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Year |Percentage --------------------------------- 1979-80 |43.3 1980-81 |51.2 1981-82 |56.1 1982-83 |60.1 1983-84 |62.9 1984-85 |66.1 1985-86 |69.7 1986-87 |72.0 1987-88 |75.9 1988-89 |81.4 1989-90 |86.8 1990-91 |93.8 1991-92 |100.0 1992-93 |103.5 1993-94 |106.3
Foresight Programme
Dr. Moonie : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster when he expects to announce the membership of the foresight programme steering group.
Mr. Waldegrave : In due course.
Dr. Moonie : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what will be the relationship between the panels of experts of the foresight programme and sector advisory bodies of the Department of Trade and Industry.
Mr. Waldegrave : The Office of Science and Technology and the Department of Trade and Industry will work
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closely to ensure that the technology foresight programme receives technological and market information from technical experts and from the industrial sectors sponsored by the Department.Dr. Moonie : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if the reports of the foresight programme steering group and the panels of experts will be made public.
Postgraduate Research
Dr. Moonie : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what steps he is taking to encourage industrial and academic partnerships in the provision of postgraduate research and training.
Mr. Waldegrave : The Government would like to see more research students undertaking work in industrial and commercial settings. There are already a number of initiatives promoting such industrial and academic partnerships, including CASE awards, postgraduate training partnerships and engineering doctorates, and the White Paper encourages these developments.
Public Research Establishments
Dr. Moonie : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster who is to undertake the Government's review of the public research establishments ; what the timescale of the review will be ; and if the review will be made public.
Mr. Waldegrave : The scrutiny of public sector research establishments will be undertaken over the coming months by the efficiency unit, in conjunction with Government Departments. It is normal for efficiency unit reports to be published.
Research and Development
Dr. Moonie : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will list the total Government expenditure on research and development in each year since 1979 in cash terms and at constant prices.
Mr. Waldegrave : The table lists the expenditure (in cash and constant prices) by Government on research and development as defined in the annual review of Government funded research and development 1992. Information on expenditure on this basis is not available before 1982-83.
Year |Cash (£ million) |Constant prices<1> |Deflator (per cent.)
|(£ million)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1982-83 |3,476.0 |5,783.7 |60.2
1983-84 |3,725.0 |5,920.1 |62.9
1984-85 |3,960.0 |5,989.8 |66.1
1985-86 |4,248.3 |6,093.2 |69.7
1986-87 |4,258.0 |5,916.7 |72.0
1997-88 |4,304.6 |5,669.9 |75.9
1988-89 |4,382.0 |5,380.1 |81.4
1989-90 |4,629.4 |5,333.3 |86.8
1990-91 |4,826.8 |5,148.4 |93.8
1991-92 |5,069.7 |5,069.7 |100.0
1992-93 |<2>5,394.3 |5,211.9 |103.5
1993-94 |<3>5,442.0 |5,117.3 |106.3
<1> Base year 1991-92.
<2> Estimated otturn.
<3> Planned expenditure.
NATIONAL FINANCE
Royal Family
Mr. Mackinlay : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the application of the value added tax regime to (a) members of the royal family, (b) transactions relating to private residences of the royal family and (c) transactions relating to royal palaces.
Sir John Cope : Members of the royal family, their private residences and royal palaces are subject to value added tax like private citizens and other buildings with the exception that gifts to reigning monarchs are relieved from tax on importation.
Relocation and Amalgamation
Mr. Robert Banks : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the sections and organisations within his Department for which there are plans for relocation or amalgamation.
Mr. Nelson : There are no current plans permanently to relocate any part of the Department. The organisation of the Treasury is kept under regular review and new sections are created and existing ones amalgamated from time to time.
Monetary Policy
Mr. Wareing : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what changes in monetary policy he plans in the light of recent discussions at the OECD ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Nelson : The Government have no such plans.
The United Kingdom's monetary policy is set to meet the Government's objective of keeping underlying inflation within the range of 1 to 4 per cent. and to bring it down to the lower part of that range by the end of the current Parliament. The level of base interest rates is consistent with sustainable growth and the Government's inflation objective.
Public Sector Borrowing Requirement
Mr. Betts : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list for each year since 1980-81 the level of the PSBR ; what was the contribution of the sale of assets in each year ; and what were the main sources of these asset proceeds.
Mr. Portillo : The information requested is set out in the table.
Column 609
|PSBR (£ million) |Including |Main contributors |(£ million)
|privatisation
|proceeds of: (£
|million)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1980-81 |12,519 |210 |National Enterprise |83
|Board British Aerospace |43
1981-82 |8,631 |493 |Cable and Wireless |181
|Amersham International |64
1982-83 |8,904 |455 |Britoil
|Associated British Ports |46
1983-84 |9,678 |1,139 |BP |543
|Britoil (2nd instalment) |293
|Cable and Wireless |263
1984-85 |10,134 |2,050 |BT |1,358
|Enterprise Oil |384
|National Enterprise Board |168
1985-86 |5,622 |2,706 |BT (2nd instalment) |1,246
|Cable and Wireless |577
|Britoil |426
|British Aerospace |347
1986-87 |3,559 |4,458 |British Gas |2,570
|BT (3rd instalment) |1,081
|British Airways |435
1987-88 |-3,406 |5,140 |British Gas (2nd instalment) |1,758
|Rolls-Royce |1,029
|BP |863
|BAA |534
|British Airways (2nd instalment) |419
1989 |-14,657 |7,069 |BP (2nd instalment) |3,030
|British Gas |1,555
|British Steel |1,138
|BAA (2nd instalment) |689
1989-90 |-7,932 |4,219 |BP (3rd instalment) |1,363
|British Steel (2nd instalment) |1,289
|British Gas (debentures) |800
|Water |496
1990-91 |-456 |5,345 |Electricity (E&W) |3,134
|Water (2nd instalment) |1,487
1991-92 |13,731 |7,923 |Electricity (E&W) (2nd instalment)|2,329
|BT |1,666
|Water (3rd instalment) |1,483
|Electricity (Scotland) |1,112
|Electricity (debentures) |1,106
1992-93 |36,527 |8,116 |BT (2nd and 3rd instalments) |3,487
|Electricity (E&W) |1,460
|Electricity (Scotland) |899
|Debt Auctions |1,337
Sterling
Mr. Fatchett : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what has been the effect of the depreciation of sterling against the ecu since September 1992 on the sterling value of European Community funding for regional and social policy initiatives ; and if he will make a statement.
Sir John Cope : The main sources of funding for the Community's regional and social policies are the structural funds. Structural fund allocations are made in ecus ; and the depreciation of sterling against the ecu since September 1992 is likely to result in a higher level of sterling receipts than otherwise would have been the case.
Mr. Peter Clowes
Mr. Burns : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the latest position with regard to the Government's litigation against Mr. Peter Clowes and Mrs. Pamela Clowes.
Column 610
Mr. Nelson : On 8 June, the High Court granted in favour of the Government an order for damages awarded against Mr. and Mrs. Clowes to the sum of £31 million. This meets the Government's claim against them for damages in full ; the Government will pursue all available assets to meet the claim by all means available.
The Government continue to pursue vigorously any claims which show the prospect of reducing the cost to the taxpayer of the ex-gratia payments scheme for Barlow Clowes investors.
HEALTH
Teenage Pregnancy
Ms Gordon : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) births and (b) abortions took place for women aged (i) under 16 years and (ii) between 16 and 19 years in each year since 1980.
Mr. Sackville : The information is shown in the table :
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Live births, Stillbirths and Abortions and Conceptions in England and Wales 1980-1992
Year |Age |Live births |Stillbirths |Abortions |Conceptions<2>
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1980 |under 16 |1,281 |8 |4,143 |8,580
|16-19 |59,473 |500 |37,120 |108,672
1981 |under 16 |1,180 |12 |3,949 |8,561
|16-19 |55,380 |444 |36,623 |106,611
1982 |under 16 |1,169 |8 |4,343 |8,999
|16-19 |54,266 |389 |36,694 |104,933
1983 |under 16 |1,249 |17 |4,566 |9,369
|16-19 |52,810 |380 |36,512 |102,982
1984 |under 16 |1,323 |10 |4,609 |9,649
|16-19 |53,185 |385 |38,492 |108,579
1985 |under 16 |1,402 |7 |4,427 |9,406
|16-19 |55,527 |354 |39,105 |109,861
1986 |under 16 |1,366 |13 |4,240 |9,194
|16-19 |56,040 |354 |39,897 |109,583
1987 |under 16 |1,305 |10 |4,075 |9,135
|16-19 |56,240 |310 |38,482 |114,017
1988 |under 16 |1,261 |12 |3,804 |8,782
|16-19 |57,480 |324 |40,840 |111,927
1989 |under 16 |1,317 |6 |3,576 |8,382
|16-19 |54,226 |319 |38,821 |109,117
1990 |under 16 |1,306 |5 |3,622 |8,634
|16-19 |54,235 |327 |37,950 |106,421
1991 |under 16 |1,426 |9 |3,317 |n/a
|16-19 |50,970 |269 |33,401
1992<1> |under 16 |1,314 |11 |n/a |n/a
|16-19 |46,547 |216
Conception figures for 1991 and 1992 and abortion figures for 1992 are not yet available.
<1> The figures given for 1992 include 17 stillbirths of 24 to 27 weeks gestation which occurred between
1 October and 31 December. On 1 October 1992, the legal definition of a stillbirth was altered: from a
baby born dead after 28 weeks of completed gestation or more, to one born dead after 24 completed weeks
gestation or more.
<2> The number of conceptions to girls under 16 is greater than the number of births and abortions to
girls under 16, because many girls who become pregnant at age 15 will have the birth or abortion at age
16. Further, a conception in one calendar year can lead to a birth or abortion in the next calendar
year.
Consultant Psychiatrists
Ms Primarolo : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the number of consultant psychiatrists in each region and in London ; and what is the number per head of population.
Dr. Mawhinney : The regional information requested is shown in the table. In inner London there were 205
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consultant psychiatrists at 30 September 1991, or 8.8 per 1,000 population. These figures do not include data for the Newham and Haringey district health authorities, for which consultant data are not available, and exclude consultants working in the special health authorities.
Numbers of consultant psychiatrists by region England-30 September 1991
|Consultant |Consultants per
|psychiatrists |100,000 population
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Northern |116 |3.8
Yorkshire |101 |2.8
Trent |184 |3.9
East Anglia |87 |4.1
North West Thames |197 |5.7
North East Thames |200 |5.3
South East Thames |165 |4.5
South West Thames |157 |5.3
Wessex |107 |3.6
Oxford |111 |4.3
South Western |131 |4.0
West Midlands |176 |3.4
Mersey |98 |4.1
North Western |149 |3.7
SHAs |88 |n/a
England |2,025 |4.2
Notes:
(a) Figures calculated using unadjusted population figures.
(b) Since consultants are entitled to hold contracts in more than one
region, an element of duplication exists in the above regional figures, ie
a consultant psychiatrist can be shown in more than one region. The England
figure does NOT include any such duplications.
Accident and Emergency Departments, London
Ms Primarolo : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many house officers, senior house officers, registrars, senior registrars, associate specialists, staff grade and consultants are working in accident and emergency departments in London and each of the Thames regions.
Dr. Mawhinney : The information is shown in the table.
Column 611
Numbers of hospital staff in accident and emergency in the Inner London area and Thames
regions-30 September 1991
|Inner |North West|North East|South East|South West|SHAs
|London |Thames |Thames |Thames |Thames
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
House Officer |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Senior House Officer |141 |140 |147 |108 |89 |0
Registrar |8 |6 |7 |4 |4 |0
Senior Registrar |n.a. |4 |6 |5 |3 |1
Assistant Specialist |1 |0 |5 |6 |2 |0
Staff Grade |3 |9 |6 |3 |2 |0
Consultant |13 |20 |19 |14 |12 |1
|--- |--- |--- |--- |--- |---
Total |166 |179 |190 |140 |112 |2
Notes:
(a) An element of duplication may exist in the above figures since doctors are entitled to hold
contracts in more than one region.
(b) The number of senior registrars in accident and emergency in inner London is not
available-contracts held at a regional level only.
(c) The consultant data for inner London do not include Newham and Haringey district health
authorities, for which contracts are held at regional level only.
(d) Thames regions figures include inner London figures.
(e) Pre-registration house officers are not contracted to work in accident and emergency
departments.
Acute Psychiatric Beds
Ms Primarolo : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the number of acute psychiatric beds, by region and in London.
Mr. Bowis : The information is shown in the table. Psychiatric beds are classified as short or long stay rather than acute or non-acute.
Average daily number of available short stay
beds, psychiatric wards 1991-92
|Number
---------------------------------------------
England |22,159
Northern RHA |1,610
Yorkshire RHA |1,750
Trent RHA |1,964
East Anglian RHA |790
North West Thames RHA |1,350
North East Thames RHA |1,786
South East Thames RHA |1,366
South West Thames RHA |1,509
Wessex RHA |1,186
Oxford RHA |906
South Western RHA |1,735
West Midlands RHA |2,263
Mersey RHA |1,323
North Western RHA |2,156
Special health authorities |466
|-------
London |3,983<1>
<1> Figure also included in Thames RHAs.
Regional totals may not add up to the
England total due to rounding.
Sports Remedial Therapists
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Health in what circumstances fund-holding general practitioners may refer patients for treatment to sports remedial therapists who are not registered practitioners.
Dr. Mawhinney : General practitioner fund holders are free to make referrals, within the scope of the scheme, provided they are satisfied that the practitioner to whom the referral is made is suitably qualified.
NHS Trusts
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list for each regional health authority, the national health service units that will not have trust status after the fourth wave of applications.
Dr. Mawhinney : The number of units not applying for trust status in the fourth wave is shown in the table. The precise number of directly managed units remaining after the fourth wave will depend on the number of fourth wave candidates approved.
Number of directly managed units (DMUs) by region not applying for trust status in the fourth wave Region |Number -------------------------------- East Anglian<1> |0 Mersey<1> |0 Northern<1> |0 North East Thames |16 North West Thames |2 North Western<1> |0 Oxford<1> |0 South East Thames |10 South West Thames |5 South Western<1> |0 Trent |7 Wessex<1> |0 West Midlands |3 Yorkshire |1 <1> All remaining DMUs have submitted applications for the fourth wave.
Psychiatric Hospitals
Mrs. Anne Campbell : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what study she has made of the results of the closure of psychiatric hospitals in the United States of America ; and what plans she has to modify Government policy in the light of this study.
Mr. Bowis : The Government are aware and keep abreast of mental health developments in the United States of America and other parts of the world and takes account of relevant experience in formulating policy.
Personal Social Services
Mr. Steinberg : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much, in real cash terms, was available to councils in the Northern region, for spending on personal social services in 1979 ; what is the amount provided for 1993-94 ; and if she will make a statement.
Mr. Bowis : The system employed for the distribution of central Government support for local authority services has changed substantially since 1979 ; it is not possible therefore to give comparable figures on how much was available in that year and the current year. Expenditure in 1978- 79 by local authorities in the northern region, and resources available for 1993-94, including community care, are shown in the table. Increases over the 15-year period will have been subject to population and boundary changes. For the region as a whole, the increase in expenditure reflects that for England and demonstrates the Government's commitment to the development of personal social services.
Local authority personal social services-Resources
£ million
|1978-79 Outturn |1993-94 Standard |Real terms increase
|spending<1> |(per cent.)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cleveland |12.8 |62.9 |71.3
Cumbria |8.2 |46.6 |98.1
Durham |12.1 |62.6 |80.4
Gateshead |5.3 |24.8 |63.2
Newcastle |11.4 |37.6 |15.0
Northumberland |5.7 |28.0 |71.3
North Tyneside |5.1 |22.4 |53.1
South Tyneside |4.4 |19.5 |54.5
Sunderland |7.9 |32.7 |44.3
Total |72.9 |337.1 |61.2
<1> Including community care.
Hospital Beds, Durham
Mr. Steinberg : To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if she will make a statement on the implementation of the patients charter waiting time guarantee in the City of Durham ;
(2) how many people are currently waiting for a hospital bed in the City of Durham.
Dr. Mawhinney : Waiting time information is collected centrally by health authority rather than metropolitan area. The North Durham health authorfor hip or knee replacement or a cataract operation. Latest figures for 30 September 1992 show that 89 per cent. of North Durham patients had been waiting for less than a year.
Dentistry, Durham
Mr. Steinberg : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many courses of dental treatment were carried out in the Durham area under the NHS in 1979 ; and what were the equivalent figures for the last 12-month period for which figures are available.
Dr. Mawhinney : The information is shown in the table.
Courses of treatment carried out in the Durham Family Health Services Authority area under the General Dental Service during 1979 and 1992-93 Year |Under 18<1>|18 and over|Total<1> ------------------------------------------------------------ 1979 |103,630 |153,160 |256,790 1992-93 |42,476 |269,315 |311,791 <1> Under the new dental contract introduced on 1 October 1990, most child treatment is undertaken under capitation where no separate course of treatment is identified. These figures are therefore not comparable.
Mr. Steinberg : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement about the availability of NHS dental treatment in the Durham area.
Dr. Mawhinney : We are advised that patients in the Durham area have had no difficulty in registering with a national health service dentist.
Lung Cancer
Mr. Alton : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the difference in percentage terms, in lung cancer in women living in Liverpool compared with the national average ; what money her Department has made available for the study of the causes of Liverpool's lung cancer cases ; and if she will make a statement.
Mr. Sackville : Statistics on the prevalence of particular forms of cancer are not calculated. The mortality rate from a malignant neoplasm of the trachea, bronchus and lung--International Classification of Diseases, ninth revision code 162--in women normally resident in Liverpool is approximately 80 per cent. greater than the rate in England as a whole. The Department has not funded any studies of the causes of lung cancer in Liverpool. Nationally, at least 80 per cent. of deaths from lung cancer are caused by smoking.
Column 616
Patient Deaths
Ms Primarolo : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients died while on the waiting list for cardiac surgery in each of the last two years for which figures are available.
Dr. Mawhinney : I refer the hon. Member to the reply the Parliamentary Under-Secretary for State--my hon. Friend the Member for Bolton, West (Mr. Sackville)--gave to her on 14 April at column 608. The waiting list information requested is not available centrally.
Urgent Operations
Ms Primarolo : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to place specific maximum waiting times on specific urgent operations ; and if she will make a statement.
Dr. Mawhinney : None at present. As part of the 1993-94 waiting time initiative, the national health service management executive is holding discussions with the medical professions about procedures and protocols for prioritising waiting list conditions. The usefulness of setting maximum waiting times for specific operations is an option which will be explored at these meetings.
Ambulances
Mr. Nigel Evans : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many ambulances were operating in each health authority in England in each year since 1983.
Mr. Sackville : This information is not available centrally.
Traffic Casualties
Ms Primarolo : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much has been paid to the NHS under section 158 of the Road Traffic Act 1988 in each of the last five years ; and if she will make a statement.
Mr. Sackville : This information is not available centrally.
NHS Staff (Holidays)
Sir Ralph Howell : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many statutory and public holidays, in addition to bank holidays, are enjoyed by employees of the national health service.
Dr. Mawhinney : Staff employed on national health service Whitley terms and conditions of service are entitled to two additional days paid holiday each year.
GP Fund Holders
Mr. Fatchett : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many general practitioner fund holders in the Yorkshire region overspent their budgets in (a) 1991-92 and (b) in 1992-93.
Dr. Mawhinney : Five out of the 34 fund-holding units in Yorkshire region overspent their budgets in 1991-92. Information for 1992-93 is not yet available.
Column 617
Tobacco Advertising
Mr. Barnes : To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to her answer of 7 June, Official Report, column 44, what was the Government's position on the Commission's directive on advertising of tobacco products.
Mr. Sackville : At the Health Council meeting on 27 May, the Government restated their position that adoption of the draft European Community directive on tobacco advertising is not necessary for the completion of the internal market.
Benomyl and Carbendazim
Mr. Campbell-Savours : To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what data exist within the Department as to the effects of Benomyl and Carbendazim--related products on women immediately prior to childbirth ;
(2) what links have been established between the use of Benomyl and Carbendazim in fungicides and the incidence of anophthalmic and microphthalmic conditions in humans ;
(3) what proposals the Government have for scientific inquiries into the use and effects of Benomyl and related products ; and what inquiries have taken place so far.
Dr. Mawhinney : Data on the metabolic effects on animals of pesticides are produced from experiments using laboratory animals and evaluated by the independent and Government scientists who advise Ministers before any pesticide is approved for use. I refer the hon. Member to the reply the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State--my hon. Friend the Member for Bolton, West (Mr. Sackville)--gave the hon. Member for Rochdale (Ms Lynne) on 8 February at columns 478-79, for an explanation of the approval process and the assessment of the data seen.
The data available to the Department do not indicate that Benomyl and Carbendazim-related products used as fungicides in the United Kingdom are likely to cause any adverse health effects to women or to their unborn children immediately before childbirth or throughout their pregnancies. Nor has the Department seen or been notified of any scientific reports that indicate that these products are causing adverse health effects on women or on children.
I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave the hon. Member for Sheffield, Brightside (Mr. Blunkett) on 20 May at column 259, which stated that the Department is commissioning research into the incidence of anophthalmia in Great Britain from the environmental epidemiological unit at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. The results of this work and the research now being undertaken by Moorfields hospital will be very carefully considered and any necessary action taken.
Alcohol Problems
Mr. Milburn : To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether generic monitoring of the implementation of community care will include the gathering of information on services for people with alcohol problems.
Column 618
Benlate
Mr. Campbell-Savours : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions she has held with Dupont in the United Kingdom on the payment of the Dupont Company of compensation in the case of damage to users of Benlate.
Mr. Sackville : None. Such matters should be resolved between an individual and the relevant manufacturer.
OVERSEAS DEVELOPMENT
Eastern Bloc (Training)
Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what resources are currently being devoted to the Chancellor of the Exchequer's financial sector scheme for extending work experience and training in the United Kingdom and other OECD countries to assist in modernising the financial services industry in ex-eastern bloc countries ; and if he will list Britain's financial services industry organisations participating in the scheme and the locations of current secondees and the lengths of their approximate periods of secondment.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd [holding answer 14 June 1993] : The sum of £9.3 million is allocated to the scheme covering selection costs, air fares, induction training in Britain and British Council management charges. Training is not offered outside the United Kingdom and the scheme is limited to participants from the former Soviet Union and the Baltic states.
I am placing a list with the further details the hon. Member requested in the Library of the House.
Average lengths of current CFSS attachments ------------------ 3 months |8 4-6 months |8 6-12 months |22
Average lengths of current CFSS attachments ------------------ 3 months |8 4-6 months |8 6-12 months |22
Average lengths of current CFSS attachments ------------------ 3 months |8 4-6 months |8 6-12 months |22
NATIONAL HERITAGE
Dartmoor
Ms Emma Nicholson : To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if he will make a statement on the new arrangements for the management of three field monuments on Dartmoor which are in the guardianship of English Heritage.
Mr. Brooke : Yes. I am fully satisfied with the terms of the proposed agreement under which management responsibility for Grimspound, Hound Tor medieval village and Merrivale prehistoric site will be transferred to the Dartmoor National Park Authority from 1 July. These sites are the first to be transferred to local management under English Heritage's forward strategy. The park authority, with its proximity to the monuments, specialised knowledge and volunteer network, is well placed to provide the best care for these evocative sites and the best value for public money. This well illustrates the potential benefits of local management in appropriate cases.
Column 621
SOCIAL SECURITY
Retirement Pensions
Mr. Denham : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) what percentage of the national insurance fund has been paid out in national insurance rebates, tax reliefs and other incentives in respect of personal pensions contracted out of the state earnings-related pension scheme for 1992-93 ; and what is the equivalent expected percentage for the years 1993-94 and 1994-95 ; (2) what was the cost of the national insurance rebates, tax reliefs and other incentives paid in respect of personal pensions contracted out of the state earnings-related pension scheme for 1992-93 ; and what are the equivalent expected costs for 1993-94 and 1994- 95.
Mr. Hague : The information is in the table. Tax relief is not a cost to the national insurance fund and has not been included in the figures. The percentages are the estimated cost of the rebates and incentives as a percentage of the estimated gross contribution income to the national insurance fund.
Personal Pensions Year |Cost (£ billions)|Per cent. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1992-93 |2.50 |7 1993-94 |2.65 |7 1994-95 |1.80 |5 Source: Government Actuary's Department.
Mr. Denham : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what are the average annual earnings of those who have contracted out of the state earnings-related pension scheme (a) via an occupational pension scheme and (b) in favour of a personal pension plan.
Mr. Hague : Information on those contracting out of the state earnings related scheme via an occupational pension scheme is not immediately available. I will write to the hon. Member as soon as it is. Such information as is available is that the average earnings of members of occupational pension schemes (including those which are not contracted out of the state earnings related scheme) in calendar year 1991, were £16,200 per annum. Average earnings of personal pension optants in the tax year 1990-91 are estimated to be £10,300 per annum.
Sources : Occupational Pension Schemes--General Household Survey. Personal Pension Schemes--1 per cent. of National Insurance contributors.
Post Offices
Mr. Campbell-Savours : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, pursuant to his oral statement of 7 June, Official Report, column 23, how many of the post offices referred to receive remuneration for work carried out in addition to the basic flat-rate payment.
Mr. Hague : A number of the approximately 2,700 sub-postmasters referred to may additionally receive some
Column 622
small one-off payments for minor items of business which occur only intermittently and on a small scale, such as payment for the issue of concessionary bus passes. The numbers receiving such payments fluctuate considerably, but because of their intermittent nature, no central record is kept of the total number of sub-postmasters who receive them at any given time.Alcohol Residential Centres
Mr. Milburn : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security to whom housing benefit payments should be made for alcohol residential centre clients.
Mr. Burt : The same provisions governing direct payment of housing benefit apply to alcohol residential centre clients as to all other tenants. Usually the benefit is paid to tenants, although it must be paid direct to landlords if a tenant has eight weeks or more rent arrears or direct payments of income support are being made. Local authorities may also pay housing benefit direct with the claimant's consent, or if it is in the claimant's best interests to do so, or if a claimant has left a property owing rent.
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