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Consultants
Mr. McAllion : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list each private sector consultancy firm which has been retained by each agency within his Department, and for his Department as a whole, for the purposes of advising on the market testing programme ; and whether the appointment in each case was the result of competitive tendering.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : I have recently appointed Mr. Christopher Littmoden, finance director of Marks and Spencer, to act as a part-time private sector adviser on the Department's market testing programme. No consultancy firms are employed for this purpose.
Surplus Land
Mr. French : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has for the disposal of his Department's surplus land.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : Surplus Ministry of Defence land is disposed of as quickly as possible.
AWE, Llanishen
Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what proposals he has for the future ownership and management of the atomic weapons establishment, Llanishen, Cardiff ; and if he will state the timing proposed for changes and the policy considerations underlying his decision.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : Following the passage of the Atomic Weapons Establishment Act through Parliament last year the Government intend to transfer the atomic weapons establishment, which includes the Cardiff site, to full contractor operation on 1 April 1993. The establishment will remain in government ownership. Contractorisation will enable the establishment to gain additional project and production management expertise as well as giving access to the corporate support of a major industrial company or consortium.
Underground Nuclear Explosions
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will obtain for his departmental library a copy of the proceedings of the seminar on the detection and
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recognition of underground nuclear explosions, held at the Royal Astronomical Society on 14 February ; and if he will make a statement on the utility to his Department of participation in such discussion meetings.Mr. Archie Hamilton : Yes. My Department welcomes and encourages participation in seminars in which there is an exchange of ideas aimed at resolving the technical problems associated with the detection and recognition of underground nuclear explosions.
SOCIAL SECURITY
Resettlement Units
Mr. Battle : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) under the revised strategy for the future of the resettlement units (a) to which voluntary agencies the resettlement units will be transferred, (b) what discussions have been held with voluntary organisations, local authorities and other interested parties concerning the proposal to transfer responsibility for the resettlement units, and (c) if it is intended to re-establish the regional review groups ;
(2) following the transfer of the resettlement units to voluntary organisations, (a) if the planned closure of the units and the rehousing of residents to suitable accommodation will still take place, (b) if the voluntary organisations taking responsibility for the resettlement units will be able to use the proceeds from the sale of land and buildings arising from the closure programme to fund replacement beds and (c) if resources made available to voluntary organisations include an allowance for inflation for both capital and revenue costs.
Miss Widdecombe : The management of the Resettlement Agency is a matter for Mr. Tony Ward, the chief executive. He will write to the hon. Member and copies will be placed in the Library and the Public Information Office.
Child Support
Ms. Harman : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will publish a table showing the value of child support for each child in standard rate tax-paying families in 1991 prices from 1961 to 1992-93.
Mr. Jack : The information requested is in the table :
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Value of child support<1> for each child in standard rate tax-paying families expressed at April 1991<2> prices (
£)
Date<3> Children under age 11 Children aged 11-15 Children aged 16 and over
|1st child|2nd child|3rd<4> |1st child|2nd child|3rd<4> |1st child|2nd child|3rd<4>
|child |child |child
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
April 1961 |7.83 |10.65 |11.49 |9.71 |12.64 |13.37 |11.70 |14.52 |15.35
April 1962 |7.41 |10.08 |10.87 |9.19 |11.96 |12.65 |11.07 |13.74 |14.53
April 1963 |8.33 |10.94 |11.72 |10.07 |12.88 |13.46 |11.91 |14.62 |15.38
April 1964 |8.16 |10.73 |11.48 |9.87 |12.62 |13.19 |11.67 |14.33 |15.00
April 1965 |8.18 |10.70 |11.24 |9.98 |12.41 |13.04 |11.78 |14.21 |14.84
April 1966 |7.90 |10.33 |10.85 |9.64 |11.98 |12.59 |11.37 |13.72 |14.33
April 1967 |7.61 |10.03 |10.34 |9.36 |11.63 |12.22 |11.04 |13.32 |13.91
April 1968 |7.34 |9.20 |9.76 |8.96 |10.81 |11.30 |10.57 |12.35 |12.91
April 1969 |6.96 |9.10 |9.63 |8.49 |10.63 |11.16 |10.02 |12.16 |12.62
April 1970 |6.59 |8.62 |9.12 |8.04 |10.06 |10.57 |9.49 |11.51 |11.95
April 1971 |7.68 |9.73 |10.19 |8.87 |10.98 |11.45 |10.12 |12.18 |12.64
April 1972 |7.22 |9.15 |9.59 |8.34 |10.33 |10.77 |9.52 |11.45 |11.89
April 1973 |6.55 |8.21 |8.61 |7.75 |9.35 |9.75 |8.72 |10.32 |10.71
April 1974 |7.52 |8.91 |9.25 |8.66 |9.95 |10.34 |9.60 |10.89 |11.28
April 1975 |6.59 |9.11 |9.11 |7.52 |10.05 |10.05 |8.34 |10.90 |10.90
April 1976 |6.91 |9.06 |9.06 |7.70 |9.85 |9.85 |8.41 |10.54 |10.54
April 1977 |6.64 |7.60 |7.60 |7.31 |8.27 |8.27 |7.89 |8.82 |8.82
April 1978 |7.91 |7.91 |7.91 |8.53 |8.53 |8.53 |9.04 |9.04 |9.04
April 1979 |9.81 |9.81 |9.81 |9.81 |9.81 |9.81 |9.81 |9.81 |9.81
November 1980 |9.10 |9.10 |9.10 |9.10 |9.10 |9.10 |9.10 |9.10 |9.10
November 1981 |8.98 |8.98 |8.98 |8.98 |8.98 |8.98 |8.98 |8.98 |8.98
November 1982 |9.42 |9.42 |9.42 |9.42 |9.42 |9.42 |9.42 |9.42 |9.42
November 1983 |9.98 |9.98 |9.98 |9.98 |9.98 |9.98 |9.98 |9.98 |9.98
November 1984 |10.02 |10.02 |10.02 |10.02 |10.02 |10.02 |10.02 |10.02 |10.02
November 1985 |9.71 |9.71 |9.71 |9.71 |9.71 |9.71 |9.71 |9.71 |9.71
July 1986 |9.69 |9.69 |9.69 |9.69 |9.69 |9.69 |9.69 |9.69 |9.69
April 1987 |9.48 |9.48 |9.48 |9.48 |9.48 |9.48 |9.48 |9.48 |9.48
April 1988 |9.12 |9.12 |9.12 |9.12 |9.12 |9.12 |9.12 |9.12 |9.12
April 1989 |8.44 |8.44 |8.44 |8.44 |8.44 |8.44 |8.44 |8.44 |8.44
April 1990 |7.71 |7.71 |7.71 |7.71 |7.71 |7.71 |7.71 |7.71 |7.71
April 1991 |8.25 |7.25 |7.25 |8.25 |7.25 |7.25 |8.25 |7.25 |7.25
October 1991 |9.11 |7.39 |7.39 |9.11 |7.39 |7.39 |9.11 |7.39 |7.39
April <5>1992
<1> The combined value of child tax allowance after clawback and family allowance/child benefit.
<2> Based on the movement in the general index of retail prices at April 1991.
<3> Child tax allowance ceased after the 1978-79 tax year and uprating dates are shown from 1979 onwards.
<4> And subsequent children.
<5> April 1992 benefit rates at April 1991 prices not yet available.
Income Support
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the total number of people in Wales in receipt of income support ; and how many face prepayment deductions to meet various debts and unpaid bills.
Miss Widdecombe : The latest information available is contained in tables 1.4 and 10.1c of volume 3 of the "Department of Social Security Income Support Statistics Annual Statistical Enquiry, May 1990", a copy of which is available in the Library.
Social Fund
Mr. Evennett : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security when he received the report of the Social Security Advisory Committee on the social fund ; and if he has any plans to change the operation of the fund in response.
Mr. Scott : We have today received this report. We welcome its constructive approach, based on an endorsement of many of the principles on which the fund's operation rests and an acknowledgement of the services which social fund officers are providing. In considering its conclusions and recommendations, we shall wish also to take into account the findings of the university of York social policy research unit's report which we commissioned at the start of the fund and which should be published later this year.
Meanwhile, we have today placed details of the 1992-93 social fund allocations in the Library. The discretionary budget will be £302 million in total. The budget is now over 30 per cent., or almost £75 million, higher than the April 1991 figure. Budgets have increased for both loans, by £51 million, and community care grants, by £23.3 million, since April 1991. As a result of this latest increase, over 70 per cent. of districts will receive increases of 10 per cent. or more on their loans or grants budget and no office will have a reduced allocation. These increases show the Government's commitment to maintaining an adequate level of provision for the social fund. These increased allocations will be supplemented with a number of improvements to the operation of the fund which are currently being introduced by the Benefits Agency. The improvements include a revised and improved application
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form ; improved training for social fund officers ; improved guidance to assist SFOs in understanding the legal framework and framework for making decisions ; improved forms to assist SFOs in making their decisions ; and improvements to some of the letters which are sent to applicants to make them clearer and more informative. All these changes are designed to smooth the process of application to the fund and to provide a better service for the people who use it. In addition, we are on target for the introduction of a new computer system next year to administer the social fund. This new system will both considerably speed up the processing of claims, and improve the quality of the decision making.Residential Care Homes
Mr. Colin Shepherd : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is his estimate of the amount of money being paid out each month in benefit excluding attendance allowance to residents of residential care homes in the county of Hereford and Worcester.
Miss Widdecombe : Information is not available in the form requested.
Disability Appeal Tribunals
Mr. Allen : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many members selected to sit on the disability appeal tribunals are also in receipt of (a) invalidity benefit, (b) severe disablement allowance and (c) income support.
Mr. Scott : Responsibility for the administration of disability appeal tribunals lies with the president of the Independent Tribunal Service, his honour judge Holden. I have been advised by his office that the information requested is not yet available as recruitment of members is still taking place.
Pensioners (London Weighting)
Ms. Gordon : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he has any plans for introducing a London weighting addition for people in receipt of state retirement pensions living in Greater London.
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Miss Widdecombe : We have no plans to do so.Pensions
Mr. Summerson : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what was (a) the amount of the old age pension for a single person and for a married couple, (b) the rate of inflation and (c) the level of average earnings for each year from 1970 to the latest year for which figures are available.
Miss Widdecombe : The information requested is in the table.
Date of benefit |(a)<1> |(a)<2> |(b)<3> |(c)<4> up-rating ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ November 1969 |5.00 |8.10 |- |25.00 September 1971 |6.00 |9.70 |16.5 |30.70 October 1972 |6.75 |10.90 |8.5 |35.80 October 1973 |7.75 |12.50 |9.9 |40.40 July 1974 |10.50 |16.00 |13.5 |46.30 April 1975 |11.60 |18.50 |17.7 |55.70 November 1975 |13.30 |21.20 |11.7 |61.80 November 1976 |15.30 |24.50 |15.0 |69.30 November 1977 |17.50 |28.00 |13.0 |75.70 November 1978 |19.50 |31.20 |8.1 |87.40 November 1979 |23.30 |37.30 |17.4 |103.60 November 1980 |27.15 |43.45 |15.3 |118.60 November 1981 |29.60 |47.35 |12.0 |129.50 November 1982 |32.85 |52.55 |6.3 |138.40 November 1983 |34.05 |54.50 |4.8 |147.70 November 1984 |35.80 |57.30 |4.9 |159.60 November 1985 |38.30 |61.30 |5.5 |168.70 July 1986 |38.70 |61.95 |1.7 |176.70 April 1987 |39.50 |63.25 |4.4 |185.50 April 1988 |41.15 |65.90 |3.9 |200.60 April 1989 |43.60 |69.80 |8.0 |217.80 April 1990 |46.90 |75.10 |9.4 |237.20 April 1991 |52.00 |83.25 |6.4 |253.10 <1> Weekly rate of retirement pension for a single person. <2> Weekly rate of retirement pension for a married couple. <3> Percentage increase in the retail prices index (All Items) between benefit uprating dates. <4> Average weekly earnings of adult male manual workers in the month of the benefit uprating.
NORTHERN IRELAND
Local Government Boundaries Review, Moyle
Mr. John D. Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what representations have been made by the Government of the Republic of Ireland in connection with the review of local government boundaries of Moyle district council.
Mr. Brooke : The question was discussed briefly at the intergovernmental conference in Dublin on 20 November 1991. Conference took note of the independence of the Local Government Boundaries Commissioner for Northern Ireland in drawing up his recommendations.
Curriculum Monitoring
Mr. Stott : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what are the names of the schools involved in the Northern Ireland Curriculum Council monitoring programmes for English, mathematics and science in years one, five and eight.
Dr. Mawhinney : The schools are :
Primary
Kilmaine, Bangor
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Tirkane, MagheraSt. Colmcille's Omagh
St. Comgall's, Antrim
St. Patrick's, Saul
Orangefield, Belfast
St. McCartan's, Dromore
Sion Mills, Strabane
St. Mary's, Strabane
St. Columbkille's, Carrickmore
Bridge, Banbridge
St. Colman's, Kilkeel
St. Mary's, Annalong
Londonderry Model
St. Joseph's Covent, Newry
Donaghadee
Dromara
Mersey Street, Belfast
Loanends, Crumlin
Fullerton Prep, Belfast
Mt. St. Catherine's, Armagh
Lisnasharragh, Belfast
Secondary
St. Patrick's College, Armagh
St. Columb's College, Londonderry
St. Joseph's, Londonderry
St. Louise's, Belfast
Kilkeel High
Faughan Valley High, Cross
Larne High
St. Colm's High, Draperstown
St. Eugene's, Castlederg
Lurgan High
Special
Manor House, Armagh
Greystone Hall, Limavady
St. Gerard's Resource Centre, Belfast
Jordanstown
Brookfield, Moira Fleming Fulton, Belfast
School Meals
Mr. Nicholas Brown : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many children are not currently eligible for free school meals but would have been before the Social Security Act 1986 ; and what would be the gross and net costs of restoring their right to free school meals, in Northern Ireland.
Dr. Mawhinney : This information is not available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
University Accommodation
Mr. Beggs : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is the estimated level of funding required by (a) Queen's university, Belfast and (b) the university of Ulster, to meet identified maintenance needs and refurbishment of existing accommodation together with additional provision required for increasing student enrolment.
Dr. Mawhinney : The information is not currently available in the form required.
The Universities Funding Council, in consultation with its working party on capital policy, has recently appointed consultants to undertake a detailed study into the accommodation implications of the growth in student numbers over the next decade for all United Kingdom
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universities, including those in Northern Ireland. The council will advise the Department of Education for Northern Ireland on the needs of the universities in Northern Ireland in due course.The Department has, however, recently agreed to provide grant of £5.34 million to the University of Ulster to enable it to construct an additional 3,000 sq m block of teaching and staff accommodation on its Jordanstown campus. It has also provided grant aid, and allowed Queen's university to use the proceeds of property sales, to fund an extensive programme of rationalisations and refurbishment amounting to over £10 million in the last five years.
SCOTLAND
Staff Accommodation
Mr. Bill Walker : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he is yet in a position to make an announcement on the future accommodation for Scottish Office staff in Edinburgh.
Mr. Lang : Staff are being informed today that subject to the satisfactory conclusion of detailed negotiations the Scottish Office is to occupy a major new office building of 290,000 sq ft to be provided by Forth Properties Limited at Victoria quay, Leith. The new building which will accommodate about 1,400 staff from New St. Andrew's House and some other central Edinburgh buildings will be ready in the summer of 1994. St. Andrew's House will remain the headquarters of the Scottish Office.
Scottish Development Agency
Mr. Bill Walker : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what are his plans regarding the debt formerly owed to the National Loans Fund by the Scottish Development Agency.
Mr. Allan Stewart : I have decided that Scottish Enterprise should continue to take responsibility for the National Loans Fund debt formerly owed by the Scottish Development Agency. In turn, Scottish Enterprise will benefit from interest and capital repayments arising from on-lending financed by National Loans Fund loans. The original intention had been to extinguish the National Loans Fund debt and to return direct to the Exchequer income arising from related loans to sub-borrowers. Scottish Enterprise has been consulted about and is content with the revised arrangements, which have the approval of the Treasury.
Education (Evening Classes)
Mr. Wallace : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what information he has on the amount spent by each local education authority in Scotland in funding non-certificated evening classes in (i) 1989-90, (ii) 1990-91 and (iii) 1991-92 and any projected level of expenditure for 1992- 93.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : This information is not held centrally.
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EMPLOYMENT Radiation
Mr. Cousins : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what plans the Health and Safety Executive has to evaluate the work of the Medical Research Council radiation biology unit on the links between low dose radiation and cell abnormality.
Mr. Forth : The study undertaken by the MRC radio biology unit is one of a number of studies on the effects of low-dose radiation currently under way which will need to be assessed together. This is a complex field and it would not be appropriate to evaluate the results of a single study in isolation.
Consultants
Mr. McAllion : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list each private sector consultancy firm which has been retained by each agency within his Department, and for his Department as a whole, for the purposes of advising on the market testing programme ; and whether the appointment in each case was the result of competitive tendering.
Mr. Jackson : No contracts have been undertaken by any of the agencies in the Department for this purpose. Two private sector consultancy firms have been retained by the headquarters section of the Department for this purpose--Coopers and Lybrand Deloitte and Ernst and Young. Both appointments were the result of competitive tendering.
Mr. McAllion : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list those parts of his Department, including executive agencies, carrying out reviews over the last 12 months into the pay and grading of staff ; and the firm of consultants engaged, where appropriate.
Mr. Jackson : Reviews of pay and grading within the Employment Department group are taking place within the framework of the Government's plans for reform of civil service pay and grading. These were announced by the Chancellor at the end of July 1991 and give Departments and agencies the opportunity to develop their own pay and grading systems, to suit their own needs.
The Employment Service conducted a small-scale study from July to October 1991, supported by Price Waterhouse Management Consultants. The Health and Safety Executive has begun a review of pay and grading structures which will be undertaken with the support of external consultants over the next six months. The consultants have yet to be selected.
Low Pay
Mr. Maxton : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will give the percentage of (a) female part-time workers, (b) male part-time workers, (c) female full-time workers, (d) male full-time workers, (e) all full-time workers, (f) all part-time workers and (g) all workers in (i) Scotland, (ii) Great Britain and (iii) each Scottish region, with hourly earnings of less than £3.40 an hour, excluding overtime ; and if he will provide figures for the number of employees this percentage represents in each category in Scotland.
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Mr. Forth : The percentages requested, which are available from the 1991 new earnings survey, are given in the following table. It is broadly estimated, from the new earnings survey and other sources, that around 0.4 million employees in Scotland earned less than £3.40 per hour in April 1991, of whom two thirds were women and one half were part-timers.
Employees on adult rates whose pay was
unaffected by absence:
Percentage with hourly earnings (excluding
overtime) below £3.40
April 1991
|Women|Men |All
------------------------------------------------
Full-time
Borders |28.2 | <1>-| <1>-
Central |23.5 |6.0 |12.2
Dumfries and Galloway | <1>-|7.6 |13.7
Fife |22.3 |9.2 |13.9
Grampian |20.7 |8.5 |12.3
Highland |23.4 |7.4 |13.6
Lothian |13.1 |7.1 |9.5
Strathclyde |15.8 |7.3 |10.5
Tayside |20.1 |9.7 |13.6
Islands | <1>-| <1>-| <1>-
Highland and Islands |23.4 |7.9 |13.6
Scotland |17.5 |7.7 |11.4
Great Britain |13.9 |5.7 |8.6
Part-time
Borders | <1>-|<2>- |<2>-
Central | <1>-|<2>- |<2>-
Dumfries and Galloway | <1>-|<2>- |<2>-
Fife |54.8 |<2>- |<2>-
Grampian |46.4 |<2>- |<2>-
Highland | <1>-|<2>- |<2>-
Lothian |37.4 |<2>- |<2>-
Strathclyde |38.6 |<2>- |<2>-
Tayside |49.7 |<2>- |<2>-
Islands | <1>-|<2>- |<2>-
Highland and Islands | <1>-|<2>- |<2>-
Scotland |42.4 |<2>- |<2>-
Great Britain |38.8 |39.0 |38.8
Full-time and part-time
Borders | <1>-|<2>- |<2>-
Central |32.3 |<2>- |<2>-
Dumfries and Galloway |34.8 |<2>- |<2>-
Fife |34.2 |<2>- |<2>-
Grampian |30.5 |<2>- |<2>-
Highland |30.2 |<2>- |<2>-
Lothian |20.6 |<2>- |<2>-
Strathclyde |23.3 |<2>- |<2>-
Tayside |29.9 |<2>- |<2>-
Islands | <1>-|<2>- |<2>-
Highland and Islands |31.2 |<2>- |<2>-
Scotland |25.8 |<2>- |<2>-
Great Britain |22.5 |6.7 |13.8
Source: New Earnings Survey.
<1>-Denotes sampling error too large or sample
error too small
for reliable estimate.
<2>-Denotes information not available.
Small Businesses
Mr. Warren : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will review the need for legislation to assist small businesses to obtain prompt payment of bills ; and if he will make a statement.
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Mr. Forth : I have no plans at present to introduce prompt payment legislation, but I am keeping the issue under close review. Though I understand the frustrations felt by small businesses because of delayed payments, I remain to be convinced that legislation would be effective. The majority of organisations representing small firms share the Government's view that the effect of a legislative approach would be, at best, minimal and could even be damaging to the small firms sector. I have made it known, however, that I would be interested to receive views on how an effective legislative framework might operate.
This Department will continue to address late payment through a strategy of persuasion and education and, in addition to a number of measures already in place, I am considering what further initiatives may be appropriate.
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