8 per cent. in the 11 years between 1979 and 1990.
Health Board Finances
38. Mr. Ernie Ross : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he last met the chairmen of health boards to discuss financial allocations.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : My last meeting with health board chairmen was on 31 January 1992.
National Health Service Trusts
39. Mr. Malcolm Bruce : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he has any plans to meet the chairmen of the Scottish National Health Service trusts to discuss operation of the trusts.
Mr. Lang : In my statement on 3 December approving the trust applications I indicated that I would be maintaining close contact with the trusts as they moved towards operational status on 1 April. I have already met the trust chairmen on several occasions and further meetings are planned.
Alternative Medicine
Mr. McMaster : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on the development of homoeopathic and alternative medicine within the Scottish health service.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : The decision on whether to practise medicine using homoeopathic or other alternative treatments is for individual doctors. Doctors in contract
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with the National Health Service can provide these treatments for their patients in the same way as they provide conventional medicines.Evening Primrose Oil
Mr. McMaster : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland whether primrose oil for the treatment of arthritis is included in the list of items available on prescription under the national health service ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : Medicinal products which the Licensing Authority has on advice judged to be safe and efficacious are generally available on the NHS. One evening primrose oil product is licensed for the treatment of atopic eczema and is prescribable on the NHS for that purpose. No evening primrose oil product is licensed for the treatment of arthritis.
The Advisory Committee on Borderline Substances advises the Health Departments as to the circumstances in which unlicensed products may be regarded as drugs and has considered evening primrose oil products from time to time but has not been satisfied that they have a therapeutic use in the treatment of arthritis.
Patients Charter
Mr. Galbraith : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the cost of the contract with the Post Office to distribute each health board's local version of the patients charter.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : The final cost of the contract with the Post Office will not be known until the distribution exercise is complete.
Mr. Galbraith : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the cost for each health board of producing and distributing their local version of the patients charter.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : Detailed information is not available centrally.
A7 (Accidents)
Mr. Kirkwood : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list all recorded road accidents which occurred on the A7 between Hawick and Langholm, indicating the location and date of each accident for the last two years for which figures are available.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton [holding answer 19 February 1992] : The information requested on injury accidents on the A7 between Hawick and Langholm for the two year period October 1989 to September 1991 is as follows :
Location: OS Grid Reference East |North |Date |Severity ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 34599 |61094 | 6 October 1989 |Serious 33870 |59730 |17 November 1989 |Slight 34060 |60171 |27 December 1989 |Slight 34207 |60690 |12 February 1990 |Fatal 33680 |58940 |16 March 1990 |Slight 34776 |61309 |21 March 1990 |Serious 34771 |61306 |16 May 1990 |Slight 34051 |60118 |24 June 1990 |Serious 34485 |60975 | 6 August 1990 |Slight 34054 |60329 |13 August 1990 |Slight 34070 |60282 |16 August 1990 |Slight 33710 |59090 |11 September 1990|Serious 34036 |60458 | 6 October 1990 |Slight 34023 |60416 |13 November 1990 |Slight 34023 |60416 | 5 December 1990 |Serious 35214 |61335 |14 December 1990 |Slight 34040 |60374 |11 January 1991 |Slight 34729 |61242 |18 January 1991 |Slight 33710 |59110 | 6 March 1991 |Slight 34060 |60547 |22 March 1991 |Slight 34528 |61050 | 4 April 1991 |Slight 34845 |61382 |20 April 1991 |Serious 33690 |58580 |22 July 1991 |Slight 34587 |61091 | 4 August 1991 |Serious 34610 |61119 |10 August 1991 |Slight 34062 |60547 | 2 September 1991|Slight 34643 |61160 |14 September 1991|Slight 34528 |61051 |26 September 1991|Slight 34733 |61250 |27 September 1991|Slight Figures for 1991 are provisional.
Traffic Systems, Hawick
Mr. Kirkwood : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement outlining the current timetable for consideration of the internal traffic management systems in Hawick ; and when he now expects to be in a position to authorise the funds and capital consents required to enable work to start to alleviate the current congestion.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton [holding answer 19 February 1991] : I expect a report on proposals to provide improved traffic management in Hawick to be submitted to the Secretary of State by Borders regional council in the course of the next two to three months. Until this report is available it is not possible to estimate the level of funding which would be required.
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Low-energy Lighting
Mr. Corbett : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he will make it his policy progressively to introduce low-energy lighting in all the buildings operated by his Department.
Mr. Lang [holding answer 25 February 1992] : The Scottish Office requires that any new buildings acquired should incorporate low- energy lighting systems. In existing buildings low-energy lighting is fitted wherever possible and this will continue as resources permit when refurbishment work is undertaken.
New Towns
Mr. Ingram : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on the proposed wind-up of the Scottish new towns. Mr. Allan Stewart [pursuant to the reply, 29 January 1992, c. 623.] I made orders on 24 February for the wind-up of East Kilbride and Glenrothes development corporations. The orders, which will come into effect on 1 March 1992, provide for the wind-up of both corporations to be completed by 31 December 1995.
Housing Support Grants
Mr. McMaster : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish a table showing the amount of housing support grant given to each Scottish local authority in each years since 1980 on the basis of the amount of council stock ; and if he will make a statement.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : Housing support grant is a deficit subsidy payable to those local housing authorities whose estimated housing revenue account expenditure would otherwise exceed their estimated housing revenue account income. The table shows the grant entitlements of individual authorities in each financial year from 1980-81 to 1992-93 divided by the number of houses to which the relevant housing revenue account in the appropriate year applied or is estimated to apply.
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|1980-81|1981-82|1982-83|1983-84|1984-85|1985-86|1986-87|1987-88|1988-89|1989-90|1990-91|1991-92|1992-93
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Berwickshire |457 |366 |245 |238 |183 |171 |78 |90 |37 |21 |0 |0 |0
Ettrick and Lauderdale |352 |235 |114 |79 |24 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Roxburgh |315 |247 |191 |207 |213 |223 |166 |200 |208 |259 |261 |233 |154
Tweeddale |172 |66 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Clackmannan |190 |133 |73 |5 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Falkirk |223 |132 |45 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |3 |5
Stirling |146 |77 |101 |2 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |13 |12
Annandale and Eskdale |283 |247 |274 |311 |330 |347 |275 |270 |323 |364 |332 |288 |264
Nithsdale |104 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Stewartry |260 |217 |169 |169 |147 |142 |106 |164 |179 |230 |198 |81 |97
Wigtown |241 |164 |96 |55 |44 |21 |0 |61 |96 |132 |148 |115 |92
Dunfermline |260 |122 |30 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Kirkcaldy |247 |117 |27 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
North East Fife |206 |122 |107 |41 |12 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Aberdeen |276 |241 |180 |96 |80 |60 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Banff and Buchan |430 |336 |258 |193 |157 |132 |47 |53 |22 |12 |0 |0 |0
Gordon |468 |390 |377 |294 |342 |326 |337 |506 |602 |689 |691 |707 |666
Kincardine and Deeside |376 |265 |232 |279 |246 |276 |224 |364 |458 |544 |534 |520 |447
Moray |401 |321 |209 |182 |167 |142 |66 |96 |61 |55 |0 |0 |0
Badenoch and Strathspey |431 |392 |457 |466 |442 |446 |352 |429 |367 |389 |400 |335 |334
Caithness |240 |207 |200 |204 |207 |191 |170 |197 |268 |328 |360 |338 |318
Inverness |325 |226 |198 |182 |191 |224 |153 |173 |207 |302 |310 |267 |212
Lochaber |526 |522 |402 |392 |365 |431 |471 |458 |622 |789 |914 |976 |956
Nairn |295 |219 |182 |241 |210 |206 |169 |196 |257 |322 |335 |293 |231
Ross and Cromarty |672 |672 |559 |500 |527 |562 |518 |545 |624 |694 |717 |713 |711
Skye and Lochalsh |470 |430 |434 |439 |534 |626 |747 |1,010 |1,275 |1,495 |1,606 |1,622 |1,608
Sutherland |422 |303 |285 |265 |277 |307 |308 |376 |463 |572 |588 |577 |486
East Lothian |311 |194 |130 |67 |26 |2 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Edinburgh |221 |140 |42 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |13 |14
Midlothian |252 |136 |70 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
West Lothian |216 |99 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Argyll and Bute |424 |332 |331 |307 |278 |264 |171 |215 |202 |229 |140 |84 |45
Bearsden and Milngavie |251 |106 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |29 |73 |167 |195 |201 |49
Clydebank |341 |276 |186 |157 |151 |152 |70 |69 |94 |96 |67 |48 |17
Clydesdale |170 |60 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Cumbernauld and Kilsyth |152 |27 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Cumnock and
Doon Valley |175 |79 |16 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Cunninghame |198 |118 |32 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |1
Dumbarton |213 |89 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
East Kilbride |209 |61 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |47 |26 |0 |0 |56 |96
Eastwood |152 |8 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |5 |7
Glasgow |285 |254 |217 |191 |191 |194 |131 |91 |154 |197 |165 |160 |127
Hamilton |218 |141 |67 |5 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Inverclyde |310 |225 |155 |96 |60 |29 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |9 |10
Kilmarnock and Loudoun |225 |103 |16 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |1
Kyle and Carrick |237 |155 |50 |25 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Monklands |152 |149 |113 |60 |69 |12 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Motherwell |205 |143 |83 |26 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Renfrew |166 |55 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |1 |1
Strathkelvin |217 |141 |111 |31 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Angus |298 |172 |86 |13 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Dundee |214 |131 |45 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Perth and Kinross |190 |80 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |2 |2
Orkney Islands |729 |758 |591 |509 |531 |549 |463 |513 |605 |568 |588 |478 |283
Shetland Islands |755 |993 |1,015 |915 |1,049 |1,054 |1,129 |1,225 |1,427 |1,593 |1,729 |1,811 |1,809
Western Isles |505 |519 |541 |703 |762 |881 |883 |1,066 |1,201 |1,579 |1,598 |1,676 |1,841
SOCIAL SECURITY
Pension Age
Mr. Andrew F. Bennett : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he has conducted any survey of the proportion of men who would continue working after they reached pension age if it was lowered to 64, 63, 62, 61 and 60 years.
Miss Widdecombe : No ; but the discussion document on equalising state pension age contained information on activity rates in this age group, and a survey commissioned by the Department from the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys will contain further information about individuals who have already retired, or plan to retire, earlier than the current state pension age. Since national insurance retirement pensions are no longer subject to an earnings rule, there is of course no necessary association between the decision whether or not to retire and the decision about whether or not to draw state retirement pension.
Poll Tax
Ms. Primarolo : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what would be the cost in 1991-92 of allowing an earnings disregard of (a) £5 or (b) £10 to occupational pensions in the determination of their poll tax rebate.
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Miss Widdecombe : Information for 1991-92 consistent with the departmental report could be provided only at disproportionate cost. In line with the overall expenditure forecasts in the departmental report (Cm 1914) the estimated costs at 1992-93 prices and benefit levels would be :
(a) £35 million
(b) £65 million
Source : Modelled using data drawn from the 1987-8-9 Family Expenditure Surveys.
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