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Dr. David Clark : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if the development of a new sub-strategic nuclear warhead can be completed (a) without further nuclear tests and (b) without further improvements to alternative and non-nuclear methods of developing nuclear weapons.
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Dr. David Clark : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) if it is his policy not to conduct any further nuclear tests unless another state does so first ;
(2) what is his policy on seeking an alternative site at which to conduct United Kingdom nuclear tests ;
(3) what is his policy on conducting any further nuclear tests prior to the non-proliferation treaty extension conference in 1995.
Mr. Aitken : We have no plans to conduct nuclear tests anywhere other than at the Nevada test site. There is, of course, no possibility of our conducting further tests at Nevada during the United States moratorium on nuclear testing, which President Clinton has recently extended until October 1994, unless another state tests meanwhile. We would need to consider in the light of the circumstances at the time whether to avail ourselves of any further opportunities to conduct nuclear tests.
Desert Storm Syndrome
Dr. David Clark : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what liaison has taken place with the French authorities relating to Desert Storm syndrome.
Mr. Hanley : A request for information on this alleged condition has been made through our Defence attache in Paris to the relevant French authorities. The initial response from the French authorities is that they are unaware of any cases of French service personnel who served in the Gulf exhibiting any unexplained symptoms associated with the alleged condition known as Desert Storm syndrome. Such liaison will continue.
Dr. David Clark : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many representations he has received from (a) service personnel, (b) their families and (c) civilian general practitioners relating to Desert Storm syndrome ; and if he will publish those representations he has received from civilian general practitioners relating to Desert Storm syndrome which do not contain confidential information.
Mr. Hanley : My Department has received one representation from a serving member of the United Kingdom armed forces and four from, or on behalf of, ex-service personnel who served in the Gulf conflict concerning symptoms which they believe might be connected to the alleged Desert Storm syndrome. No such representations have yet been received that have been made by families of United Kingdom service personnel or by civilian general practitioners.
Dr. David Clark : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many of his staff are currently involved in examining information relating to Desert Storm syndrome.
Mr. Hanley : Staff in a number of areas in my Department have been involved in examining information on the alleged Desert Storm syndrome. None have been specifically allocated to the task, however, and all are undertaking this work as part of their normal duties.
Dr. David Clark : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 7 July, Official Report , column 203 , on what date he began liaising with the United States authorities on the question of Desert Storm syndrome.
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Mr. Hanley : General liaison on medical matters is maintained continuously but the specific official contact between the Defence medical services and the US authorities on this alleged syndrome took place on 17 June 1993.
Dr. David Clark : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what information he has concerning the effect of atmospheric pollution on the health of those personnel involved in Operation Granby.
Mr. Hanley : The United Kingdom service personnel whose respiratory function was most at risk during Operation Granby were those Royal Engineers personnel engaged in clear-up operations near the oil fires. Their respiratory function was measured before they left the United Kingdom and at two-weekly intervals during their assignment in Kuwait. No adverse affects were suffered and no change in respiratory function was seen.
Naval Dockyards
Mr. Gordon Brown : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the job totals he expects for 1995 and 2000 in naval base staff at Rosyth and Devonport.
Mr. Hanley : I will write to the hon. Member.
Mr. Gordon Brown : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will explain the cost adjustment figure of £0.9 million for Rosyth in annex A of his consultative document on future arrangements for ship refitting in the royal dockyards.
Mr. Aitken : An adjustment was applied to the two estimates provided by Babcock Thorn Ltd. for its Rosyth proposals, which were expressed in January 1993 prices, to uprate them to March 1993 prices. This brought them in line with the estimate provided by Devonport Management Ltd., so that a like-for-like comparison of the proposals could be undertaken.
Mr. Gordon Brown : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will provide a breakdown of the £134.3 million figure of capital costs for Rosyth and £120.6 million for Devonport in annex A of his consultative document on future arrangements for ship refitting in the Royal dockyards.
Mr. Aitken : The detailed composition of the proposals put forward by the companies are commercially confidential. However, as part of the overall assessment, the MOD's specialist advisers reviewed the Bills of Quantities submitted by the companies in support of their proposals, and we are confident that the proposals are realistic.
Married Quarters
Mr. Hendry : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Ministry of Defence married quarters were empty for the last date for which figures were available ; if he will break down the figure by number of bedrooms ; and how many had been empty for over one year.
Mr. Hanley : As at 31 March 1993, there were 9,166 vacant married quarters. Of these, 2,153 were either undergoing or awaiting major maintenance work or modernisation, 2,493 were already allocated to service
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families who were due to move in shortly and 870 were being held for agreed deployment or deployments under study. A total of 1,265 of these married quarters have been vacant for over one year. Information on the number of bedrooms is not available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.Mr. Hendry : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Ministry of Defence married quarters outside secure perimeters are occupied by (a) civilians who have not served in the forces and (b) ex-service personnel ; and what is his policy towards the residence in Ministry of Defence married quarters outside secure perimeters by civilians who have not served in the forces.
Mr. Hanley : It is my Department's policy that married quarters should be reserved for use by service personnel and their families. In certain circumstances, however, civilian employees of the Ministry of Defence or service-sponsored organisations may also occupy married quarters under licence. Any married quarters which are surplus to long term requirements are sold wherever possible, but my Department does try to lease any properties to local authorities and housing associations where there is no short service requirement. Records of civilian occupants of married quarters are not kept in a form which distinguishes between properties inside or outside secure perimeters and between civilians who have previously served in the forces and those who have not.
Mr. Hendry : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what was the estimated cost of rent forgone for the empty Ministry of Defence married quarters in Stillington street, London SW1 over the past four years ; what was the cost of providing (a) caretaking and (b) security in this time ; and when he expects the works to be complete.
Mr. Hanley : The refurbishment contract for the married quarters in Stillington street is expected to complete in April 1994. The estimated cost of rent foregone in the past four years is £200,000. Details of the cost of providing caretaking and security are not readily available and my noble Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence will write to the hon. Member.
Mr. Hendry : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is his policy towards the leasing of empty Ministry of Defence married quarters to housing associations ; what contact his Department has had with housing associations regarding the management of Ministry of Defence estates ; how many empty Ministry of Defence married quarters have been leased to housing associations in the last year ; and how many empty Ministry of Defence married quarters he proposes to lease to housing associations this year.
Mr. Hanley : Empty married quarters, which are temporarily surplus to requirements but for which there is a long-term service need are, wherever possible, offered for leasing to local authorities. In most cases the local authority will take on the lease, but if it does not wish or is unable to do so, it may nominate a housing association to act in its place. My Department will willingly deal with either organisation.
Two housing associations have assisted us in developing our plans for the future management of service
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married quarters. No empty properties have been leased to housing associations in the last year, but over 900 properties are currently on lease to local authorities or other organisations. Leases of 87 properties to a housing association and 31 to a local authority are under negotiation. Further properties will be offered for leasing if they become available.Mr. Hendry : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Ministry of Defence married quarters are surplus to operational requirements at the last date for which figures are available.
Mr. Hanley : As at 31 March 1993, 2,069 service married quarters were surplus to operational requirements. A total of 2,015 of these properties were in the process of being sold.
Irish Regiments
Mr. Peter Robinson : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many part-time members of the UDR/RIR there were as at 1 June in each year since the UDR was established ; and how many recruits joined the regiment each year.
Mr. Hanley : I will write to the hon. Member.
Battlefield Artillery Target Engagement System
Sir Michael Grylls : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to order further quantities of BATES equipment for the Royal Artillery ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Aitken : I am pleased to announce that I have approved the placing of an order worth some £60 million with Marconi Radar and Control Systems for additional production of the battlefield artillery target engagement system, known as BATES, which will allow automated control of artillery up to corps level.
The further equipment now on order will be delivered up to 1996 and will act as a "force multiplier" for the Army's major artillery systems, MLRS and AS90, and link them to surveillance and targeting systems.
The award of this contract will safeguard 200 jobs at the Marconi sites at Hillend--Fife, Scotland--where most manufacture will take place, and Frimley in Surrey.
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RAF Support Command
Mr. Harvey : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence in which local travel-to-work area each RAF base in Support Command lies ; and what the latest unemployment figures are for each such travel-to-work area.
Miss Widdecombe : I have been asked to reply.
The information requested can be obtained from the NOMIS database in the Library. A list of the relevant travel-to-work areas (TTWAs), and the RAF Support Command stations they cover follows :
TTWA |RAF Support Command
|station
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Aylesbury and Wycombe |RAF Halton
Barnstaple and Ilfracombe |RAF Chivenor
Bedford |RAF Cardington
Cardiff |RAF St. Athlan
Chippenham |RAF Rudloe Manor
Doncaster |RAF Finningley
Flint and Rhyl |RAF Sealand
Gloucester |RAF Innsworth
|RAF Quedgeley
Guildford and Aldershot |RAF Oakhanger
Heathrow |RAF Headley Court
|RAF Uxbridge
Hereford and Leominster |RAF Hereford
Hitchin and Letchworth |RAF Henlow
Holyhead |RAF Valley
Huntingdon and St. Neots |RAF Brampton
Lincoln |RAF Digby
|RAF Scampton
|RAF Swinderby
Melton Mowbray |RAF North Luffenham
Norwich |RAF Swanton Morley
Nottingham |RAF Newton
Newark |RAF Syerston
Newbury |RAF Thatcham
Richmondshire |RAF Carlisle
Salisbury |RAF Chilmark
Shrewsbury |RAF Shawbury
Sleaford |RAF College Cranwell
Slough |RAF Bracknell
Stafford |RAF Stafford
Watford and Luton |RAF Stanbridge
Weston-super-Mare |RAF Locking
Wolverhampton |RAF Cosford
York |RAF Church Fenton
|RAF Linton-on-Ouse
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SOCIAL SECURITY
Pensions
Ms Corston : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) how many men with wives entitled to category B retirement pensions deferred their retirement in each year since 1988 ; what was the average amount of their basic retirement pension without the inclusion of increments ; and what was the average amount after the addition of such increments ;
(2) how many married women entitled to category B retirement pensions have not received increments to those pensions although their husbands have deferred retirement and earned increments to their own retirement pensions ; what are their estimated numbers in each year since 1988 ; and what is the average amount of additional pension received in those years by their husbands as a consequence of deferring retirement.
Mr. Hague : The information requested is not available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Ms Corston : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will make a statement on the circumstances in which, following the decision of the Social Security Commissioner in 1992 (CP/64/1988), married women entitled to a category B retirement pension will be entitled to increments to that pension when their husbands defer retirement beyond their 65th birthday.
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Mr. Hague : A married woman can earn increments to her category B retirement pension when her husband defers his category A retirement pension beyond his 65th birthday provided she is not, at the same time, receiving one of a specified list of "excluding" benefits and her husband is not receiving an increase of such a benefit for her. On 12 June 1992 the Court of Appeal upheld an earlier decision of the social security commissioner that graduated retirement benefit (GRB) was not an excluded benefit. Therefore the receipt by a married woman of GRB did not prevent her earning increments. Arrangements have been made to adjust pension rates and pay arrears in affected cases. The regulations were changed on 5 August 1992 and from that date GRB is an excluding benefit.
Research Projects
Mr. Frank Field : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list each research project his Department currently funds with (a) the institution in which it is based, (b) the funds provided by his Department, (c) the number of staff involved and (d) the start and end date.
Mr. Hague [holding answer 5 July 1993] : The table lists projects which are currently being funded or part-funded by the Department, together with the organisation conducting the work. There are currently 18 research staff in the Department.
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Project title |Contractor |Project cost (£) |Start date |Due end date
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Contributions Agency Customer Satisfaction |British Market Research Bureau |151,000 |June 1993 |March 1994
Survey 1993 | International
Incomes and Living Standards of the Elderly |Social Policy Research Unit |79,000 |November 1992 |December 1993
in a Comparative Perspective | University of York
Benefit Agency National Customer Survey |Public Attitude Surveys Ltd. |187,000 |April 1992 |August 1993
1992
Pilot study of Ethnicity and the Income |Commission for Racial Equality |5,000 |October 1992 |April 1994
Support Claiming Procedure
Evaluation of Disability Working Allowance |Policy Studies Institute |265,000 |February 1993 |December 1995
Invalidity Benefit Surveys |Social and Community Planning |240,000 |August 1991 |July 1993
| Research
General Practitioners and Invalidity Benefit |Social and Community Planning |31,000 |October 1992 |July 1993
| Research
Lung Cancer Risk in Pottery Workers |London Chest Hospital/Centre for |51,000 |October 1992 |November 1993
| Occupational Health, University
| of Manchester
Statutory Sick Pay |Centre for Research in Social Policy, |104,000 |June 1992 |July 1993
| University of Loughborough
Simplified Appeals Submissions |Policy Studies Institute |46,000 |November 1992 |July 1993
Management of Information Resources |Policy Studies Institute |79,000 |February 1992 |July 1993
Research into Hard-to-Place Residents of |University of Newcastle |47,000 |October 1990 |July 1993
Resettlement Units: Phase II
Health Care Needs of and Services for |Policy Studies Institute |50,000 |September 1992 |July 1993
Resettlement Unit Customers
The Effects of Benefit on Housing Decisions |Centre for Housing Policy, |67,000 |November 1992 |October 1993
| University of York
Direct Payments from Benefit |Social Policy Research Unit, University of York|128,000 |June 1992 |February 1994
| University of York
Effects of Changes in Circumstances |Social Policy Research Unit, |210,000 |June 1992 |February 1994
| University of York
International Comparisons of Housing |Centre for Housing Policy, |11,000 |February 1993 |July 1993
Benefit | University of York
Family Credit Follow Up |Policy Studies Institute |71,000 |November 1992 |December 1993
National Child Development Study-5th |Social Statistics Unit, City |<1>175,000 |June 1989 |July 1993
Stage | University
National Child Development Study Analysis |Policy Studies Institute |45,000 |April 1992 |August 1993
-Wave 5 data only
Family Credit and the Self Employed |Social Policy Research Unit, |134,000 |March 1991 |July 1993
| University of York
British Household Panel Study |Economic and Social Research |<2>125,000 |April 1990 |March 1995
| Council, University of Essex
Comparison of Child Support in the |University of York |91,532 |May 1992 |July 1993
European Community
Persons Abroad Legislation |Brunel University |70,000 |July 1991 |July 1993
Employers Attitudes to Family Credit |Institute for Manpower Studies, |116,000 |March 1993 |April 1994
| University of Sussex
2nd Lone Parent Survey |Policy Studies Institute |123,000 |November 1992 |December 1993
British Social Attitude Survey |Social and Community Planning |<3>60,000 |January 1991 |December 1994
| Research
Relate Information Database-Follow Up |D. Shapiro/M. Barkham |2,500 |March 1993 |December 1993
Benefit Information Needs of Lone Parents |Centre for Research in Social Policy, |36,000 |May 1993 |October 1993
| University of Loughborough
Evaluation of the Newcastle In-Work |Business and Community Planning |<4>10,000 |March 1993 |November 1993
Benefits Initiative | Research
Survey of First Time Customers |Social Policy Research Unit, |111,000 |May 1993 |March 1994
| University of York
Developing Local Office Customer |Public Attitude Surveys Ltd. |11,000 |June 1993 |August 1993
Satisfaction Surveys-Pilot Work
Family Credit/Benefit News Campaign |Research Surveys of Great Britain |34,000 |April 1993 |August 1993
Evaluation
<1> DSS contribution to larger study.
<2> £25,000 per annum for five years-uprated by Treasury inflator. DSS contribution to larger study.
<3> Over three years (1991-94 (not 1992)) DSS contribution to larger study.
<4> DSS contribution-this is a collaborative project with Newcastle city challenge and the Employment Service.
War Pensions (Karen People)
Mr. Miller : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what representations he has received on behalf of the Karen people of Burma regarding the non-payment of war pensions to ex-service men who fought for Britain.
Mr. Hague : None. If the hon. Member has a particular case--or cases --in mind, perhaps he could write to me supplying the relevant details.
Housing Benefit
Mr. Whittingdale : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will define the circumstances in which a recipient of housing benefit is entitled to a special personal allowance as a result of being legally married to more than one partner, as specified in the "Guide to Housing Benefit and Community Charge Benefriage and has more than one of his partners sharing his household.
Mrs. Golding : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will estimate the annual cost of reducing the housing benefit taper from 65 per cent. to 50 per cent.
Mr. Burt : The cost is estimated to be £500 million per annum.* Note :
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*This estimate is based on data drawn from the 1989-90-91 Family Expenditure Surveys and modelled at 1993-94 prices and benefit levels.Mr. Whittingdale : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many recipients of housing benefit receive a special personal allowance as a result of being legally married to more than one partner as specified in the "Guide to Housing Benefit and Community Charge Benefit", booklet RR2.
Mr. Burt : The information is not available.
Mr. Simpson : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will explain the basis on which students are excluded from housing benefit ; and what provision is made to enable students unable to find paid employment during the vacations to pay the continued costs of housing.
Mr. Burt : In general it is the educational maintenance system which is designed to provide support for students, not the social security system, and we have no plans to change this. Housing benefit is available during the summer vacation and also throughout the course to vulnerable students such as lone parents, those who are disabled, and those with dependent children. In addition non-student partners can claim on behalf of the couple if they satisfy the normal qualifying conditions. The Government have increased the full-year support available from the education grant and from student loans by nearly 40 per cent. compared with the support available from the grant alone in 1989. Students in particular financial need may seek help from the access funds.
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Invalidity Benefit
Mr. Gordon Prentice : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will break down the figure for those persons in receipt of invalidity benefit in Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale Benefits Agency district by the nature of the disability.
Mr. Scott : I understand from Mr. Michael Bichard, the chief executive of the Benefits Agency, that the information requested is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Mr. Frank Field : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list for each year since the inception of the scheme the number of people of retirement age who have continued to draw invalidity benefit.
Mr. Scott : The information is not available. I refer the hon. Member to my reply to him on 25 June at column 323 for information about the numbers of invalidity benefit claimants over state pension age.
Mr. Alfred Morris : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what saving in expenditure by his Department would have resulted from abolishing the earnings-related additional pension for all new invalidity benefit claims for the year 1992-93 ; and what savings he estimates would be made in 1994-95.
Mr. Scott : The information is in the table.
Year |Estimated savings
|£ million
------------------------------------------------------
1992-93 |75
1994-95 |365
Note: Estimates are expressed in cash terms and take
account of associated changes in income-related
benefit expenditure.
Mr. Alfred Morris : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what proportion of the growth in invalidity benefit payments since 1978-79 is explained by demographic change.
Mr. Scott : Information is not available in the form requested. However, around 2 per cent. of the growth in the invalidity benefit caseload during the period May 1979 to March 1992 can be accounted for by changes in the size and structure (ie age and sex profile) of the population of Great Britain.
Mr. Gordon Prentice : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many males and females in receipt of invalidity benefit in the Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale Benefits Agency district are aged (a) under 30, (b) 31 to 44, (c) 45 to 55 and (d) over 55 years.
Mr. Scott : I understand from Mr. Michael Bichard, the chief executive of the Benefits Agency, that the information requested is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Mr. Gordon Prentice : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many males and females in the Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale Benefits Agency district were in receipt of invalidity benefit for each year since 1987.
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Mr. Scott : I understand from Mr. Michael Bichard, the chief executive of the Benefits Agency that the information is not available in the form requested, and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Polish Forces (Pensions)
Mr. Lidington : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) how many people are currently in receipt of payments under the pensions (Polish forces) scheme.
(2) if he will list for each of the last five years (a) the number of applications made to his Department for pensions under the pensions (Polish forces) scheme and (b) the number of such applications which were successful ;
(3) what is the annual cost to public funds of payments made under the pensions (Polish forces) scheme.
Mr. Hague : At 30 June 1993 there were 2,221 people in receipt of payments under the pensions (Polish forces) scheme.
The number of applications for pensions under the scheme was as follows :
Year --------------------------------------------------- 1988 |85 applications 1989 |103 applications 1990 |126 applications 1991 |142 applications 1992 |614 applications
Information on the number of successful applications and on the annual cost of payments under the scheme is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Volunteers
Dr. Lynne Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security when he plans to implement the increase in the notice period for a volunteer receiving benefits from 24 hours to 48 hours.
Mr. Burt : The amending regulation to increase the notice period for unemployed volunteers to 48 hours will come into effect in the middle of August.
Benefit Abuse
Mr. Nigel Evans : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what plans he has to reduce abuse of social security by people from abroad ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Burt : Yesterday I laid before Parliament, regulations to prevent certain persons from abroad being able to claim income support under the income support urgent case rules. They will come into force on 2 August. Most persons from abroad are admitted to the country on condition that they do not become a charge on public funds. This means that they should not receive income support. At present a minority of these people abuse the conditions of their leave to remain here which these changes will prevent. I expect to save about £17 million a year in benefit on the 10,000 persons annually who abuse the present system. Asylum seekers are not affected by this change and will continue to receive benefit while their applications for asylum are being processed by the Home Office.
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Mortgage Support
Mr. Nigel Evans : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security when he intends to limit the availability of income support mortgage interest on very high mortgages ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Burt : Yesterday I laid before Parliament regulations which will limit to £150,000 the amount of loan capital on which income support will pay interest. This change will come into force on 2 August. The regulations also provide for the limit to be reduced to £125,000 from 11 April 1994, and provide protection for existing claimants. Together with these regulations is a report by the Social Security Advisory Committee, CM(2272). These new arrangements are based on our view that people with mortgages, regardless of their loan commitment, should make arrangements to provide for themselves in times of difficulty. The limits will be kept under review in the future.
Social Fund
Mr. Stern : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security when he intends to publish his annual report on the social fund and the social fund commissioner's annual report ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Scott : Today my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State laid before Parliament his annual report for 1992-93 (Cm. 2274). Copies have been placed in the Library. The report records that, for the first time, the annual total gross expenditure on all social fund payments exceeded £400 million--a doubling of expenditure since the first full year of the scheme. This includes nearly 1.8 million non-repayable grants and interest-free loans worth more than £314 million ; and maternity, funeral and cold weather payments worth £87 million.
Now that the fund has been operating for a number of years, we are reaching a position where we can begin to assess with some confidence how it is working. As the annual report says, we have taken note of the research by York university's social policy research unit (SPRU), along with a number of other reports and our own close monitoring of the fund. We have seen no evidence so far to alter our belief that the basic principles of the discretionary scheme are right. Indeed, there is much in the latest report to confirm that the fund is working very effectively as intended in support of the wider pattern of social security benefits. Against this backdrop and in the light of the SPRU and Social Security Advisory Committee reports, we will be continuing to evaluate the effectiveness of the fund and to introduce operational improvements as required.
For the current year, we have increased the net discretionary budget by £5 million. This has enabled us to raise the gross budget by £44 million since April last year. Overall, since the discretionary fund began, the gross budget has increased by some 70 per cent. This substantial growth in funding demonstrates our continuing commitment in this traditionally difficult area of social security provision.
The social fund commissioner's annual report has also been published today and copies have been placed in the Library.
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