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Mr. Leighton : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is his target for reducing the time that disability living allowance and attendance allowance claims are taking from the date of initial application to the date the claimant is notified of a successful award.
Mr. Scott : The administration of disability living allowance and attendance 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 M. Bichard to Mr. Ron Leighton, dated 11 December 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 what is the target for reducing the time that Disability Living Allowance (DLA) and Attendance Allowance (AA) claims are taking from the date of initial application to the date the claimant is notified of a successful award.
The Benefits Agency introduced a standard performance measure across benefits some time ago. This is expressed in terms of clearance targets rather than average clearance times as was previously the case. The term "clearance" refers to the number of decisions made.
As I explained in my letter of 19 October to all MPs the success of the advertising campaign and the policy initiatives surrounding the launch of the benefits attracted a much larger
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number of applications in the early stages than was expected. The resulting backlog of new DLA and AA claims was successfully tackled following implementation of the remedial measures described in my letter and Disability Benefit Centres are now well within sight of achieving their targets.I should explain that the primary target set for the clearance of new DLA claims is 60 per cent. of claims to be cleared in 30 days and for AA, 60 per cent. to be cleared in 35 days. At the end of November 1992 55 per cent. of new DLA claims were being cleared in 30 days and 53 per cent. of new AA claims cleared in 35 days. Progress towards fully achieving these targets continues and we expect to meet them shortly.
I hope you find this reply helpful. A copy will appear in the Official Report. A copy is also being placed in the Library.
Mr. Winnick : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what grade of official replies to hon. Members regarding the disability living allowance ; once a decision is reached on a case, how soon a written response is made to hon. Members ; and what guidance is given to officials dealing with cases referred by hon. Members over replying to hon. Members.
Mr. Scott : The administration of disability living 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 M. Bichard to Mr. David Winnick, dated 11 December 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 concerning the grade of officials replying to honourable Members regarding Disability Living Allowance (DLA) once a decision has been given ; how soon a written response is made and what guidance is given to officials replying to honourable Members.
Letters from Members of Parliament (MPs) about DLA addressed to the DLA Unit at Fylde are answered by officials not below the grade of Executive Officer and a number of replies are subject to a check at the level of Higher Executive Officer. Senior managers are consulted on any case which involves an uncommon or sensitive issue. Once a decision is given on a claim involved in such an enquiry from an MP, the DLA Unit aims to provide a written reply within 48 hours.
Officials involved in written replies are given training in drafting skills and there are written guidelines on drafting technique. Detailed information to be included in the reply is obtained from the relevant operational area.
I hope you find this reply helpful. A copy will appear in the Official Report . A copy will also be placed in the Library.
National Insurance Benefit
Mr. Knox : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is his latest estimate of the numbers and percentages of (a) men and (b) women above state pension age, who do not receive any national insurance benefit.
Miss Widdecombe : It is estimated that at March 1991 about 110,000 men (3.0 per cent.) and 580,000 women (8.5 per cent.) over state pension age did not receive a national insurance benefit. These numbers include those who received only the graduated benefit element of the retirement pension, but do not show receipt of
non-contributory retirement pensions nor income-related benefits (available to those with insufficient resources).
Note : These estimates are subject to a considerable degree of uncertainty (rounding is to the nearest 10,000).
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Housing Benefit
Mr. Knox : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many households are receiving housing benefit (a) with income support and (b) without income support ; how many households are having their mortgage interest paid with income support ; and what is the average weekly payment in each case, and the total annual costs.
Mr. Burt : The latest available information for 1991-92 for housing benefit is in the table. I refer my hon. Friend to my reply to the hon. Member for Greenwich (Mr. Raynsford) on 26 October at columns 737-38 concerning mortgage interest paid with income support.
|Expenditure £ |Number of households|Average weekly
|million |(thousands) |payment £
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
With income support |3,450 |2,370 |27.80
Without income support |2,128 |1,830 |22.20
|----- |----- |-----
Total |5,578 |4,200 |25.35
Income Statistics
Mr. Knox : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what, for the latest date available, are the average weekly incomes excluding mean-tested benefits of (a) men aged 65 years and over and (b) women aged 60 years and over, distinguishing between husbands, wives, single men and single women respectively.
Miss Widdecombe : Information is not available in the form requested. The latest data available from the 1988 family expenditure survey shows that the average gross income (excluding housing benefit) of a single woman aged 60 and over is £74.90 ; for a single man aged 65 and over it is £89.80 and for a couple where the husband is over state pension age it is £168.00.
The nature of the survey techniques used in the family expenditure survey means that reliable information about pensioner income from income support is not available, nor can the separate incomes of husbands and wives within a couple be identified reliably.
Chief Adjudication Officer's Report
Mr. Hunter : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security when he will publish the eighth report of the Chief Adjudication Officer ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Lilley : The report is being published today. Its findings point to encouraging improvements in some areas of adjudication in Benefits Agency districts, particularly in review action in income support cases. The CAO has also reported good standards of adjudication within the Newcastle and Fylde benefits directorates. The CAO acknowledges the commitment of the Benefits Agency and Employment Service to better standards of adjudication and the increased emphasis in quality in agency business plans for 1992-93. Both he and I look forward to progress in coming years, particularly in those areas where the CAO found some room for improvement. The CAO also welcomes the positive responses made to the majority of the recommendations he made in his 1990-91 report and makes further recommendations to build upon the progress made so far.
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These recommendations are being considered and we will respond in due course.Household Incomes
Mr. Dewar : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many households there are with incomes below 50 per cent. of the national average in each standard planning region in the United Kingdom ; what is this figure expressed as a proportion of the number of households in the region ; and what were the equivalent figures for 1979.
Mr. Burt : A reliable regional breakdown of the numbers and proportions living below half average income could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. Statistics for the United Kingdom as a whole are available in "Households Below Average Income", a copy of which is in the Library.
Industrial Diseases
Mr. Alfred Morris : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what consideration he has now given to the recommendations of the report on chronic bronchitis and emphysema, submitted to him by the Industrial Injuries Advisory Council on 25 August ; and if he will make a statement on the Government's response to the report.
Mr. Scott : The Government published the report on 25 November and is now considering a number of administrative, medical and financial issues raised by the report. We will announce our response as soon as possible.
Council Tax
Mr. David Porter : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what assessment he has made of the effect of the introduction of the council tax on the standard of living of those of retirement age who are receiving income support or who are just above income support level.
Mr. Burt : With the introduction of the council tax the standard of living for most people on income support will improve, as will that of those on slightly higher incomes. Around 5 million claimants receiving income support, including 1.7 million over-60s, will benefit from the decision not to withdraw the current element added to the income-related benefits to help meet the community charge. The total additional help effectively made available will be around £750 million in 1993-94, £260 million of which relates to people over 60.
Benefit Entitlement
Mr. Sheerman : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what plans he has to publicise benefit entitlement to older people as part of the European Year of Older People 1993.
Miss Widdecombe : The provision of information on benefit entitlement 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 M. Bichard to Mr. Barry Sheerman, dated 11 December 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
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recent Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security regarding the publicising of benefit entitlement to older poeple as part of the European Year of Older People 1993. Analysis of research into the needs of our customers has identified the elderly as a priority group for information on benefits. As part of the European Year of Older People a new leaflet, with an associated poster, is planned for issue in May.The leaflet will focus on elderly people who have been retired for several years and the Social Security benefits for which they may qualify but are unaware of. It will cover areas such as help on a low income--including help for people to continue living in the community rather than in care-- looking after health, sickness and disability benefits, residential care, death of a partner and payment direct to an account. Council Tax Benefit and the new community care arrangements are included. Mention is also made of some services provided within the local community such as low-cost travel and help within the home.
The leaflet will be researched with the target audience to ensure that the language and style are appropriate. It will be distributed through various outlets but particularly to those in contact with elderly people such as day care centres and will be included in post office displays.
I hope you find this reply helpful. A copy will be placed in the Official Report . Copies are also being placed in the Library.
SCOTLAND
Disabled People (Transport)
Mr. Hood : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he last met representatives for the disabled to discuss their transport needs ; and if he will make a statement.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : My right hon. Friend has not met formally with any representatives of disabled people recently to discuss their transport needs, although Scottish Office officials are in regular contact with many of the organisations concerned with the transport needs of people with disabilities.
Mr. Hood : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what consideration he gives to the needs of the disabled when deciding transport policy for Scotland ; and if he will make a statement.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : My right hon. Friend continues to give full consideration of the needs of disabled people when deciding transport policy for Scotland. The Scottish Office works closely with the Department of Transport's disability unit to ensure that public transport is easier to use and that personal mobility is increased for disabled people.
A Scottish Office official acts as an observer on the Disabled Persons' Transport Advisory Committee, the statutory committee set up to advise the Government on transport and mobility matters relating to disabled people. Two of the 20 members of this Committee are Scottish. The Scottish Office also has an observer on the Access and Mobility Committee of Disability Scotland.
Council Houses
Mr. Hood : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many new council houses were built in each district council area in each year since 1987 ; and if he will make a statement.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : Information on the number of local authority dwellings completed in each
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district and islands council area is contained in the quarterly Statistical Bulletins published by the Scottish Office entitled "Housing Trends in Scotland", copies of which are in the Library.Food Group
Dr. Strang : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what progress is being made with the Scottish Food Group ; and if he will give details of its membership, its terms of reference and its programme of work.
Sir Hector Monro : I expect a full announcement at the beginning of January.
Wool Guarantee
Mr. Macdonald : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will delay the removal of the wool price guarantee until 1995.
Sir Hector Monro : No. Our decision to terminate the wool guarantee was taken in 1988, following consultation with the industry. We concluded that such direct involvement in the wool market was no longer appropriate in the face of European Community support measures under the common agricultural policy. The wool industry has had several years in which to prepare for the termination of the wool guarantee and should now be ready to accept financial responsibility for is own affairs.
Mr. Wilson : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the cost of maintaining the wool price guarantee (a) in Scotland as a whole and (b) in the less favoured areas of Scotland in each of the past five years.
Sir Hector Monro : The information is not available in the form requested. The wool guarantee is designed to operate as a price stabilisation mechanism on the basis of advances to, or receipts from, the British Wool Marketing Board. For the United Kingdom as a whole, nett expenditure (or nett receipts) in each of the past five years was as shown.
|£ million
------------------------------
1987-88 |(1.9)
1988-89 |(3.3)
1989-90 |2.2
1990-91 |18.2
1991-92 |40.8
Mr. Wilson : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make it his policy to retain the wool price guarantee after 1 May 1993.
Sir Hector Monro : No. Our decision to terminate the wool guarantee was taken in 1988, following consultation with the industry. We concluded that such direct involvement in the wool market was no longer appropriate in the face of European Community support measures under the common agricultural policy. The wool industry has had several years in which to prepare for the termination of the wool guarantee and should now be ready to accept financial responsibility for its own affairs.
Mr. Wilson : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what representations he has received on the importance of the wool price guarantee to Scottish producers ; and if he will make a statement.
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Sir Hector Monro : I have received representations about the ending of the wool guarantee from several hon. Members.
The effect of ending the guarantee will vary between producers but, on average the return from wool amounts to only about 5 per cent. of total producer returns. Sheep farmers will continue to receive very substantial Government support through ewe premium and hill livestock compensatory allowances. Scottish producers currently benefit by over £90 million in direct subsidies from these sources.
Water and Sewerage Services
Mr. Malcolm Bruce : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if it remains his policy not to introduce legislation to allow mains water disconnections for non-payment of water bills.
Sir Hector Monro [holding answer 10 December 1992] : Scottish water authorities may disconnect non-domestic consumers for non-payment of water bills. They have no powers to disconnect domestic consumers under these circumstances.
My right hon. Friend announced the publication of a consultation paper about the future structure of the Scottish water and sewerage industry on 17 November. He said that once the appropriate option for the industry's future structure had been decided all other factors relevant to that option will also be decided. The consultation period does not expire until 29 January 1993.
Mr. Malcolm Bruce : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) how many households currently rely on septic tanks for each regional and island authority ;
(2) how many households have been connected to mains drainage for each island and regional authority area for the last five years for which figures are available.
Sir Hector Monro [holding answer 10 December 1992] : This information is not available.
Mr. Malcolm Bruce : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many households have been connected to mains water supplies for each of the island and regional authorities for the last five years for which figures are available.
Sir Hector Monro [holding answer 10 December 1992] : The information requested is not held centrally.
Mr. Malcolm Bruce : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many households rely on private water supplies for each of the regions and island authorities areas.
Sir Hector Monro [holding answer 10 December 1992] : From information supplied by local authorities we estimate that there are around 30,000 private supplies in Scotland. The available breakdown by regional and island authority areas is given in the table. No information is available on household numbers.
Authority |Estimated number of
|private supplies
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Borders |2,415
Central |479
Dumfries and Galloway<1> |815+
Fife |358
Grampian |11,638
Highland<2> |5,294+
Lothian |262
Strathclyde |3,602
Tayside |2,265
Orkney |1,100
Shetland |286
Western Isles |49
<1> Numbers in Nithsdale and Stewartry District Council not
known.
<2> Numbers in Skye and Lochalsh District Council not known.
DEFENCE
Polaris
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what decisions have been taken on the methods of disposal for United Kingdom Polaris missiles and their components.
Mr. Aitken : Final decisions have still to be taken on the disposal of Polaris missiles. The methods adopted will take account of all relevant factors, including safety considerations, and advice from appropriate United Kingdom and US authorities.
Reactor Cores
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list those sites that are licensed to hold used or unused nuclear submarine reactor cores, listing for each site how many it is licensed to hold and how many it currently holds.
Mr. Aitken : The information the hon. Member requests is as follows :
Site |Licensed capacity |Current holding<1>
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
VSEL, Barrow-in-Furness |1 new core
Naval Reactor Test |1 used core |1 used core
Establishment, Dounreay
DML, Devonport |1 new core |1 used core
|2 used cores
BTL, Rosyth |1 new core |1 used core
|1 used core
BNFL, Sellafield |Not limited
|by site licence |37 used cores
Rolls-Royce and Associates |Not limited
Ltd., Derby |by site licence
<1> These figures exclude cores in submarine reactors.
For security reasons, it is not our policy to comment on the location of new reactor cores.
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on what date the last used reactor core was transported to Sellafield ; and from where it was moved.
Mr. Aitken : I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave him on 27 November, Official Report, column 895 . The core to which I referred is regarded as used because it had been fitted to a submarine reactor plant, although it remained unirradiated.
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Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he first knew that the used core transportation package flasks used by his Department would have to be replaced.
Mr. Aitken : The current applicable standards are the 1985 International Atomic Energy Agency regulations which came into effect in the United Kingdom in 1991. The first formal indication that the used core transport packages would not, in their existing form, meet those requirements came during 1991 when a case was prepared to license the packages against those regulations. However, the likely need eventually to replace the packages was foreseen some time earlier and work had started on the provision of a new design of container.
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement about the transportation of nuclear submarine reactor cores within the United Kingdom.
Mr. Aitken : The Government attach great importance to nuclear safety and no movement of Royal Navy nuclear submarine fuel has taken place without the relevant Department of Transport licence. Transportation of irradiated used fuel ceased on expiry of the latest licence for the MoD used core transport package in October 1991 and will not recommence until licensed containers are available. A programme is under way to procure replacement containers but this is a complex and technically demanding task and the first new container is not expected to be available before 1995. Other possibilities, including modification of the existing packages, are being explored with the aim of providing a licensed mode of transport for irradiated used cores in the meantime.
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many unirradiated nuclear submarine reactor cores are held by his Department ; and what are their locations.
Mr. Aitken : For security reasons, it is not our policy to comment on the location of new reactor cores. Two used but unirradiated cores are held by BNFL Sellafield.
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the expected date of the removal of the reactor cores from HMS Sovereign and HMS Revenge.
Mr. Aitken : The reactor cores in HMS Sovereign and HMS Revenge are currently planned to be removed during 1993 and 1994 respectively.
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the expected timetable for the introduction into service of the replacements for used core transportation package flasks.
Mr. Aitken : Industry has been invited to tender for a replacement used core transportation package and subject to the outcome we expect to place a contract in 1993. Allowing for the detailed design and proving work that will then be necessary and the demanding engineering standards that apply, we do not expect the first replacement package to be available before 1995.
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when used core transportation package flasks were last licensed for use in the United Kingdom.
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Mr. Aitken : The last used core transportation package transport licence expired in October 1991.
Mr. Bennett : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what are the current locations of the reactor cores from (i) HMS Conqueror, (ii) HMS Warspite, (iii) HMS Courageous, (iv) HMS Churchill, (v) HMS Spartan, (vi) HMS Splendid and (vii) HMS Valiant.
Mr. Aitken : The information the hon. Member requests is as follows :
Z
Submarine |Location of reactor
|core
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
HMS Conqueror |DML Devonport
HMS Warspite |BNFL Sellafield
HMS Courageous |Aboard submarine at Devonport
HMS Churchill |BNFL Sellafield
HMS Spartan |Aboard submarine at Devonport
HMS Splendid |BNFL Sellafield
HMS Vailant |Aboard submarine at Rosyth
Mr. Bennett : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects the cooling pond for used nuclear submarine fuel cores at Rosyth to become operational ; and what will be its maximum capacity.
Mr. Aitken : The Rosyth core pond is expected to become operational, for the storage of up to two complete fuel cores, during the latter half of 1993.
Mr. Bennett : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on what date the invitation to tender for a new Ministry of Defence used core transport package was issued ; what companies have entered bids ; and what will be the estimated cost of the new UCTPs.
Mr. Aitken : An invitation to tender for a replacement used core transportation package was issued to Rolls-Royce and Associates in December 1991 and a response is due early next year. An estimated cost cannot be made available before a contract has been placed for reasons of commercial confidentiality.
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