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Mr. Gummer : I met the chairman of the milk marketing board on 18 March.
Fishing
22. Mr. Foulkes : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what recent representations he has received from national and local associations representing the fishing industry about the state of the fishing industry.
Mr. Curry : I and my right hon. and hon. Friends at the Scottish Office have had numerous meetings and other discussions with associations representing fishermen throughout the country.
General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade
23. Mr. Simon Coombs : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on the effect on United Kingdom agriculture policy of progress of the GATT negotiations.
Mr. Gummer : The agreement reached between the EC and the United States on agriculture last November provides the basis for a balanced, multilateral agreement which is consistent with the reforms of the CAP agreed in May 1992.
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Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy
24. Mr. Gordon Prentice : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what recent estimate he has made as to when BSE will be eradicated.
Mr. Soames : There is growing evidence to support the view that measures taken by the Government should be sufficient to bring about the disappearance of BSE, but it is impossible to predict how long this process will take.
Food (Cost)
25. Mr. Pawsey : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what assessment he has made of the relative cost to the consumer of food in Britain and France.
Milk Marketing Boards
26. Mr. Burden : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what discussions he has had with milk producers on the question of the milk marketing boards' future.
Mr. Gummer : Discussions with representatives of all sectors of the industry have been held frequently since the milk marketing board began to consider the options for future marketing arrangements open to it.
Animal Welfare
28. Mr. Burns : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on changes in animal welfare since 1987.
Mr. Soames : Since 1987, regulations have come into force which ban the veal crate, phase out close confinement systems for pigs, set standards for battery hens and general welfare standards for all farm livestock.
Two new welfare codes for goats and farmed deer have been made. Orders have been made to give further protection to all animals during transport and to farm animals and horses at markets. Regulations have been made to give further protection to the welfare of livestock and poultry at slaughter and on the licensing of poultry slaughtermen. The Welfare of Animals at Slaughter Act 1991 provides powers to implement further welfare measures recommended by the Farm Animal Welfare Council, and statutory codes of practice have been introduced on the welfare of poultry and red meat animals at slaughter.
We are pressing for the high standards of animal welfare in this country to be extended throughout the European Community.
Potatoes
27. Mr. Madden : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what discussions he has had with the Potato Marketing Board about the ending of the potato marketing scheme.
Mr. Curry : My right hon. Friend the Minister and I have met both the past and present chairmen of the Potato Marketing Board to discuss the EC proposals for a regime in potatoes which, as drafted, would mean the end of the potato marketing scheme.
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29. Mr. Kynoch : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what representations he has received from potato producers about the proposed EC potato regime.
Mr. Curry : I refer my hon. Friend to the reply given on 22 March 1993 to my hon. Friend the Member for Thanet, North (Mr. Gale), at column 503 .
Herbicides
Mr. Clifton-Brown : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he will review the guidelines on the use of herbicides in particular Glyphosate on cover crops for set-aside purposes.
Mr. Curry : I refer my hon. Friend to the reply given on 17 March to my hon. Friend the Member for New Forest (Sir P. McNair-Wilson), at column 284 .
Meat Inspectors
Mr. Gill : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many meat inspectors are employed in the United Kingdom.
Mr. Soames : There are about 1,200 full-time equivalent meat inspectors employed in the United Kingdom.
Horses
Mr. Harry Greenway : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what representations he has received about the welfare of horses on farms and elsewhere ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Soames : The Department receives a small number of letters on the welfare of horses on farms and elsewhere. The welfare of horses used for agriculture is protected by the Agriculture (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1968, compliance with which is monitored by the state veterinary service. Further safeguards are laid down in orders under the Animal Health Act 1981 on the welfare of horses during transport and at markets. Controls on the export of horses, on which many representations are received, remain in place as provided for in directive 91/628/EEC.
Other aspects of the welfare of horses are the responsibility of my right hon. and learned Friend the Home Secretary.
Badgers
Mr. Milburn : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many applications have been received under the Protection of Badgers Act 1992 to enter dogs into badger setts ; and how many have been granted, by region.
Mr. Soames : The Ministry has received 13 applications to permit the entry of dogs into badger setts. No licences have been issued.
Mr. Milburn : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what conditions are applied to licences granted for the purpose of entering dogs into badger setts.
Mr. Soames : No such licences have been issued.
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Fisheries Protection
Mr. Patrick Thompson : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he intends to use the Royal Navy to undertake fisheries protection duties in 1993-94 ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Curry : The provision of surface surveillance is one of a number of services being market tested by my Department as part of its contribution to the "Competing for Quality" White Paper published in November 1991, Cm 1730.
Following detailed negotiations, I can confirm that my Department will continue to use the Royal Navy for fisheries protection duties in 1993-94. The operating arrangements for the Royal Naval vessels are being improved so as to increase their effectiveness.
Genetic Diversity
Mr. Gapes : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, pursuant to his answer of 5 March, Official Report, column 313, on genetic diversity in plants, if he will make it his policy to reduce the initial registration fee for a plant variety from £800 to £100, and the annual fee from £400 to £25.
Mr. Curry : National Listing fees vary depending on the species and function concerned, and the cost of the work involved. Fees are reviewed annually in consultation with the industry and every effort is made to keep fees as low as possible.
NORTHERN IRELAND
Religious Affiliations
Mr. William Ross : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) what is the annual cost of monitoring the religious affiliation of the employees of the Northern Ireland Curriculum Council ;
(2) what is the annual cost of monitoring the religious affiliation of the employees of the university of Ulster ;
(3) what is the annual cost of monitoring the religious affiliation of the employees of the Sports Council for Northern Ireland ; (4) what is the annual cost of monitoring the religious affiliation of the employees of each education and library board ;
(5) what is the annual cost of monitoring the religious affiliation of the employees of the Arts Council for Northern Ireland ; (6) what is the annual cost of monitoring the religious affiliation of the employees of (a) the Ulster folk and transport museum and (b) the Ulster museum.
Mr. Hanley : The costs, which are approximate, are as follows :
|£
--------------------------------------------------------------
Northern Ireland Curriculum Council |<2>780
University of Ulster |<2>20,000
Sports Council for Northern Ireland
Belfast Education and Library Board |<1>53,219
North-East Education Library Board |<1>43,216
South-Eastern Education and Library Board |<1>52,053
Southern Education and Library Board |<1>55,216
Western Education and Library Board
Arts Council for Northern Ireland |<2>1,770
Ulster Folk and Transport Museum |<2>1,300
Ulster Museum |<2>1,100
<1>Based on figures for 1991-92.
<2>Based on figures for 1992-93.
Mr. William Ross : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) what is the annual cost of monitoring the religious affiliation of the employees of the Fair Employment Commission ; (2) what is the annual cost of monitoring the religious affiliation of the employees of the Northern Ireland tourist board ;
(3) what is the annual cost of monitoring the religious affiliation of the employees of the Equal Opportunities Commission.
Mr. Atkins : The annual cost is negligible.
Mr. William Ross : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is the annual cost of monitoring the religious affiliation of the employees of Northern Ireland Electricity.
Mr. Atkins : The estimated annual cost is £5,550.
Pupil Costs
Mr. Peter Robinson : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) what is the average cost per pupil in each of the maintained secondary schools in each education and library board area in Northern Ireland for the last five years ;
(2) what is the average cost per pupil in each of the primary schools in the maintained sector in each education and library board area in Northern Ireland for the last five years ;
(3) what is the average cost per pupil in each of the primary schools in the controlled sector in each education and library board area in Northern Ireland for the last five years.
Mr Hanley : Information in the form requested is not readily available and could be compiled only at disproportionate cost. I will, however, arrange to have placed in the Library copies of each education and library board's budget statements for 1991-92 and 1992-93 which contain detailed information on individual schools' delegated budget allocations.
Mr. Peter Robinson : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is the average cost per pupil in each of the voluntary grammar schools in each education and library board area in Northern Ireland for the last five years.
Mr. Hanley : The information is as follows :
Column 675
Education and School year Financial year
library board area
|1987-88|1988-89|1989-90|1990-91|1991-92
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Belfast
Belfast Royal Academy |1,534 |1,593 |1,767 |- |2,061
Belfast Collegiate |1,392 |1,398 |1,541 |- |1,849
Campbell College |2,102 |2,077 |1,962 |- |2,437
Dominican College |1,473 |1,509 |1,594 |- |1,908
Hunterhouse College |1,492 |1,585 |1,894 |- |2,206
Methodist College |1,481 |1,659 |1,718 |- |2,083
Rathmore Grammar |1,354 |1,398 |1,529 |- |1,895
Royal Belfast Academical Institution |1,568 |1,674 |1,858 |- |2,164
St. Dominic's High |1,526 |1,628 |1,794 |- |2,028
St. Malachy's College |1,510 |1,626 |1,803 |- |2,084
St. Mary's Christian Brothers |1,416 |1,527 |1,696 |- |2,016
Strathearn |1,359 |1,445 |1,546 |- |1,874
Victoria College |1,706 |1,736 |1,968 |- |2,332
North-Eastern
Ballymena Academy |1,359 |1,450 |1,624 |- |1,996
Ballymena, St. Louis |1,333 |1,388 |1,448 |- |1,871
Ballymoney, Dalriada |1,415 |1,528 |1,692 |- |2,089
Belfast High School |1,453 |1,586 |1,822 |- |2,095
Coleraine Academical Institution |1,501 |1,606 |1,885 |- |2,279
Coleraine, Loreto Convent |1,406 |1,533 |1,632 |- |2,031
Garron Tower, St. Macnissi's |1,325 |1,456 |1,640 |- |2,016
Larne Grammar |1,503 |1,628 |1,835 |- |2,153
Magherafelt, Rainey Endowed |1,587 |1,653 |1,744 |- |2,038
Magherafelt, St. Mary's |1,266 |1,449 |1,513 |- |1,880
Portstewart, Dominican |1,639 |1,791 |1,805 |- |2,213
South-Eastern
Ballynahinch, Assumption |1,397 |1,486 |1,583 |- |1,946
Bangor Grammar |1,344 |1,418 |1,620 |- |1,954
Belfast, Our Lady and St.Patrick's |1,417 |1,553 |1,613 |- |1,956
Downpatrick, St. Patrick's |1,259 |1,359 |1,440 |- |1,797
Hollywood, Sullivan Upper |1,291 |1,395 |1,534 |- |1,888
Lisburn, Friends |1,396 |1,511 |1,643 |- |1,983
Lisburn, Wallace |1,301 |1,455 |1,522 |- |1,863
Southern
Armagh, Christian Brothers |1,591 |- |- |- |-
Armagh, St. Patrick's College |1,653 |- |- |- |-
Armagh, St. Patrick's Grammar |- |1,540 |1,797 |- |2,115
Armagh Royal |1,712 |1,889 |1,973 |- |2,258
Donaghmore, St. Joseph's |1,450 |1,693 |1,819 |- |2,206
Dungannon Royal |1,809 |1,849 |1,905 |- |2,268
Dungannon, St. Patrick's Boys' |1,170 |1,296 |1,533 |- |1,937
Dungannon, St. Patrick's Girls' |1,186 |1,275 |1,345 |- |1,715
Kilkeel, St. Louis High |1,713 |2,017 |2,287 |- |2,597
Lurgan, St. Michael's Senior High |1,701 |1,965 |2,118 |- |2,452
Newry, Christian Brothers |1,281 |1,386 |1,581 |- |1,923
Newry, Our Lady's |1,146 |1,254 |1,390 |- |1,756
Newry, Sacred Heart |1,304 |1,307 |1,446 |- |1,834
Newry, St. Colman's |1,212 |1,353 |1,455 |- |1,827
Western
Enniskillen, Convent |1,256 |1,347 |1,455 |- |1,841
Enniskillen, Portora |1,876 |2,048 |2,287 |- |2,514
Enniskillen, St. Michael's |1,310 |1,440 |1,556 |- |1,888
Londonderry, Foyle and Londonderry College |1,421 |1,514 |1,656 |- |2,033
Londonderry, St. Columb's |1,270 |1,423 |1,552 |- |1,874
Londonderry, Thornhill |1,343 |1,395 |1,588 |- |1,945
Omagh, Christian Brothers |1,267 |1,380 |1,525 |- |1,932
Western
Omagh, Loreto Convent |1,324 |1,321 |1,437 |- |1,825
Strabane Convent |1,336 |1,463 |1,595 |- |1,942
Notes:
1. The figures exclude preparatory departments.
2. Armagh Christian Brothers and St. Patrick's College, Armagh amalgamated to become St.
Patrick's Grammar with effect from the 1988-89 school year.
3. Prior to 1 April 1991 voluntary grammar schools were funded on an academic year basis (
from 1 August to 31 July). With the introduction of Local Management of Schools at 1 April
1991, funding was based on the Financial year (1 April to 31 March). In order to effect
the transition, funding in 1990-91 was restricted to an 8 month period (1 August to 31
March). The information relating to this 8 month period has been omitted due to its
distorting effect.
Column 677
Electricity Supply
Mr. Beggs : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement about tariffs for industrial users of electricity in Northern Ireland in the light of the coal review White Paper.
Sir Patrick Mayhew : I welcome the fact that the coal review White Paper deals fully with Northern Ireland energy matters. Following consultation with the Director General of Electricity Supply for Northern Ireland, I have agreed to extend existing transitional support for large users of electricity in Northern Ireland to cover all monthly billed industrial consumers and to lengthen the period during which this support is available to four years.
SOCIAL SECURITY
Insolvency
Mr. Don Foster : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will detail measures taken by the Government to comply with European Council directive--EEC 80/987 ; and if he will make a statement.
Miss Widdecombe : Most of the provisions of this directive concern employment protection measures on employer insolvency which is a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Employment.
In so far as social security contributions to the state scheme are concerned, the national insurance system guarantees benefits from the national insurance fund according to the type and level of contributions paid into it. If, for any reason, including the insolvency of the employer, an employer fails to make a class 1 contribution, or pays it late, that contribution will be deemed paid under the Social Security (Contributions) Regulations 1979 unless the employee has been negligent or in some way connived with the employer in the failure to pay.
In so far as occupational pensions are concerned, United Kingdom law satifies the requirements of the directive by a range of measures.
The Employment Protection (Consolidation) Act 1978 makes the Secretary of State liable to pay contributions due from an insolvent employer to an occupational pension scheme. The relevant contributions include, subject to certain limits, both employees' contributions deducted by the employer from the employees' pay and arrears of contributions due from the employer.
In addition, funds are protected from the creditors of the employer in the events of his insolvency by virtue of being set up as irrevocable trusts independent of the employer. The funds set aside for paying pensions are transferred out of the ownership of the employer and into the ownership of the trustees of the pension scheme. The law places the trustees under a strict obligation to act prudently and in the interest of the beneficiaries.
Pensioners (Fuel Prices)
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security when pensioners will receive the benefit uprating reflecting the April 1994 rise in fuel prices.
Mr. Burt : Pensions and other benefits will increase automatically to reflect the impact of any increase in fuel bills on the indices used to uprate benefits. Moreover, extra
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help will be given from April 1994 to poorer pensioners and other people on low incomes to assist with higher fuel bills as soon as they arise.Means-tested Benefits
Mr. Dewar : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will update the answer of 3 March, Official Report, column 203 , on the number of taxpaying households in receipt of means-tested benefits, giving estimates for 1993-94
Mr. Burt : My reply to the hon. Member on 3 March 1993 shows the position at May 1990 which is the latest date for which the information requested is available.
Forecasting methods currently used by the Department for housing benefit and council tax benefit do not produce forecasts for specific types of taxpaying household. Forecasting methods are being developed which will enable forecasts of some broad grouping of households. It is anticipated that these developments will be available later this year.
National Insurance
Mrs. Dunwoody : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how much extra an employee on £13,000 per annum will pay in national insurance contributions according to his Budget proposals.
Miss Widdecombe : An employee earning £13,000 per annum would pay an extra £1.94 per week in national insurance contributions in 1994-95 compared with 1993-94.
Note : The calculation assumes that the Lower Earnings Limit of £56 per week for 1993-94 applies in 1994-95. However, if the Lower Earnings Limit for 1994-95 is raised as usual in line with an increase in the rate of the basic Retirement Pension, the additional contributions payable will be slightly less.
Mr. Dewar : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will estimate the number of people in 1993-94 who pay national insurance contributions but are not liable to income tax.
Miss Widdecombe [pursuant to her reply, 25 February 1993, columns 681 -82] : It is estimated that in 1993-94 there will continue to bein the region of 0.5 million contributors whose earnings fall below the PAYE threshold.
Self-employment
Mr. Sproat : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list (a) the number of occasions, in each of the last 10 years, when an inquiry has been set up under section 17 of the Social Security Administration Act 1992 and its predecessor section and Act, to consider cases where persons claiming to be self-employed were considered by his Department to be employed and (b) the number of occasions when, on receipt of the inquirer's report, the original decision of his Department that the person was not self-employed but employed was overturned.
Miss Widdecombe : Information is not held in the precise form requested. Such information as is available is in the table.
Column 679
(1) |(2) |(3) |(4)
Financial year |Number of Decisions|Number of Inquiries|Number of Decisions
|on Employment |on Employment |where Department's
|Status |Status |"Employed" View
|Overturned after
|Inquiry
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1982-83 |40 |40 |1
1983-84 |42 |40 |2
1984-85 |65 |64 |3
1985-86 |43 |40 |5
1986-87 |45 |39 |3
1987-88 |67 |36 |8
1988-89 |61 |50 |8
1989-90 |54 |36 |6
1990-91 |67 |45 |15
1991-92 |58 |34 |11
------- |------- |------- |-------
Total |542 |424 |62
(14.6 per cent.)
Note: Column (3)-it is not possible to indentify separately those inquiries set up to consider
cases where persons claiming to be self-employed were considered by the Department to be employed.
Pensioners
Mr. Burns : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many pensioners (a) in the United Kingdom and (b) in the Chelmsford consituency have a private pension or state
earnings-related pension (i) in total, (ii) of up to £5 per week, (iii) of £6 to £10 per week, (iv) of £11 to £15 per week, (v) of £16 to £20 per week and (vi) in excess of £21 per week.
Miss Widdecombe : The information is not available in the form requested. Information relating to the numbers in receipt of private pensions in the Chelmsford constituency is not available. Information relating to the numbers in receipt of SERPS in the Chelmsford contsituency could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. Information regarding those in receipt of SERPS in Great Britain is given in the tables (a) and (b).
Table (a) by net amount of SERPS (after contracted out deduction) at 31 March 1992 Weekly amount (£) |Number ------------------------------------------------------ 0.01 to 4.99 |1,932,990 5.00 to 9.99 |819,460 10.00 to 14.99 |307,360 15.00 to 19.99 |153,680 20.00+ |214,830 All |3,428,320
Table (b) by notional gross amount of SERPS (before contracted out deduction) at 31 March 1992 Weekly amount (£) |Number ------------------------------------------------------ 0.01 to 4.99 |1,199,540 5.00 to 9.99 |695,530 10.00 to 14.99 |494,260 15.00 to 19.99 |351,140 20.00+ |703,420 All |3,443,890
Column 680
It is not possible to give estimates regarding receipt of "private pension". Table (c) gives estimates for receipt of occupational pension based on the 1989 family expenditure survey.Table (c) receipt of occupational pension by individuals in pensioner units Weekly amount (£) |Number (000's) ------------------------------------------------------ 0.01 to 4.99 |400 5.00 to 9.99 |600 10.00 to 14.99 |500 15.00 to 19.99 |400 20.00+ |2,400 All |4,300 Notes: 1. "Contracted-out deduction" is the amount by which additional pension is reduced where a person has been a member of pension scheme which is contracted-out of SERPS or a personal pension scheme used in place of additional pension. 2. A pensioner unit is a single person aged over state pensionable age (SPA) or a couple where the husband is aged over SPA. 3. It is not possible to draw a correlation between the information regarding SERPS at Tables (a) and (b) and the estimates on receipt of occupational pensions at Table (c).
Mr. Burns : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) for how many pensioners in (a) the Chelmsford constituency and (b) the United Kingdom their only source of income is the state retirement pensions ;
(2) how many pensioners there are living in (a) the Chelmsford parliamentary constituency and (b) the United Kingdom.
Miss Widdecombe : The information is not available in the form requested. Information relating to the Chelmsford constituency is not available.
It is estimated that, in 1989, there were 7 million pensioner units in the UK of which 1 million had no income other than from state benefits. Income support is available to pensioners whose only source of income is basic state retirement pension at either the single or married couple rate and who do not have savings or capital in excess of £3,000.
Notes :
1. A pensioner unit is a single person aged over state pensionable age (SPA) or a couple where the husband is aged over SPA. 2. State benefit is any social security benefit or pension (including housing benefit) payable by the State.
3. Estimates are based on the 1989 Family Expenditure Survey.
Unemployment Benefit
Mr. Spearing : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what estimate he has made of the approximate proportion of those previously on unemployment benefit who after one year are still available for work, but who nevertheless make no subsequent claim to which they are entitled, and who do not form a component of the published statistics ; and if he will state the approximate numbers of persons in this category who first became eligible for unemployment benefit in January, February and March 1992, respectively.
Mr. Burt : The information requested is not available. At November 1992, 368,000 people were registered unemployed for the purpose of claiming national
Column 681
insurance credits only and were included in the published statistics. Of these, 86,000 had exhausted their entitlement to unemployment benefit.Source : Half yearly Analysis of Unemployed Claimants November 1992.
Executive Operations
Mr. Lidington : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what performance targets he is setting for his Department's executive operations for 1993-94 ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Lilley : The targets for 1993-94 which I have set for DSS executive operations are set out in the table. The targets support the continued success of the Government's next steps agencies and the citizens charter initiative.
A number of changes have been made to the format and range of the targets to improve the measures of performance. The targets I have set represent a challenging level of performance, and an improvement in the service the customers receive.
As well as the following performance targets, agencies have been set resource management targets requiring them to deliver their plans within their agreed financial allocation and, where appropriate, to make efficiency savings. They also have a number of milestone targets to achieve. These and the resource management targets are set out in 1993-94 business plans, which also contain further information on performance targets.
The business plan of the Benefits Agency will be published today ; those of the Information Technology Services Agency, the Child Support Agency and the Resettlement Agency on 31 March ; and that of the Contributions Agency on 2 April. I will arrange for copies of the plans to be placed in the Library.
The targets are as follows :
Benefits Agency
1. Benefit Clearance Times
Social Fund Crisis loans--the day the need arises.
Social Fund Community Care Grants--65 per cent. of claims cleard in 7 days and 95 per cent. in 20 days.
Income Support new claims--71 per cent. of claims cleared in 5 days and 90 per cent. in 13 days.
Sickness and Invalidity Benefit claims--65 per cent. of claims cleared in 10 days and 95 per cent. in 30 days.
Child Benefit--67 per cent. of claims cleared in 10 days and 95per cent. in 30 days.
Family Credit--60 per cent. of claims cleared in 13 days and 95 per cent. in 42 days.
Disability Living Allowance--65 per cent. of claims cleared in 30 days and 85 per cent. in 55 days.
Disability Working Allowance (claims from people starting work)--65 per cent. of claims cleared in 5 days.
2. Benefit Accuracy
Income Support--to pay the correct amount in 92 per cent. of cases. Incapacity benefits --to pay the correct amount in 96.5 per cent. of cases.
Family Credit--to pay the correct amount in 92 per cent. of cases. Disability Living Allowance--to pay the correct amount in 96 per cent. of cases.
Disability Working Allowance--to pay the correct amount in 95 per cent. of cases.
3. Customer Satisfaction
85 per cent. of customers to regard the Agency's service as satisfactory or better.
4. Resource management
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