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NATIONAL FINANCE
Village Halls
Mr. William Powell : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the cost to date of zero-rating the construction of new village halls and those buildings which are similarly treated for VAT purposes.
Mrs. Gillian Shephard : I regret that this information is not available because builders do not have to identify the value of this work separately in their VAT returns.
Mr. William Powell : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many refunds of VAT under section 20 of the Value Added Tax Act 1983 have been made to parish councils in connection with building work for voluntary village halls, carried out as part of the council's non-business activity ; and what is the value of these refunds.
Mrs. Gillian Shephard : This information is not available. Local authorities are not required to distinguish, in their VAT returns, the tax refunded under section 20 from the tax deducted on their business inputs ; nor are they required to itemise the section 20 tax to reveal the sort of information requested by my hon. Friend.
VAT
Mr. William Powell : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which organisations have so far been recognised by Her Majesty's Customs and Excise as falling within schedule 3 S.I. note 4(1) Finance Act 1989 relating to charging of VAT at zero rate on the construction of a new building for a charity use.
Mrs. Gillian Shephard : Customs and Excise do not have any formal system of "recognition". Any charity constructing a new building for the use specified in note (4) to group 8 of schedule 5 to the VAT Act 1983, as amended by the Finance Act 1989, is eligible to claim zero-rating by giving a certificate to the building contractor or developer.
Civil Servants (Travel Expenses)
Mr. Bevan : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list for each Government Department, including executive agencies, their estimated expenditure on travel and associated expenses incurred by civil servants in the current year.
Mr. Maples : This information is not held centrally and can be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Civil Servants
Mr. Steen : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the number of civil servants in each of the last five years.
Mr. Maples : This information can be found in the publication "Civil Service Statistics" 1991 edition, which is held in the House of Commons Library.
Relocation
Mr. Meale : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list those parts of his Department including the Inland Revenue and Her Majesty's Customs and Excise,
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which are currently under review for relocation ; how many of these posts are being considered for relocation ; to the east midlands ; how many of these posts are being considered for relocation to Mansfield ; and if he will make a statement.Mrs. Gillian Shephard : Among the Chancellor's departments, a relocation review is currently in progress in the Registry of Friendly Societies, though none of the posts are expected to go to the east midlands. Under the current policy, departments review the location of their work regularly and systematically with a view to making best use of resources. As a result, the Chancellor's departments have announced relocation decisions involving more than 9,300 posts, of which more than 2,300 Inland Revenue posts are relocating to the east midlands, including 2,100 to Nottingham and 160 to Leicester.
Mr. Meale : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his answer of 4 December, Official Report, columns 163-64, if he will list by Department the distribution of the 24,000 Government Department posts still under review for relocation ; and if he will make a statement.
Mrs. Gillian Shephard : The departmental distribution of the 24,000 posts which were in the relocation review process in June 1991 is as follows :
Department |Review |Review
|started |planned
----------------------------------------------------------------
Trade and Industry |3,110 |-
Property Holdings |- |1,640
Defence |2,280 |12,000
Paymaster General's Office |850 |-
MAFF |700 |-
Home Office |370 |-
Office of Fair Trading |- |320
Treasury |250 |-
Transport |180 |240
Registry of Friendly Societies |130 |-
Lord Chancellor's Department |110 |630
Land Registry |100 |-
Energy |90 |800
Crown Prosecution Service |70 |-
Environment |30 |50
Education and Science |30 |20
|------- |-------
|8,300 |15,700
National Income
Mr. Speller : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the latest Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development figures for per capita national income for the 20 most prosperous countries.
Mr. Maples : Following are the latest OECD estimates of gross domestic product per capita in 1991, using purchasing power parities for the 20 most prosperous OECD countries.
GDP per capita, 1991.
Converted at purchasing power
parities,
United Kingdom=100
|GDP per
|capita
-------------------------------
United States |137
Switzerland |134
Luxembourg |127
Canada |121
Germany |121
Japan |119
France |114
Denmark |111
Austria |110
Belgium |108
Norway |107
Sweden |107
Italy |104
Netherlands |104
Iceland |103
Australia |101
Finland |101
United Kingdom |100
New Zealand |85
Spain |78
Source: OECD Main Economic
Indicators, February 1992.
Low Incomes
Mr. Meacher : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what definition of low incomes he used to determine that 4 million people on low incomes will pay income tax at only the 20p rate ; and how many of those 4 million people will lose benefit as a result of the new 20 per cent. lower tax rate.
Mr. Maude : The new 20 per cent. tax rate applies to the first £2, 000 of taxable income in 1992-93. Nearly 4 million taxpayers will pay tax only at this new rate as their taxable income is £2,000 or less. Of these, about half a million will be entitled to a smaller amount of income-related benefit as a result of the introduction of the lower rate band, when their benefit is next assessed.
TESSA
Mr. French : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his answer of 28 November 1991, Official Report, column 588, if, in his regular review of the tax-exempt special savings account scheme, he will consider what measures may need to be taken to attract new money to the scheme rather than funds switched from other savings products.
Mr. Maude : The objective of TESSA was to encourage the culture of thrift and, by giving tax relief only to accounts held for five years, to make savings less liquid. The proportion of new savings attracted into the scheme is likely to increase. The TESSA rules are designed to be as simple as possible and I have no current plans to change them.
Budget
Mr. Amess : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has received from pensioners in Basildon about the Budget.
Mr. Maples : A large number of Budget representations have been received from pensioners, but we cannot separately calculate the number from Basildon except at excessive cost.
Pensions
Mr. Nicholas Brown : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what are the most recent estimates of the number of people who are (a) under state retirement age
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and (b) over state retirement age, and receiving (i) an occupational pension and (ii) a personal pension, giving in each case the number who are (1) non-taxpayers, (2) basic rate taxpayers and (3) higher rate taxpayers in the United Kingdom.Mr. Maude [holding answer 13 March 1992] : Available estimates for 1992-93 for taxpayers with occupational pensions are as follows. I regret that information on personal pension recipients is not available.
Thousands
|Lower rate |Basic rate |Higher rate
|taxpayers |taxpayers |taxpayers
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Aged under 65 |220 |700 |50
Aged 65 and over |570 |990 |70
TRADE AND INDUSTRY
Research Funding
Mr. Hunter : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what criteria he uses in determining whether or not research applications for his Department's funding are near market.
Mr. Leigh : The DTI does not normally support near-market R and D under its innovation programmes. Research and development work is prima facie near-market if its primary objective is the development of a specific product or process for commercial sale or use. Typically, near-market R and D will display low technological risks, and the returns from the project will mostly accrue to the firm itself, with externalities or wider benefits being relatively minor. Such risks as there are will largely be commercial. Commercial risks are generally inappropriate for Government to underpin.
However, exceptions may be made where, for instance, enterprises may lack some of the necessary information to enable them to make a sensible judgment on their competitive position or on the way the market will develop, for example in the case of small firms, or where commercial outcomes may be significantly affected by future United Kingdom, foreign or international legislation. Moreover, Government support may be considered if a project exhibits a significant degree of both technical risk and wider benefits, or if it exhibits one of these characteristics to a very marked degree, or for other policy reasons such as the promotion of international collaboration or the facilitation of exports. The case for support would be strengthened if other forms of market failure were shown to exist. The project would also need to satisfy established criteria such as additionality, viability, degree of innovation and value for money.
China
Mr. Atkinson : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on the export from the United Kingdom of surveillance equipment and instruments of torture to the People's Republic of China.
Mr. Sainsbury : The export of a range of equipment that may be used for surveillance is controlled by the Export of Goods (Control) Order 1991. As to "instruments of torture" I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Newport, West (Mr. Flynn) on 23 January, Official Report, columns 293-94.
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Relocation
Mr. Meale : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list those parts of his Department which are currently under review for relocation ; how many of these posts are being considered for relocation to the east midlands ; how many of these posts are being considered for relocation to Mansfield ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Leigh : The locations of some 300 posts in the
Radiocommunications Agency and 120 in parts of the Insolvency Service are currently under review. None of these is planned for relocation to the east midlands.
Scottish Bankruptcy System
Mrs. Margaret Ewing : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what is the cost to date of the evaluation process of the Scottish bankruptcy system initiated in March 1990 ; and whether the inquiry has considered (a) the provision of insolvency advice to the public by means of helplines or otherwise and (b) procedures in (i) other European countries, (ii) the United States of America and (iii) Canada.
Mr. Redwood : No specific figures are available for the cost of the evaluation process. The details of the review are confidential, but all points raised by those who submitted comments have been taken into consideration.
Newspaper Recycling
Sir John Stanley : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he has any plans to offer financial support for investment in newspaper recycling at Aylesford, Kent.
Mr. Lilley : Having consulted my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment, I decided to consider an application from the Swedish paper-making company, SCA, for a grant under the assistance to exceptional projects facility. I took that decision primarily because of the significant environmental benefits which the proposed new mill, at Aylesford in Kent, would provide.
After thorough appraisal, we propose to offer a £20 million grant to the company to encourage it to invest £260 million in a newspaper recycling plant at Aylesford. Our proposal will require the approval of the House and the agreement of the European Commission which has been told about the project.
This investment will quadruple the amount of newsprint currently produced at Aylesford from 100 per cent. recycled fibre. The plant will consume 430,000 tonnes of waste paper a year, much of it from household waste paper. This will make a vital contribution to the achievement of the Government's recycling targets.
The Aylesford project would be the first to produce this volume of newsprint from 100 per cent. recycled waste and it will have the immediate environmental benefit of reducing the need for landfill. Section 8(8) of the Industrial Development Act 1982, requires that the assistance proposed be authorised by a resolution of this House. The resolution will offer an opportunity to give more details about the project and to debate its merits.
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SOCIAL SECURITY
Local Offices
Mr. Meacher : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many offices providing public access for the purpose of claiming benefit, including unemployment benefit, were in operation on 1 April 1979, and at the latest available date, in Great Britain.
Mr. Jack : The payment of social security benefits, excluding unemployment benefit, is the responsibility of the Department of Social Security. We are unable to supply precise figures for social security offices for 1979, as records are not readily available, but it is estimated that there were about 800 offices open to the public at that time. These included both national insurance offices and area offices which dealt solely with supplementary benefit.
At 30 September 1991, the latest available date for which figures are held, there were 694 offices providing public access. This reduction was in part due to the creation of integrated local offices, combining some former national insurance offices and area offices. Overall there has been an increase in the accessibility to the service available including the provision of improved
telecommunications, better publications and services such as Freeline.
I understand from my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Employment that precise figures for 1979 are not held centrally, but there were about 1,000 unemployment benefit offices open to the public at that time. At 31 January 1992, the latest date for which figures are held, there were 1,028 such offices.
Pensions
Mr. Meacher : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if will update the figures provided for the hon. Member for Jarrow (Mr. Dixon) on 7 February 1985, Official Report, columns 685-86, on the level of state old age pensions as a percentage of current gross average earnings.
Mr. Jack : There are no meaningful, updated comparable statistics available on average earnings in the member states of the European Community, and I refer the hon. Member to my reply to him on 14 January at column 552.
Mr. Meacher : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will update his answers to the hon. Member for Brighton, Kemptown (Mr. Bowden) of 27 March 1990, Official Report, column 161-62, using the 1989 family expenditure survey on pensioner incomes.
Miss Widdecombe : The information requested for 1989 is not yet available. In 1988, 16 per cent. of pensioner units received all their income from state benefits compared with 23 per cent. in 1979. The original tables have been updated (a) to include details of the information held using the 1988 family expenditure survey and (b) with medians rather than means used to calculate the average incomes in each quintile and decile. The updated tables are as follows :
Table 1: Real percentage changes in pensioners' net income by quintile. Quintile |Lowest |Q2 |Q3 |Q4 |Highest |All ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1979-80 |4 |2 |2 |2 |0 |2 1980-81 |5 |6 |6 |4 |3 |5 1981-82 |3 |3 |2 |1 |-3 |-1 1982-83 |5 |6 |7 |9 |12 |11 1983-84 |2 |1 |-2 |-2 |-1 |-1 1984-85 |-1 |0 |1 |0 |4 |2 1985-86 |2 |2 |3 |6 |8 |5 1986-87 |-2 |1 |2 |4 |4 |7 1987-88 |-3 |0 |1 |3 |6 |2 Overall |14 |24 |24 |30 |37 |34
Table 2: Cash changes in real equivalised income at each decile
group of pensioner tax units. Change since previous year in £ per
week in 1988 prices. Median values used for deciles, means for total
values.
|1979 |1980 |1981 |1982 |1983 |1984
|to |to |to |to |to |to
|1980 |1981 |1982 |1983 |1984 |1985
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Lowest Q1 |1.10 |4.10 |-0.40 |4.40 |0.90 |-0.60
Q2 |0.50 |4.80 |0.90 |4.50 |1.10 |-1.10
Q3 |1.00 |5.30 |1.00 |5.10 |1.50 |-1.10
Q4 |0.80 |5.00 |1.70 |5.80 |0.80 |-0.50
Q5 |0.90 |4.90 |2.00 |6.30 |0.40 |0.60
Q6 |0.90 |5.00 |2.20 |6.80 |0.50 |-0.20
Q7 |0.80 |5.30 |1.80 |7.80 |0.70 |-0.40
Q8 |-1.00 |7.30 |0.80 |10.80 |-1.00 |2.50
Q9 |-0.90 |10.20 |-3.00 |16.10 |-4.50 |7.00
Q10 |12.00 |4.40 |-10.40 |29.60 |-3.60 |11.90
|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------
Total |1.40 |6.60 |-1.40 |11.60 |0.10 |0.30
Change since |1.40 |8.00 |6.60 |18.20 |18.30 |18.60
1979
|1985 to 1986|1986 to 1987|1987 to 1988
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Lowest Q1 |1.90 |-1.90 |-0.50
Q2 |2.20 |0.00 |-1.50
Q3 |2.50 |0.60 |-1.60
Q4 |3.40 |0.80 |-1.00
Q5 |2.80 |2.10 |-1.00
Q6 |3.40 |3.10 |-0.30
Q7 |3.70 |4.70 |1.40
Q8 |6.50 |4.70 |5.70
Q9 |7.00 |6.10 |13.00
Q10 |15.30 |22.90 |20.10
|------- |------- |-------
Total |6.40 |6.80 |1.40
Change since |25.00 |31.80 |33.10
1979
Table 2: Percentage changes in real equivalised income of each
decile group of pensioner tax units. Percentage change since
previous
year. Median values used for deciles, means for total values.
|1979 |1980 |1981 |1982 |1983 |1984
|to |to |to |to |to |to
|1980 |1981 |1982 |1983 |1984 |1985
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Lowest Q1 |2 |6 |-1 |6 |1 |-1
Q2 |1 |7 |1 |6 |1 |-1
Q3 |1 |7 |1 |6 |2 |-1
Q4 |1 |7 |1 |6 |1 |-1
Q5 |1 |6 |2 |7 |0 |1
Q6 |1 |5 |2 |7 |0 |0
Q7 |1 |5 |2 |7 |1 |-1
Q8 |-1 |6 |1 |9 |-1 |2
Q9 |-1 |7 |-2 |11 |-3 |4
Q10 |6 |2 |-5 |14 |-2 |5
|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------
Total |1 |6. |-1 |10 |0 |0
Change since
1979 |1.40 |8.00 |6.60 |18.20 |18.30 |18.60
Column 886
|1985 to 1986|1986 to 1987|1987 to 1988
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Lowest Q1 |3 |-3 |-1
Q2 |3 |0 |-2
Q3 |3 |1 |-2
Q4 |4 |1 |-1
Q5 |3 |2 |-1
Q6 |3 |3 |0
Q7 |3 |4 |1
Q8 |5 |3 |4
Q9 |4 |4 |7
Q10 |6 |9 |7
|------- |------- |-------
Total |5 |5 |1
Change since |23 |30 |31
1979
Mr. Meacher : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many additional pensioners will be brought into means testing by becoming eligible for income support as a result of the proposed addition to the income support pensioner premium.
Miss Widdecombe : It is estimated that up to half a million pensioners on low incomes will become newly entitled to claim income- related benefits from October. Around three quarters of these will qualify for income support, and the remainder for housing benefit and or community charge benefit.
Mr. Meacher : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what proportion of the real-terms increase in benefit expenditure on the elderly is attributable to the commencement and growth of spending on additional pensions with contributory benefit between 1978-79 and the latest available date.
Miss Widdecombe : Benefit expenditure on the elderly rose by 32.6 per cent. in real terms between 1978-79 and 1991-92. Additional pensions account for 4.4 per cent. real terms growth between those years, and all other benefits account for 28.2 per cent. real terms growth.
Mr. Meacher : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will update his answer to the hon. Member for Brighton, Kemptown (Mr. Bowden) of 3 July 1990, Official Report, columns 513-16 concerning the income of retired households, using the 1989 family expenditure survey.
Miss Widdecombe : I will write to the hon. Member.
Mr. Meacher : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will update his answer to the right hon. Member for Chesham and Amersham (Sir I. Gilmour) of 2 December 1991, Official Report, column 51, on pensioner incomes, using the information in the 1989 family expenditure survey.
Miss Widdecombe : The information requested is not yet available.
Mr. Meacher : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what proportion and number of pensioners will benefit from the addition to the income support pensioner premium.
Miss Widdecombe : It is estimated that some 5 million people aged over 60 will stand to gain from the increases announced by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the
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Exchequer on 10 March. About half these will gain from income support and about half from housing benefit and community charge benefit. Nearly half of all those over pension age will be entitled to extra benefit as a result of the increase.Mr. Meacher : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will update his answer to the hon. Member for Brighton, Kemptown (Mr. Bowden) of 18 October 1991, Official Report, columns 273-74, regardingpensioners' living standards, to take account of the 1989 family expenditure survey results.
Miss Widdecombe : The information requested is not yet available.
Income and Benefits Statistics
Mr. Meacher : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will give, for each uprating date since November 1979, (a) the cash level, (b) the percentage
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increase on the previous year, (c) the percentage increase in the retail prices index since the previous year, (d) the percentage increase in adult male gross average full-time earnings since the previous year, (e) the percentage increase in adult male average full-time earnings net of national insurance and income tax since the previous year, for (i) unemployment benefit, (ii) sickness benefit, (iii) statutory sick pay since its introduction, (iv) child benefit, (v) retirement pension, (vi) invalidity benefit, (vii) one-parent benefit and (viii) maternity benefit at the single and couple rate, where appropriate.Mr. Jack : The information requested is in the tables. As the information requested in (c), (d) and (e) is identical for all the benefits --with the exception of statutory sick pay, which was uprated on a different month from the other benefits mentioned here from 1983 until 1987. This is given once in table 1.
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Table 1
Unemployment benefit
Uprating date Single Couple PercentPercentPercentage increase
in RPI in adulin adult male net
Rate (£PercentRate (£Percentupratinfull-tifull-time earnings
increase on increase on since psince previous
previous rate previous rate upratinuprating date
|Single|Couple
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
November 1979 |18.50 |- |29.95 |- |- |- |- |-
November 1980 |20.65 |11.6 |33.40 |11.5 |15.3 |18.4 |16.9 |17.0
November 1981 |22.50 |9.0 |36.40 |9.0 |12.0 |10.7 |8.1 |7.8
November 1982 |25.00 |11.1 |40.45 |11.1 |6.3 |7.4 |6.3 |6.7
November 1983 |27.05 |8.2 |43.75 |8.2 |4.8 |7.3 |7.5 |7.2
November 1984 |28.45 |5.2 |46.00 |5.1 |4.9 |8.7 |9.0 |9.0
November 1985 |30.45 |7.0 |49.25 |7.1 |5.5 |6.5 |6.8 |6.9
July 1986 |30.80 |1.1 |49.80 |1.1 |1.7 |5.7 |7.0 |6.1
April 1987 |31.45 |2.1 |50.85 |2.1 |4.4 |6.2 |8.4 |7.6
April 1988 |32.75 |4.1 |52.95 |4.1 |3.9 |9.7 |12.1 |11.2
April 1989 |34.70 |6.0 |56.10 |5.9 |8.0 |9.6 |9.4 |9.3
April 1990 |37.35 |7.6 |60.40 |7.7 |9.4 |9.7 |11.2 |11.2
April 1991 |41.40 |10.8 |66.95 |10.8 |6.4 |7.9 |8.1 |7.8
Table 2: Sickness Benefit
Single Couple
Uprating date |Rate |Percentage increase|Rate |Percentage increase
|on previous rate |on previous rate
|£ |Per cent. |£ |Per cent.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
November 1979 |16.50 |- |29.95 |-
November 1980 |20.65 |11.6 |33.40 |11.5
November 1981 |22.50 |9.0 |36.40 |9.0
November 1982 |25.00 |11.1 |40.45 |11.1
November 1983 |25.95 |3.8 |41.95 |3.7
November 1984 |27.25 |5.0 |44.05 |5.0
November 1985 |29.15 |7.0 |47.15 |7.0
July 1986 |29.45 |1.0 |47.65 |1.1
April 1987 |30.05 |2.0 |48.65 |2.1
April 1988 |31.30 |4.2 |50.70 |4.2
April 1989 |33.20 |6.1 |53.75 |6.0
April 1990 |35.70 |7.5 |57.80 |7.5
April 1991 |39.60 |10.9 |64.10 |10.9
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Table 3
Statutory sick pay
Uprating date Rate (£) Percentage increase Percentage Percentage Percentage increase
(April) on previous rate increase in increase in in adult male net
Standard Middle Lower RPI since adult male full-time earnings
Standard Middle Lower previous gross full- since previous
uprating date time earnings uprating date
|since previous
|uprating date |Single |Couple
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1983 |40.25 |33.75 |27.20 |- |- |- |- |- |- |-
1984 |42.25 |35.45 |28.55 |5.0 |5.0 |5.0 |5.2 |8.6 |8.8 |9.2
1985 |44.35 |37.20 |30.00 |5.0 |4.9 |5.1 |6.9 |7.6 |7.9 |7.9
1986 |46.75 |39.20 |31.60 |5.4 |5.4 |5.3 |3.0 |7.8 |8.9 |8.5
1987 |47.20 |- |32.85 |1.0 |- |4.0 |4.2 |8.0 |10.0 |9.4
1988 |49.20 |- |34.25 |4.2 |- |4.3 |3.9 |9.7 |12.1 |11.7
1989 |52.10 |- |36.25 |5.9 |- |5.8 |8.0 |9.6 |9.4 |9.3
1990 |52.50 |- |39.25 |0.8 |- |8.3 |9.4 |9.7 |11.2 |11.2
1991 |52.50 |- |43.50 |0.0 |- |10.8 |6.4 |7.9 |8.1 |7.8
Table 4: Child Benefit (Standard Rate for first or
eldest child)
Uprating Date |Rate |Percentage
|increase on
|previous rate
|£
--------------------------------------------------------
April 1979 |4.00 |33.3
November 1980 |4.75 |18.8
November 1981 |5.25 |10.5
November 1982 |5.85 |11.4
November 1983 |6.50 |11.1
November 1984 |6.85 |5.4
November 1985 |7.00 |2.2
July 1986 |7.10 |1.4
April 1987 |7.25 |2.1
April 1988 |7.25 |0.0
April 1989 |7.25 |0.0
April 1990 |7.25 |0.0
April 1991 |8.25 |13.8
October 1991 |9.25 |12.1
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Table 5: Retirement Pension
Uprating date Single Couple
|Rate |Percentage |Rate |Percentage
|Increase on |Increase on
|Previous rate |Previous rate
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
November 1979
Under 80 |£23.30 |- |£37.30 |-
Over 80 |£23.55 |- |£37.80 |-
November 1980
Under 80 |£27.15 |16.5 |£43.45 |16.5
Over 80 |£27.40 |16.3 |£43.95 |16.3
November 1981
Under 80 |£29.60 |9.0 |£47.35 |9.0
Over 80 |£29.85 |8.9 |£47.85 |8.9
November 1982
Under 80 |£32.85 |11.0 |£52.55 |11.0
Over 80 |£33.10 |10.9 |£53.05 |10.9
November 1983
Under 80 |£34.05 |3.7 |£54.50 |3.7
Over 80 |£34.30 |3.6 |£55.00 |3.7
November 1984
Under 80 |£35.80 |5.1 |£57.30 |5.1
Over 80 |£36.05 |5.1 |£57.80 |5.1
November 1985
Under 80 |£38.30 |7.0 |£61.30 |7.0
Over 80 |£38.55 |6.9 |£61.80 |6.9
July 1986
Under 80 |£38.70 |1.0 |£61.95 |1.1
Over 80 |£38.95 |1.0 |£62.45 |1.1
April 1987
Under 80 |£39.50 |2.1 |£63.25 |2.1
Over 80 |£39.75 |2.1 |£63.75 |2.1
April 1988
Under 80 |£41.15 |4.2 |£65.90 |4.2
Over 80 |£41.40 |4.2 |£66.40 |4.2
April 1989
Under 80 |£43.60 |6.0 |£69.80 |5.9
Over 80 |£43.85 |5.9 |£70.30 |5.9
April 1990
Under 80 |£46.90 |7.6 |£75.10 |7.6
Over 80 |£47.15 |7.5 |£75.60 |7.5
April 1991
Under 80 |£52.00 |10.9 |£83.25 |10.9
Over 80 |£52.25 |10.8 |£83.75 |10.8
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Table 6: Invalidity Benefit
Single Couple
Uprating date |Rate |Percentage increase|Rate |Percentage increase
|on previous rate |on previous rate
|£ |Per cent. |£ |Per cent.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
November 1979 |23.30 |- |37.30 |-
November 1980 |26.00 |11.6 |41.60 |11.5
November 1981 |28.35 |9.0 |45.35 |9.0
November 1982 |31.45 |10.9 |50.30 |10.9
November 1983 |32.60 |3.7 |52.15 |3.7
November 1984 |34.25 |5.1 |54.80 |5.1
November 1985 |38.30 |11.8 |61.30 |11.9
July 1986 |38.70 |1.0 |61.95 |1.1
April 1987 |39.50 |2.1 |63.25 |2.1
April 1988 |41.15 |4.2 |65.90 |4.2
April 1989 |43.60 |6.0 |69.80 |5.9
April 1990 |46.90 |7.6 |75.10 |7.6
April 1991 |52.00 |10.9 |83.25 |10.9
Column 891
Table 7: One Parent Benefit
Uprating date |Rate |Percentage
|increase on
|previous rate
|£
--------------------------------------------------------
November 1979 |2.50 |-
November 1980 |3.00 |20.0
November 1981 |3.30 |10.0
November 1982 |3.65 |10.6
November 1983 |4.05 |11.0
November 1984 |4.25 |4.9
November 1985 |4.55 |7.1
July 1986 |4.60 |1.1
April 1987 |4.70 |2.2
April 1988 |4.90 |4.3
April 1989 |5.20 |6.1
April 1990 |5.60 |7.7
Column 891
Table 8: maternity benefit
Single Couple
Uprating date |Rate |Percentage |Rate |Percentage
|increase on |increase on
|previous rate |previous rate
|£ |£
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
November 1979 |18.50 |- |29.95 |-
November 1980 |20.65 |11.6 |33.40 |11.5
November 1981 |22.50 |9.0 |36.40 |9.0
November 1982 |25.00 |11.1 |40.45 |11.1
November 1983 |25.95 |3.8 |41.95 |3.7
November 1984 |27.25 |5.0 |44.05 |5.0
November 1985 |29.15 |7.0 |47.15 |7.0
July 1986 |29.45 |1.0 |47.65 |1.1
April 1987 |30.05 |2.0 |48.65 |2.1
April 1988 |31.30 |4.2 |50.70 |4.2
April 1989 |33.20 |6.1 |53.75 |6.0
April 1990 |35.70 |7.5 |57.80 |7.5
April 1991 |40.60 |13.7 |65.10 |12.6
Mr. Meacher : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, pursuant to his answer of 10 March, Official Report, column 510, on the number of households claiming a social security benefit, if he will indicate in what form information is available.
Mr. Jack : Broad estimates of households' receipt of benefits including retirement pension could be made from the family expenditure survey, subject to some difficulties such as underreporting of certain benefits. These estimates could be obtained for the sequence of years 1979, 1981, 1983, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988 and 1989 only at disproportionate cost. For the other years, data are not readily available in the form requested and would involve significantly more work, again at disproportionate cost.
Reliable information on households' receipt of benefits excluding retirement pension is not available for any year because survey data do not distinguish accurately between receipt of supplementary benefit/income support by pensioners and contributory retirement pensions.
Income Support
Mr. Meacher : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many recipients of income support who are entitled to a disability premium are aged (a) 18 to 19, (b) 20, (c) 21, (d) 22, (e) 23 and (f) 24 years.
Miss Widdecombe : The information is shown in the table.
Number of recipients (thousands)
Age group |Disability|Severe |Total
|premium |disability
|premium
-------------------------------------------------------
18-19 |10 |- |10
20 |6 |* |6
21 |6 |* |6
22 |6 |* |6
23 |5 |* |5
24 |6 |* |6
Notes:
1. All figures are rounded to the nearest thousand.
2. Number of claimants * denotes fewer than 499.
3. Included in the above table are 2,000 lone parents
who receive
income support at the rate appropriate to a person
aged 25 or
over.
Source: Annual statistical inquiry May 1990.
Mr. Bradley : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will give his estimate of the number of separate households comprising 16 and 17 -year-olds not eligible for income support.
Mr. Jack : The information requested is not available.
Mr. Bradley : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many households are currently receiving income support premiums under the Social Security Act 1986 ; and how many households he estimates would be eligible for this help but for their lack of accommodation.
Miss Widdecombe : In May 1990, 2,898,000 income support claimants were in receipt of one or more premiums. The number of income support claimants without accommodation was 8,000, but it is not possible to estimate how many of these would have been entitled to a premium if they had entered accommodation.
Residents of boarding establishments and hostels, including homeless families placed in temporary accommodation by local authorities, are entitled to the full range of income support premiums.
Source : Income support annual statistics inquiry May 1990.
Column 893
Mr. Meacher : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Bradford, West (Mr. Madden) of 5 November, Official Report, column 84, on premia paid with income support, if he will give the total number of claimants for each of the premia.Miss Widdecombe : The information is given in the table :
Premium |Total number
|of recipients
-------------------------------------------------------
Higher pensioner |688,000
Enhanced pensioner |314,000
Pensioner |496,000
Severe disability (higher) |13,000
Severe disability (lower) |50,000
Disability |331,000
Lone parent |793,000
Disabled child |18,000
Family premium |1,144,000
Note: Figures have been rounded to the nearest
thousand.
Source: Annual statistical inquiry May 1990.
Mr. Nellist : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many income support claimants there were with deductions (a) for arrears of community charge and (b) for recovery of social fund loans, at the end of the most recent months for which figures are available.
Miss Widdecombe [holding answer 2 March 1992] : The latest information of the number of income support claimants with deductions for arrears of community charge deductions is contained in the Department's management information statistics for the quarter ending November 1991, a copy of which is available in the Library. The number of social fund loan recoveries made in the most recent month for which figures are available, January 1992, is 693,353. The figures are based on the number of people making repayments during the whole of January and not at the end of that month. It is not possible to exclude from these figures repayments made by people not in receipt of income support.
Home Visits
Mr. Meacher : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, pursuant to his answer of 9 March 1992, Official Report, column 423, what information he has concerning the number of home visits, including specialist visits, excluding those for the purpose of investigating fraud, that were made per 1,000 claimants in 1991-92.
Mr. Jack : The administration of benefits is a matter for Mr. Michael Bichard, the chief executive of the Benefits Agency. He 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.
Staffing
Mr. Meacher : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, pursuant to his answer of 6 March 1992, Official Report, column 318, regarding staffing, if he will give the total number of full-time equivalent staff in each year.
Miss Widdecombe : The total number of full-time equivalent staff administering the social security programme for the years 1979-80 to 1990- 91 is in the table.
Column 894
|Number
----------------------
1979-80 |88,429
1980-81 |87,902
1981-82 |87,578
1982-83 |85,698
1983-84 |82,975
1984-85 |82,527
1985-86 |83,869
1986-87 |85,276
1987-88 |89,023
1988-89 |87,137
1989-90 |81,633
1990-91 |79,715
Unemployment Benefit
Mr. Meacher : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what was the maximum daily amount an employed person was allowed to earn per day without loss of entitlement to unemployment benefit in 1979-80 and 1991-92.
Mr. Jack : Unemployment benefit is primarily for those who are entirely without work. However, a day on which an unemployed person does a small amount of work in a subsidiary occupation can still count as a day of unemployment provided he satisfies the usual conditions and earnings for that day do not exceed the daily limit. In 1979-80 the limit was 75p a day and in 1991-92 it is £2 a day. This represents an increase above the rate of growth in the retail prices index.
Mr. Chris Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he has any plans to change the 21-hour rule which enables unemployed claimants to study part time ; and if he will make a statement.
Miss Widdecombe : I refer the hon. Member to my reply to the hon. Member for Oldham, West (Mr. Meacher) on 11 March at column 527.
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