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Local Government Reorganisation
Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) what proposals he has for the alignment of (a) purchaser, (b) directly manager provider units and (c) trusts with the boundaries of the proposed unitary authorities under local government reorganisation ; (2) what proposals he has to align the boundaries of the three emergency services ; if he will institute a study into the costs and benefits of such multi-purpose alignments ; and if he will make a statement on the implications of local government re-organisation on the emergency services ;
(3) what provisions he has made to compensate local government officers for any reduction in pay following their transfer to unitary local authorities after local government reorganisation.
Mr. David Hunt : I shall be announcing decisions on matters relating to local government reorganisation in due course.
Croft Nursery School
Mr. Barry Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will visit the Croft nursery school, Aston, Deeside ; and if he will make a statement on the future of the school.
Sir Wyn Roberts : Neither my right hon. Friend nor I has any plans at present to do so. The county council has published a notice proposing to close the school. If there are statutory objections, the decision is one for my right hon. Friend.
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Ambulance Services
Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if the proposed Gwent-South Glamorgan-Powys Ambulance Trust will provide the ambulance service for the Rhymney Valley or any part of it ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Gwilym Jones : The application for national health service trust status made clear the intention to provide ambulance services for the health authority areas of Gwent, Powys and South Glamorgan. Detailed operations from 1 April 1993 when the South and East Wales Ambulance National Health Service Trust commences formal operation will depend on the contracts negotiated with the purchasers of the ambulance service. However, I would not expect the trust or any other ambulance service in Wales to discontinue the existing practice of operating within the margins of neighbouring health authority areas, especially when responding to emergency calls and any local arrangements to meet the needs of patients.
Local Government Finance
Mr. Richards : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales at what level he proposes to set the total revenue support grant to Welsh local authorities in 1993-94 ; and if he will announce his decision on council tax transitional relief.
Mr. David Hunt : As I announced in response to a question from my hon. Friend the Member for Brecon and Radnor (Mr. Evans) on 12 November at columns 890-91, I propose a level of aggregate external finance--AEF--for 1993-94 in support of local authority spending in Wales of £2,342.6 million. AEF has three components : the distributable amount of non- domestic rates, the total of relevant specific and supplementary grants and revenue support grant. I intend to specify that the distributable amount from the non-domestic rating account should be £470.2 million on the basis that the Welsh national non-domestic rating multiplier for 1993-94 will be 44. I propose that relevant specific and supplementary grants towards local authority revenue expenditure should total £204.6 million.
I further propose that the total of revenue support grant should be £1,667.8 million of which £1,666.7 million should be paid to Welsh county and district councils and £1.1 million to certain specified bodies.
My officials are today writing to Welsh local authorities setting out my proposals for the component amounts of AEF and inviting their views. I am placing a copy of that consultation letter, which details the relevant specific and supplementary grants and the amounts to be paid to specified bodies, in the Library of the House.
If local authorities spend in line with the plans that I announced on 12 November they should be able to set council tax for a band C property of £232, which is £34 a year less than the average community charge payable by two adults for the current year, after taking into account relief through the community charge reduction scheme. It is also £95 less than the average domestic rates bill per ratepayer in Wales for 1989- 90. The level of council tax local authorities set will depend on their budget decisions for 1993-94 and council tax standard spending can only be indicative, but I will use my capping powers, if necessary, to ensure that authorities set reasonable levels of tax. I will be announcing my proposals on capping shortly.
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Around two thirds of properties in Wales fall in valuation bands A to C. Almost half of properties fall in bands A and B and their council tax bills should be proportionately less than £232. Single adult households will be entitled to a 25 per cent. discount and people on low incomes can qualify for council tax benefit. Those in receipt of income support will pay no council tax at all. I have given careful consideration to the need to provide transitional relief for the introduction of the council tax, but I have come to the view that a transitional scheme cannot be justified.Housing Benefit
Mr. Llwyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is (a) the total current cost and (b) the average cost per applicant within each local authority in Wales for administering (i) housing benefit and (ii) community charge benefit ; and what are the estimated total costs per
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local authority for administering such benefits following the introduction of competitive tendering into housing benefit administration.Mr. Burt : I have been asked to reply.
The table shows the total costs to central Government of subsidising the administration of the housing benefit and community charge benefit schemes for each local authority in Wales and the average administrative cost per benefit applicant. This Department pays 50 per cent. of authorities' total estimated costs by way of a direct grant. The balance of expenditure not subsidised by specific grant is reflected in the revenue support grant arrangements which are the responsibility of the Welsh Office. The exception to this is the Development Board of Rural Wales which receives 100 per cent. direct subsidy from this Department.
We are not aware that any local authority in Wales has contracted out activities connected with the administration of housing benefit.
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Average cost
(£/case)
|Housing benefit |Community charge|Housing benefit |Community charge
|subsidy |benefit subsidy |cases |benefit cases
Authority |£ |£
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Aberconwy |98,834 |76,688 |32.22 |14.58
Alyn and Deeside |93,632 |81,072 |25.47 |14.27
Arfon |129,108 |111,144 |28.35 |14.70
Blaenau Gwent |204,806 |138,548 |25.56 |14.76
Brecknock |50,518 |37,168 |27.03 |14.16
Cardiff |762,686 |479,774 |30.77 |14.06
Carmarthen |79,320 |58,874 |28.73 |13.87
Ceredigion |103,146 |100,784 |32.65 |20.27
Colwyn |125,806 |98,642 |33.15 |14.24
Cynon Valley |143,546 |111,506 |27.84 |14.18
Delyn |98,290 |87,708 |24.62 |14.20
Dinefwr |61,992 |50,486 |29.16 |14.69
Dwyfor |49,600 |40,748 |33.47 |14.79
Glyndwr |62,306 |47,364 |27.90 |14.54
Islwyn |122,362 |94,960 |25.83 |14.48
Llanelli |165,236 |142,534 |26.84 |14.08
Lliw Valley |100,002 |92,072 |24.92 |15.61
Meirionnydd |49,614 |46,762 |28.35 |14.36
Merthyr Tydfil |170,222 |112,572 |26.37 |13.70
Monmouth |93,912 |74,722 |27.41 |14.06
Montgomeryshire |69,448 |51,854 |30.63 |13.98
Neath |128,476 |112,238 |26.27 |14.49
Newport |340,288 |283,998 |27.40 |14.67
Ogwr |234,384 |262,198 |26.65 |14.48
Port Talbot |111,084 |87,342 |24.95 |13.79
Preseli |128,636 |97,296 |29.22 |14.25
Radnor |36,994 |22,558 |33.54 |13.91
Rhondda |153,892 |175,436 |27.14 |18.33
Rhuddlan |139,754 |94,254 |36.04 |13.35
Rhymney Valley |240,412 |212,230 |24.96 |12.66
Rural Wales |12,606 |0 |25.78 |0
South Pembrokeshire |80,622 |59,992 |28.72 |13.95
Swansea |449,962 |408,930 |27.63 |16.78
Taff-Ely |155,312 |143,766 |25.49 |14.34
Torfaen |203,060 |144,926 |23.16 |13.65
Vale of Glamorgan |200,788 |144,940 |31.45 |13.95
Wrexham Maelor |277,442 |231,806 |25.34 |15.06
Ynys Mon |134,508 |119,108 |26.12 |13.61
|----- |----- |----- |-----
Total |5,812,606 |4,737,000 |27.72 |14.59
Note: Expenditure data are the 1992-93 administration subsidy figures for Wales, and include both the
direct grant paid to authorities by the Department of Social Security and the amounts reflected in the
Revenue Support Grant arrangements. The caseloads used in the calculation of the average amounts, are
the averages of the four quarters (May 1991 to February 1992) figures as reported by local authorities.
Estimates, based on average movements in national caseloads, have been included where authorities have
not provided the necessary information.
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SOCIAL SECURITY
Income Support
Mrs. Dunwoody : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what information he has on the percentage of people in Britain who were living on or below the supplementary benefit level in (a) 1979, (b) 1987 and (c) 1990.
Mr. Burt : The Department no longer produces estimates of this kind, following the recommendations of the technical review of low income statistics in March 1988. A copy of this report can be found in the Library. Information for 1987 and 1990 is therefore not available and could be obtained only at a disproportionate cost. Estimates for 1979 were published in "Low Income Families--1979", a copy of which is in the Library.
Mr. Knox : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will make a statement about the effects of the Child Support Act 1991 on the number of families entitled to (a) family credit and (b) income support distinguishing between lone-parent families and the families paying maintenance.
Mr. Burt : We estimate that in the long run increased payments of child maintenance under the Child Support Act will result in some 60, 000 to 80,000 lone parents moving off income support. It is expected that the majority of these will move on to family credit. Of lone parents already on family credit, we estimate that around 10,000 will move off this benefit. These estimates are based on 1987-88-89 family expenditure survey data.
The entitlement to income support of absent parents with families living with them will not be affected. The family expenditure survey does not contain information on absent parents and therefore it is not possible to say how their entitlement to family credit will be affected by policy changes.
Deregulation
Mr. Sproat : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) if he will list the main measures increasing regulation in any areas for which his Department has responsibility, which his Department has caused to be put into effect since 9 April ;
(2) if he will list the main measures of deregulation, or simplification of regulation, which his Department has carried out, or caused to be carried out, since 9 April ;
(3) which Minister in his Department is responsible for the oversight of deregulation of regulatory matters which fall within the responsibility of his Department.
Miss Widdecombe : My noble Friend, Lord Henley, is responsible for the oversight of deregulation within the Department of Social Security.
The potential impact on business and members of the public is taken into account in assessing any proposals for changes in policy and procedure. Moreover, the scope for deregulation and simplification is kept under constant review in the Department.
From April 1992 two changes have been made to the way normal earnings are assessed and verified in family credit making it easier and less time consuming for employers to provide earnings information. The Contributions Agency has a number of initiatives in hand
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to improve procedures affecting business and to help them towards a better understanding of the National Insurance scheme. A review has been completed of the definitions of earnings for PAYE and national insurance purposes, and its recommendations for simplifying the rules will be implemented from the start of the new tax year, 6 April 1993. Other items currently under review include the frequency with which some people need to renew their NI "exception" certificates, and certain procedures affecting people working abroad.Since the last general election the Department has laid or made the regulations set out in the tables. Most of these are amendment or technical regulations which do not increase the total regulatory burden or business or the public.
1198--The Income Support (General) Amendment (No. 2) Regulations 1992
1312--The Social Security (Australia) Order 1992
1326--The Income-Related Benefits Amendment Regulations 1992 1431 (C.48)-- The Child Support Act 1991 (Commencement No. 1) Order 1992
1440--The Social Security (Contributions) Amendment(No. 6) Regulations 1992
1531--The Occupational and Personal Pension Schemes (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 1992
1532 (C.52)--The Social Security Act 1990 (Commencement No. 5) Order 1992
1555--The Occupational Pension Schemes (Deficiency on Winding Up etc.) Regulations 1992
1585--The Income-Related Benefits Schemes (Miscellaneous Amendments) (No. 2) Regulations 1992
1695--The Social Security (Widows Benefit and Retirement Pensions) (Amendment) Regulations 1992
1700--The Social Security Benefit (Persons Abroad) Amendment Regulations 1992
1735--The Social Security (Jersey and Guernsey) Order 1992 1812--The Child Support (Information, Evidence and Disclosure) Regulations 1992
1813--The Child Support (Maintenance Assessment Procedure) Regulations 1992
1814--The Council Tax Benefit (General) Regulations 1992 1815--The Child Support (Maintenance Assessments and Special Cases) Regulations 1992
1816--The Child Support (Arrears, Interest and Adjustment of Maintenance Assessments) Regulations 1992
1909--The Council Tax Benefit (Transitional) Order 1992
1938 (C.67)--The Child Support Act 1991 (Commencement No. 2) Order 1992
1989--The Child Support (Collection and Enforcement) Regulations 1992
2148--The Housing Benefit and Community Charge Benefits (Miscellaneous Amendments) (No. 2) Regulations 1992
2149--The Social Fund Maternity and Funeral Expenses (General) Amendment Regulations 1992
2155--The income-related Benefits Schemes (Miscellaneous Amendments) (No. 3) Regulations 1992
2182--Fines (Deductions from Income Support) Regulations 1992 2322--The Social Fund Cold Weather Payments (General) Amendment Regulations 1992
2448--The Social Fund Cold Weather Payments (General) Amendment (No. 2) Regulations 1992
2595--The Social Security (Miscellaneous Provision Amendment (No. 2) Regulations 1992
2640--The Child Support Commissioners (Procedure) Regulations 1992 2641-- The Child Support Appeal Tribunals (Procedure) Regulations 1992
2642 (C.82)--The Finance (No. 2) Act 1992, Section 62, (Commencement) Order 1992
2643--The Child Support (Collection and Enforcement of Other Forms of Maintenance) Regulations 1992
2643 (C.83)--The Child Support Act 1991 (Commencement No. 3 and Transitional Provisions) Order 1992
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2645--The Child Support (Maintenance Arrangements and Jurisdiction) Regulations 19922804--The Income Support (General) Amendment (No. 3) Regulations 1992
Unemployed Blind People
Mrs. Lait : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security whether he intends to amend the actively seeking work rules for unemployed blind people ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Scott : My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has today laid regulations before Parliament which will help unemployed blind people who wish to undertake a training course in the use of a guide dog. Such courses significantly improve the employment prospects of blind people. The effect of the regulations will be to remove an anomaly in the actively seeking work rules which might have deterred some blind people from undertaking training. In particular, blind people who have taken a holiday for up to two weeks earlier in the year will, when the regulations come into effect on 17 December, be free to undertake a course without the risk of a benefit sanction.
Disability Working Allowance
Mrs. Jane Kennedy : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many applications have been received to date for the new disability working allowance ; and how many of these have been approved for payment.
Mr. Scott : By 20 November 1992 the number of claims for disability working allowance received was 22,833 and the number of awards made was 2,938.
War Pensions
Mr. Wareing : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many cases involving injury as a result of the mustard gas explosion in Bari harbour, Italy, in 1943 have been dealt with by his Department in each year since 1980 ; how many cases have resulted in war pensions being paid ; how these pensions have been calculated ; and what representations he has had to backdate payments to the period before 1986.
Miss Widdecombe : I refer the hon. Member to my reply of 4 February 1991 at column 63 and my reply of 14 February 1991, at columns 586-87 . Records of claims for war pension as a result of the Bari harbour incident have not been kept since the special tracing exercise conducted in 1986-87 and the statistical information now requested could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
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War pensions are calculated by reference to the degree of disablement due to service assessed by making a comparison between the condition of the ex-service men or women and the condition of a normal healthy person of the same age and sex.Mobility Allowance
Mr. Cryer : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security when the application by Mr. Peter Lynch for his renewal of mobility allowance sent in on 17 June is to be dealt with ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Scott : The administration of mobility allowance is a matter for Mr. Michael Bichard, the chief executive of the Benefits Agency. He will write to the hon. Member and a copy will be placed in the Library.
Letter from Michael Bichard to Mr. Bob Cryer, dated 25 November 1992 :
As Chief Executive of the Benefits Agency, it is my responsibility to answer questions about relevant operational matters. I am therefore replying to the points raised in your recent Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security asking when the application by Mr. Peter Lynch for his renewal of Mobility Allowance (MobA) will be dealt with.
I should explain that a decision has now been made on Mr. Lynch's claim and this has been notified to him. I have replied to you separately in greater detail about this.
Clearly this case has not been handled with the efficiency I would expect and I offer my sincere apologies for the distress and inconvenience caused to your constituent. My letter of 19 October to all MPs explained the problems the Agency has faced since the introduction of Disability Living Allowance in April 1992, which replaced MobA and Attendance Allowance for those whose disabilities began before age 65, and set out the measures we have taken to resolve these problems successfully.
I hope you find this reply helpful. A copy of this reply will appear in the Official Report. Copies are also being placed in the Library.
National Insurance Contributions
Mr. Rooney : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what was the total amount of (a) employers' and (b) employees' national insurance contributions collected for each of the last 10 fiscal years expressed (a) in cash terms, (b) at June 1992 prices and (c) as a percentage of total Exchequer income.
Miss Widdecombe : The information requested is given in the table.
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|Number
-----------------------------------------
Indigestion remedies |1
Laxatives |1
Vitamins |1
|£ million
Actual
1987-88 |80.0
1988-89 |102.0
1989-90 |101.9
1990-91 |nil
1991-92 |74.0
Projected
1992-93 |66.0
1993-94 |181.0
1994-95 |176.0
1995-96 |158.0
HEALTH
Romanian Adoptions
Mr. Thurnham : To ask the Secretary of State for health (1) what her Department is doing to renegotiate the age limitation of 35 years with the Romanian adoption committee ;
(2) if she will make a statement on the current state of negotiations with the Romanian adoption committee about adoption from Romania.
Mr. Yeo : The agreement between the Romanian Committee for Adoptions and the United Kingdom will be reviewed in the new year. Age limitation will be among the issues to be discussed.
Mr. Thurnham : To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many couples are on her Department's approved list for adoption from Romania ; and how many of these couples have become ineligible because of the terms of the agreement with the Romanian adoption committee ;
(2) if she will bring forward proposals to refund payments for approved home studies by couples who have become ineligible for adoption because of the terms of agreement with the Romanian adoption committee.
Mr. Yeo : Twenty one couples resident in England have been given approval to adopt children from Romania. Sixty-five couples, resident in the United Kingdom, were advised that they were ineligible following the agreement signed on 19 March 1992. The question of repayment for home study reports carried out for unsuccessful applicants is a matter for individual local authorities.
Mr. Thurnham : To ask the Secretary of State Health (1) what action is now being taken to facilitate the adoption of named children from Romania ;
(2) how many children were adopted into the United Kingdom from Romania (a) in 1990, (b) in 1991 and (c) since the signing of the agreement with the Romanian adoption committee.
Mr. Yeo : In 1990, a total of 13 children from Romania were granted entry clearance approval with an understanding that adoption proceedings would be undertaken in the United Kingdom. In 1991 there were 215 and in 1992 there were four such approvals. No children have as yet been admitted under the agreement procedures.
We have asked our ambassador in Bucharest to raise with the Romanian Government our concerns about the delays experienced in processing adoption applications of United Kingdom citizens.
NHS Targets
Mr. Cousins : To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to her answer of 16 July, Official Report , column 910 , when baseline data for severe mental illness, gonorrhoea, under-16 conceptions and accidents for regional and district health targets will be ready.
Dr. Mawhinney : A supplement to the common data set was published in October. This provided baseline data for
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all the key areas in the White Paper except for suicide rates for the severely mentally ill and gonorrhoea. The latter are not routinely collected for local populations. The Department is working with the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys on the feasibility of collecting the information on severe mental illness. Data about the incidence of gonorrhoea are not available by area of incidence. The Department is however examining the data aggregated by National Health Service regions in which clinics are situated to see whether they lend themselves to use for target setting at this level. A copy of the guide to the data file is in the Library.Seasonal Affective Disorder
Dr. Wright : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research she has undertaken on the incidence of seasonal affective disorder ; and what proposals she has to reduce its incidence.
Dr. Mawhinney : The Department has undertaken no research into this disorder and has no plans to do so.
European Year of Older People
Mr. Ancram : To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Prime Minister's answer of 13 July, Official Report , columns 430-31 , on the European year of the elderly, if she will outline her plans to focus on the housing needs of the elderly.
Mr. Yeo : My Department, in co-operation with the Department of Social Security, has overall co-ordinating responsibility for the European Year of Older People in the United Kingdom and we are now well advanced with our plans. The task group concerned with problems of housing, isolation and loneliness, information needs, transport and community care issues--social and environmental integration--has put forward a number of proposals to mark the year in the United Kingdom including : national conferences on social and environmental integration to be held in April and December 1993 together with local events and exhibitions throughout the year focusing on issues of housing, transport, community care and communications ; a European tenant exchanges scheme to give older people a wider knowledge of what is, or might be, available to them in sheltered housing ; a study by Anchor housing trust entitled "Available Options", a review of the developments in public policy in the areas of housing, care, income and savings for older people.
The Department of the Environment will also be issuing a revised edition of their publication "Your Home in Retirement--Housing Advice for Older People".
Drugs
Dr. Goodson-Wickes : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what categories of drugs are currently on the limited list ; and what proposals she has for adding to the list.
Dr. Mawhinney : The limited list applies to drugs which may be prescribed only in specified circumstances and currently contains five items. These are Acetylcysteine Granules, Carbocisteine, Clobazam, Cynocobalamin and Pregnavite Forte F.
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