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United Kingdom imports of used pneumatic tyres<1>, 1992
|Metric tonnes|Value (£000)
-------------------------------------------------------------
Netherlands |3,674.7 |1,934
Germany |4,858.7 |1,620
Saudi Arabia |114.7 |353
Abu Dhabi |105.6 |256
Belgium-Luxembourg |383.2 |177
Italy |285.8 |170
France |449.4 |166
Japan |254.7 |150
Irish Republic |249.9 |136
Sudan |91.7 |56
Switzerland |101.3 |40
Brazil |65.1 |38
Sweden |2.5 |36
Malta |43.2 |32
Lebanon |6.0 |24
Kenya |3.2 |24
Zimbabwe |11.8 |22
Denmark |25.3 |21
Mauritius |28.6 |18
USA |25.5 |18
South Korea |9.7 |17
Iceland |2.2 |14
Mozambique |5.0 |12
Yemen |2.8 |12
Austria |16.9 |9
Bahrain |16.8 |9
Taiwan |1.7 |8
Soviet Union |15.0 |6
Botswana |3.9 |6
Spain |1.5 |6
Portugal |6.0 |5
Turkey |1.0 |5
Ghana |7.0 |4
Thailand |3.1 |4
Cyprus |2.1 |4
South Africa |10.1 |3
Finland |0.1 |3
Malawi |0.8 |2
Zambia |0.6 |2
Seychelles |0.1 |2
Dubai |1.6 |1
Kuwait |0.2 |1
Canada |0.1 |1
Philippines |0.0 |1
|------- |-------
Total |10,889.2 |5,428
<1> Used pneumatic tyres are defined as Heading 625.93 of
the Standard International Trade Classification, Revision 3.
Retreaded tyres are not included.
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Life Insurance (Bonuses)
Mr. French : To ask the President of the Board of Trade, what studies he has made of the way in which life insurance companies are distributing with-profits bonuses ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Neil Hamilton : There is a growing debate within the life insurance industry about the methodologies for assessing bonus distributions on with-profits policies.
As part of its regulatory responsibility to keep itself informed of developments in the life insurance industry, my Department has asked the Government Actuary's Department to conduct a survey of leading United Kingdom offices which write with-profits business, to obtain more detailed information about companies' bonus philosophies and the actuarial techniques used in assessing bonus payments.
Scott Inquiry
Mr. Dalyell : To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many hours of evidence have been taken and which witnesses have appeared for his Department before Lord Justice Scott.
Mr. McLoughlin : Only one DTI witness has appeared before Lord Justice Scott. The former Secretary of State, the right hon. Member for Southend, West (Mr. Channon), gave five hours, 40 minutes of evidence on 19 May.
Shipbuilding Intervention Fund
Mr. Godman : To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will list (a) the number, (b) the type and (c) the gross registered tonnage of vessels currently under construction in United Kingdom shipyards which have qualified for financial support under the terms of the European Community's seventh directive on the shipbuilding intervention fund ; and what is the amount of such financial assistance in each contract.
Mr. Sainsbury [holding answer 20 July 1993] : Twelve vessels totalling 137,400 gt, which have qualified for support from the shipbuilding intervention fund, are under construction in United Kingdom yards. They are :
Three Chemical Tankers
Three Tugs
Two Ferries
One Bulk Carrier
One Dredger
One LPG Carrier
One Oil Tanker
Details of individual contracts are commercially confidential.
Thermal Oxide Reprocessing Plant
Mr. Ainger : To ask the President of the Board of Trade what safety and security measures his Department intends to take in connection with the return of high-level waste resulting from the reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel to THORP's customers.
Mr. Eggar [holding answer 14 July 1993] : As is the case for other nuclear materials, the carriage of high-level waste is allowed only in special containers which are subject to stringent international safety standards. Appropriate measures are taken to ensure the security of such transport.
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EMPLOYMENT
Sheltered Housing
Mr. Illsley : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what considerations underlie the prohibition on local authorities which operate their own sheltered placement schemes from offering further placements where funding is available from other charitable sources.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : Responsibility for the subject of the question has been delegated to the Employment Service agency under its chief executive. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given.
Letter from M. E. G. Fogden to Mr. Eric Illsley, dated 21 July 1993 :
As the Employment Service is an Executive Agency, the Secretary of State has asked me to write to you direct to respond to your Parliamentary Question to him about local authority Sheltered Placement Schemes (SPS). This is something which falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of the Agency. I understand your question refers to local authorities operating their own sheltered placement schemes, and their role in acting as a host organisation for SPS workers.
Under the rules of SPS voluntary organisations cannot normally sponsor SPS workers into a host which is a local authority with statutory powers to provide sheltered employment. The purpose of this rule is to encourage local authorities to play an active role in developing Sheltered Placement Schemes. However, when a local authority has filled all its own allocation of places and we are unable to allocate additional places to the local authority a voluntary body with unfilled SPS places may then sponsor a place hosted by a local authority.
I hope this is helpful.
As decided by the Administrative Committee of the House of Commons, Chief Executive replies to written Parliamentary Questions will now be published in the Official Report. I will also place a copy of this letter in the library of the House.
Industrial Deafness
Mr. Sheerman : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what steps he is taking to help women who suffer from industrial deafness to claim compensation from their employers.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : The Employers' Liability (Compulsory Insurance) Act 1969 already requires employers to take out insurance to cover claims for compensation from employees who are injured, or who develop an industrial disease, as a result of their employer's negligence. We have no plans to extend this legislation.
Mr. Sheerman : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what assessment he has made of the extent of change of the prevalence of the problem of industrial deafness in the past 10 years.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : The most reliable indicator of the change in the incidence of industrial deafness is best drawn from the numbers of workers claiming industrial injuries disablement benefit, administered by the Department of Social Security, as shown in the following table :
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Year |Number of cases ------------------------------------------------ <1>1986-87 |1,202 1987-88 |1,251 1988-89 |1,170 1989-90 |1,128 1990-91 |1,041 1991-92 |<2>972 <1> Figures from before 1986 are not comparable as they were compiled on a different basis. <2> Provisional.
Asbestos
Mr. Cox : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what information he has on the number of court actions against companies operating in the United Kingdom for infringements of the existing anti- asbestos legislation in each of the last five years ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : The Health and Safety Executive is committed to ensuring that all work with asbestos is carried out safely and that other people affected by the work are not put at risk. Inspectors take whatever action is appropriate to ensure that those responsible comply with their duties under the legislation to prevent or reduce exposure to asbestos.
Details of court action taken under asbestos legislation during the past five years follows :
Years from 1 April |Informations laid |Convictions
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Asbestos (Licensing) Regulations 1983
1987-88 |32 |27
1988-89 |14 |13
1989-90 |14 |7
1990-91 |7 |7
1991-92 |8 |7
Asbestos Regulations 1969 (Revoked on 1 March 1988)
1987-88 |14 |8
1988-89 |4 |3
Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations 1987 (Came into force
1 March 1988)
1988-89 |21 |21
1989-90 |63 |58
1990-91 |57 |48
1991-92 |48 |40
Asbestos (Prohibitions) (Amendment) Regulations 1988
1989-90 |1 |nil
Notes: No other prosecutions were brought under these Regulations.
Figures relate to Great Britain. The Secretary of State for Northern
Ireland is responsible for the Northern Ireland asbestos regulations.
Maastricht Treaty
Mr. Mills : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment, what estimates he made of the cost to business and industry of the various provisions of the social protocol in the Maastricht treaty ; what breakdown he made of the costs for each measure ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : No specific proposals have yet been advanced for measures to be introduced under the terms of the social protocol and the agreement of the Eleven. However, the protocol and the agreement of the
Column 276
Eleven extends Community competence and qualified majority voting into a number of new areas for the other 11 member states, including working conditions, information and consultation, and social exclusion. New legislation in these areas could quite clearly impose very substantial additional burdens on business and damage the competitiveness of the entire Community.Much of the impact of action taken under the social protocol and the agreement of the Eleven would be indirect, through a loss of choice and flexibility, leading to lower competitiveness and lower output. However, some types of action would undoubtedly have direct cost implications for employers.
For the reasons set out, it is not possible to quantify the potential impact of the entire protocol and the agreement of the Eleven if it were to be applied to the United Kingdom. However, in a number of areas, for illustrative purposes, the Department has estimated the potential costs to United Kingdom employers of the type of measures which might result from terms of the social protocol and the agreement of the Eleven.
(i) Access to Training
Legislation could be proposed granting all employees the right to a minimum of 10 days training per year, paid for by their employer, regardless of whether or not this meets the needs of the employee or the business. There is some uncertainty about how many employees in the United Kingdom would currently meet the terms of such a requirement. In addition, the proportion of employees currently without 10 days' training who would take up their entitlement is difficult to predict. Using a plausible range of assumptions on current provision and take-up, the additional costs to employers--in terms of salary and lost output--could be between £2 billion and £9 billion at 1992-93 prices.
(ii) Paternity Leave
Legislation might require employers to grant all male employees paid leave on the birth of a child. Using a plausible range of assumptions on current provision and take-up, the additional cost to employers of each week of paid leave could be between £30 million and £100 million at 1992- 93 prices.
(iii) Maximum Working Week
Restrictions on the working week would also be possible. As an illustration, a compulsory maximum working week--including paid overtime-- of, say, 45 hours might be imposed. If this were to apply to all employees, and assuming that half the wage costs involved with the reduction in working time were borne by employers, the additional costs, compared with current arrangements, could be about £5.5 billion at 1992-93 prices.
In all three cases, the cost estimates are subject to margins of error, and, in the absence of specific proposals, should be regarded as purely illustrative. They do, however, provide some idea of the potential scale of the financial burden that could be imposed on United Kingdom employers.
Asbestos-related Diseases
Mr. Watson : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many recorded cases there were of the diseases mesothelioma, asbestosis and bilateral diffuse
Column 277
pleural thickening in each year since 1988 in England and Wales ; and within each figure, what percentage was female.Mr. Michael Forsyth [holding answer 20 July 1993] : The information is not available in the form requested. Such information as is available from the Department of Social Security is contained in the following table :
Mesothelioma Asbestosis Bilateral diffuse
pleural thickening
|Total |Per cent. Female|Total |Per cent. Female|Total |Per cent. Female
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1988 |406 |n/a |160 |n/a |109 |n/a
1989 |386 |n/a |193 |n/a |104 |n/a
1990 |409 |3 |216 |3 |124 |nil
1991 |461 |4 |262 |2 |127 |nil
1992 |474 |3 |258 |3 |129 |2
The information is based on claims for industrial injuries disablement benefit subsequently referred to a medical boarding centre situated in England or Wales.
The percentage figure for females is not available for 1988 and 1989.
SOCIAL SECURITY
Housing Benefit
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what assessment has been made by his Department of the cost to the housing benefit budget of the deregulation of private rents and reduction in housing association grants.
Mr. Burt : None. The impact of the deregulation of private rents and reduction in housing association grants are only two of the many factors which influence the level of housing benefit expenditure. It is therefore not possible to make a reliable estimate of the effect on housing benefit expenditure which could be attributed to these measures alone.
Government Statistical Service
Mr. Barry Porter : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will make a statement on the arrangements for the release of Government statistical service statistics by the Department of Social Security.
Mr. Lilley : I attach great importance to the integrity and validity of official statistics, and to ensuring public confidence in the statistics for which I am responsible. To this end, I have agreed standard practices specifically for the release of Government statistical service publications by my Department. The practices which will govern social security statistics from the Government statistical service are :
(1) Publications are released at the earliest possible date ; the date is determined by the director of statistics.
(2) Publication dates are pre-announced in the central statistical office monthly list of social statistics to be released in the month ahead.
(3) The time of publication will be 11.30 am except for households below average income and benefit take-up statistics which will be published at 3.30 pm to coincide with an announcement to Parliament. (
(4) Ministerial comment on DSS statistics is issued separately. The contents of statistical press notices
Column 278
and all other documents bearing the Government statistical service logo are the sole responsibility of the director of statistics. ((5) Copies of publications are available to Ministers and officials 48 hours before publication. Ministers have access to
work-in-progress between two and four weeks before publication ; access before then is limited to the officials responsible for advice on the statistics.
(6) Some DSS statistical series are published only in "Social Security Statistics", an annual publication. In such cases, the data are made immediately available to officials and Ministers for policy purposes-- including answering parliamentary questions--and to the general public and others on request. A list of Government statistical service results statistics which have recently become available will be provided in a quarterly press notice.
Disability Benefits
Ms Corston : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what are the factors which account for the variation in the numbers of home visits carried out by the disability benefits centres.
Mr. Scott : The administration of disability living allowance is a matter for Mr. Michael Bichard, the chief executive of the Benefits Agency. He will write to the hon. Member and a copy will be placed in the Library.
Letter from Michael Bichard to Ms Jean Corston, dated 20 July 1993 :
As chief executive of the Benefits Agency it is my responsibility to answer questions about relevant operational matters. I am therefore replying to your recent Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security asking what are the factors which account for the variation in the numbers of home visits carried out by the disability benefit centres.
The principal reasons for visiting customers, or their representatives, in connection with Disability Living Allowance (DLA) or Attendance Allowance (AA) claims, are when there is a need for appointee action to be undertaken and/or the standard of completion of the claim form is poor.
Visits that are required to be undertaken for DLA/AA related matters should be done by District Offices (DOs). The ability of the DOs to undertake visits that would otherwise need to be done by the Disability Benefit Centres (DBCs) is the most significant factor in determining how many visits DBCs eventually have to conduct. I hope you find this reply helpful. A copy will appear in the Official Report and a copy will also be placed in the Library.
Invalidity Benefit
Mr. McAllion : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many claimants were in receipt of invalidity benefit in (a) Dundee, (b) Scotland and (c) the United Kingdom in each of the past five years for which figures are available.
Mr. Scott : The administration of invalidity benefit is a matter for Mr. Michael Bichard, the chief executive of the Benefits Agency. He will write to the hon. Member with such information as is available and a copy will be placed in the Library.
Letter from Michael Bichard to Mr. John McAllion, dated 20 July 1993 :
As Chief Executive of the Benefits Agency it is my responsibility to answer questions about relevant operational matters. I am therefore replying to your recent Parliamentary
Column 279
Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security asking how many claimants were in receipt of Invalidity Benefit in (a) Dundee, (b) Scotland and (c) the United Kingdom in each of the past five yers for which figures are available.The information is not available in the exact format requested. This is because the statistics provided are for Great Britain rather than the United Kingdom (the United Kingdom includes Northern Ireland). The national statistics provided which are obtained from a 1 per cent. sample of claimants reflect the number of recipients of Invalidity Benefit at a point in time. The statistics maintained by District/Benefit Offices relate to the number of claimants to Invalidity Benefit.
The statistics for the Dundee District Office are only available from year ending March 1992. This is because the Benefits Agency was not formed until April 1991 and Districts were created at the same time.
There were 11,910 people claiming Invalidity Benefit at Dundee District Office at the last working day of March 1992, and 12,995 at the last working day of March 1993. These figures were obtained from a 100 per cent. clerical count of cases in the Office, and include a small number of people who have claimed but are not receiving Invalidity Benefit, eg. because there is underlying entitlement which has been extinguished by the payment of a higher overlapping benefit or where termination action has not been completed. The Dundee District Office deals with areas other than Dundee therefore the figures shown include a small number of people who do not live in Dundee.
The table shows the number of customers in receipt of Invalidity Benefit in Scotland and Great Britain at a point in time for the last five years for which the figures are available. The statistics are based on a 1 per cent. sample of claimants.
Date<1> |Scotland |Great Britain -------------------------------------------------------- 4 April 1987 |135,000 |968,000 2 April 1988 |147,000 |1,047,000 1 April 1989 |158,000 |1,126,000 31 March 1990 169,000 1,209,000 30 March 1991 181,000 1,306,000 <1> The table figures are rounded to the nearest thousand.
I hope you find this reply helpful. A copy will appear in the Official Report and a copy will also be placed in the Library.
Lone Parents
Dr. Godman : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many women have been asked to name an absent father at benefit officers in (a) Strathclyde and (b) Scotland as a whole ; how many have demurred ; and how many have been recalled for further interviews.
Mr. Burt : The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for Mrs. Ros Hepplewhite, the chief executive. She will write to the hon. Member and a copy will be placed in the Library. Letter from Ros Hepplewhite to Dr. Norman A. Godman, dated 20 July 1993 :
As Chief Executive of the Child Support Agency it is my responsibilty to answer questions about relevant operational matters. I am therefore replying to your recent Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security asking how many women have been asked to name an absent father at benefit offices in Strathclyde and Scotland as a whole ; how many have demurred, and how many have been recalled for further interviews.
All maintenance application forms (MAFs) issued to parents with care who approach the Agency ask for the name of the absent parent and the great majority of parents with care name the absent parent on the form. However, we do not hold separate information on the number of MAFs issued locally in Strathclyde, or in Scotland as a whole.
Column 280
A total of 128 parents with care of children were interviewed in Strathclyde in connection with their maintenance applications during the period 5 April to 30 June 1993. A total of 252 were interviewed in Scotland as a whole. In Strathclyde, 22 parents declined without good cause to co-operate with the Agency in arranging maintenance, while in Scotland as a whole, there were 60. None of the parents concerned have been recalled for subsequent interviews.Interviews are not a routine part of the process of arranging child maintenance and more than three-quarters of the Agency's clients choose to deal with us by post and by telephone without the need for face-to-face contact. However, where necessary, perhaps because a client is unable to complete the Maintenance Assessment Form or is reluctant to do so, arrangements will be made to discuss matters with them at their local office or at their home.
I wish to stress how carefully we consider such cases and hope that you find this reply helpful. A copy will appear in the Official Report and a copy will also be placed in the Library.
Child Support Agency
Dr. Godman : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many (a) men and (b) women are employed on (i) a full-time basis, (ii) as part-time employees and (iii) on short-term employment contracts by the Child Support Agency in Scotland ; and what are the projections for such numbers of employees in 1994, 1995 and 1996.
Mr. Burt : The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for Mrs. Ross Hepplewhite, the chief executive. She will write to the hon. Member and a copy will be placed in the Library. Letter from Ros Hepplewhite to Dr. Norman Godman, dated 19 July 1993 :
As Chief Executive of the Child Support Agency it is my responsibility to answer questions about relevant operational matters. I am therefore replying to your recent Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security asking how many (a) men and (b) women are employed (i) on a full-time basis, (ii) as part-time employees and (iii) on short-term employment contracts by the Child Support Agency in Scotland, and what are the projections for such numbers of employees in 1994, 1995 and 1996. The numbers of staff currently employed in the Child Support Agency in Scotland are as follows :
|Men |Women
-------------------------------------------------------------
Number employed on full-time basis |147 |311
Number employed on a part-time basis |0 |36
|-------|-------
Total |147 |347
Of these, two men and six women are employed on short-term contracts of one year.
I cannot say what the projections will be for 1994 to 1996 in relation to numbers of employees broken down by gender but the projection for the total number of staff in Scotland for April 1994 is 700, remaining constant through 1995 and 1996.
I hope you will find this reply helpful. A copy will appear in the Official Report and a copy will also be placed in the Library.
Private Pensions
Mr. Cousins : To ask the Secretaryerves of the national insurance fund
Column 281
beginning at 31 March 1988 ; how many contributors left and joined the state earnings-related pensions scheme in each year ; and what was the total number of private pension plans with a rebate outstanding at the end of each year.Mr. Hague [holding answer 19 July 1993] : Information is not available in the form requested. Such information as is available is in the tables.
Table 1 United Kingdom
Year |Numbers entering a |Numbers transferring
|private pension |from a private
|scheme<1> |pension to SERPS at
|year end<1> <2>
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1987-88 |- |3,200
1988-89 |3,428,300 |25,400
1989-90 |925,600 |22,100
1990-91 |650,200 |26,400
1991-92 |543,100 |29,800
<1> Source: 1 per cent. sample of National Insurance contribution records.
<2> Figures relate to any Private Pension holder transferring to SERPS at year end,
regardless of entry.
Table 2 Great Britain
Year |Year paid in respect|Amount of rebate (£ |Amount of incentive |Year end NI fund
|of |million) |(£ million) |reserves (£
|million)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1987-88 |- |- |- |7,288
1988-89 |- |- |- |10,369
1989-90 |1987-88 |792 |346 |10,307
|1988-89 |1,074 |370 |-
1990-91 |1989-90 |1,455 |506 |11,792
|<1>1988-89 |15 |4 |-
1991-92 |1990-91 |1,734 |583 |8,333
34 |10 |-
1992-93 |1991-92 |1,849 |616 |3,677
|<1>1990-91 |45 |12 |Estimated
<1> And earlier.
Source: Government Actuary's Department.
Note: Because of the different bases on which the estimates are based the information in Table 2 is not comparable with that
in Table 1.
State Pension
Mr. Winnick : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what percentage of those in receipt of the state pension have a total income of (a) £5,000 and below, (b) between £5,000 and £6,000, (c) between £6,000 and £7,000 and (d) between £7,000 and £8,000.
Mr. Hague [holding answer 19 July 1993] : The information requested is in the table.
The income distribution of those in receipt of a state
pension
Income of: Percentage with
gross income in
range
|Singles |Couples |All units
-----------------------------------------------------------
£5,000 pa or less |68 |8 |43
£5,000-£6000 pa |9 |14 |11
£6,000-£7000 pa |6 |14 |10
£7,000-£8,000 pa |3 |10 |6
More than £8000 pa |14 |54 |31
Notes:
(a) Figures may not sum to 100 per cent. due to rounding.
(b) Estimates are based on data from 1990 and 1991 Family
Expenditure Surveys.
(c) Amounts are at January 1991 prices.
(d) Couples are included if either the head or the spouse
is in receipt of a state pension.
TRANSPORT
Red Star Parcels Ltd.
Mr. Waller : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions he has held with the chairman of British Rail about safeguards to ensure that all potential purchasers of Red Star Parcels Ltd. have a fair opportunity to bid for the company and that their probity is adequately assessed.
Mr. Freeman : The British Railways Board is handling the sale of Red Star. All bids received by the closing date (13 August) will be given equal consideration by the board and its merchant bank advisers. Final terms of sale to the preferred purchaser will require the Secretary of State's approval.
Traffic Forecasts
Ms. Walley : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to his answer of 1 July, Official Report, columns 590-92, giving the actual traffic and forecast traffic levels from 1968, if he will provide the forecast figure on the 1978 base for 1980.
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