| Previous Section | Home Page |
Column 593
10. The computer Personnel Project, currently being developed, will, when in place, enhance monitoring and the availability of statistics on a gender basis.11. The Agency has for several years, pioneered and operated schemes for part time working including permanent term time only posts, with varied and flexible working patterns, including job sharing. These have enabled women staff to return to work despite family commitments as well as new staff to be attracted to its employ.
12. Some women in the Agency have already taken advantage of the Women Only' training courses run by the Civil Service College, and the Industrial Society.
13. A policy statement and complaints procedure for Sexual Harassment, was published in February 1990 and is currently being updated. A female Sexual Harassment Officer for women is already in place and a male counterpart will be appointed shortly.
14. Wherever possible internal promotion and external recruitment boards have suitably qualified women represented.
Priorities for action
15. Although the Agency has a very good record as an employer of women, it considers that there is still more to achieve, in particular, in their representation at middle and senior management grades. Its intentions to meet this and other commitments are set out in the following priorities to be met by 31 March 1993 :
(a) to endorse the equal opportunities statement in all recruitment advertisements ;
(b) to set up more effect gender monitoring on recruitment ; (
(c) to improve gender monitoring statistics on training (and career progression) ;
16. The following have been identified as priorities to be met by 30 June 1993 :
(a) to agree a training strategy for women to enhance their career prospects ;
(b) to decide on a possible biennial conference for women in the Agency ;
(c) to agree procedures for monitoring Staff Reporting overall assessments by gender ;
(d) to implement a Career Break Scheme ;
(e) to take a decision on whether child care facilities can be provided.
17. The Agency has continuing commitments :
((a) to review separate internal training schemes for part-time and term- time staff where appropriate and to enhance the availability generally of all training in the Agency for these staff ; (
(b) to promote, where appropriate, "positive action" training for women only on both internal and external courses ;
(c) to establish career progression statistics by gender ; (
(d) to keep under consideration with its line managers all posts that may prove suitable for varied work patterns ;
(e) to ensure that its "in house" magazines encourage articles and features from women.
Review and publication of results
18. Progress toward the set targets on equal opportunities will be continuously monitored, and existing procedures will be reviewed and updated. The staff will be notified by means of Office Notices. 21 December 1992.
Annex III
Total number of employees within the agency as at 31 October 1993
with estimated number of ethnic minority staff by grade
Grade |Grade total<1> |Estimated number of
|ethnic minority
|staff by grade<1>
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3 |1 |-
5 |5 |-
6 |4 |-
7 |21 |-
SEO |48 |-
HEO |116 |1
EO |207 |6
AO |453 |43
AA |112 |14
SGB1 |9 |1
SGB2 |26 |1
SUTLX |1 |-
SPTLX |5 |-
CTM |1 |-
TM |2 |-
TYP |22 |2
PS |14 |1
ADAS1 |1 |-
ADAS2 |1 |-
|-- |--
Total |1,049 |69
<1> Includes both permanent and casual employees.
Bananas
Mr. Morgan : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) what consultation she has had with the chairman of the Intervention Board for Agricultural Produce in relation to the issuing of banana import licences in the present year ; and if she will make a statement ;
(2) what consultation she has had with representatives of the banana importing trade in relation to potential conflict of interest between the functions of the Intervention Board for Agricultural Produce in issuing licences for import of bananas and the position of the chairman of the board being also chairman and chief executive of Fyffes.
Mr. Jack [holding answer 26 November 1993] : When the EC banana regime was established, arrangements were put in place to avoid the possibility of any conflict of interest arising from the chairman of the Intervention Board also being chairman and chief executive of Fyffes. The chairman is not, in any case, involved in the day-to-day running of the agency. The board's officials have issued licences to import bananas into the European Community in the present year entirely in accordance with the provisions of Council Regulation 404/93 and Commission Regulations 1442/93 and 1443/93 with this in mind, my right hon. Friend has had no need for consultations with the chairman of the board, nor with representatives of the banana importing trade on this matter.
SOCIAL SECURITY
Disability Allowances
Mr. McMaster : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what was his original estimate of the number of people who would be in employment as a result of the disability working allowance once the scheme was fully operational ; what is the current figure ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Scott : The original estimate that about 50,000 people might be entitled to DWA was based on surveys of disabled people carried out by the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys. The current case load is 3,176. New
Column 595
benefits can, of course, be expected to take a period of years to become established and so the original estimate has not been revised.Ms Hoey : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what special rules for the terminally ill still apply for claimants of disability living allowance.
Mr. Scott : Special arrangements ensure that people with a limited life expectancy of six months or less are awarded the highest rate of the care component of disability living allowance, or the higher rate of attendance allowance, whether or not they have care needs, and without having to serve a qualifying period. Such claims are handled under special administrative procedures to ensure a speedy response. It is also possible for a third party to make a claim on behalf of the terminally ill person, with or without that person's knowledge.
Mr. Hinchliffe : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many persons over the age of 65 years claim both mobility component disability living allowance and care component disability living allowance or mobility component disability living allowance and attendance allowance.
Mr. Scott : The information requested is not available because the age of the claimant is not recorded unless the claim is successful.
Mr. Hinchliffe : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) how many persons over the age of 65 years are in receipt of attendance allowance or disability living allowance care component ; (2) how many persons over the age of 80 years are in receipt of attendance allowance or disability living allowance care component ; (3) how many persons over 65 years receive mobility component disability living allowance.
Mr. Scott : We estimate that on 31 March 1993 there were 929,000 people over the age of 65 getting the care component of disability living allowance or attendance allowance ; of these, 507,000 were over 80 years of age. We also estimate that 228,000 people over the age of 65 were getting the mobility component of disability living allowance.
Note : For attendance allowance the source to determine age is a 1 per cent. sample used to adjust and apportion the AA pay load by age. For disability living allowance the source is a 5 per cent. sample.
State Earnings-related Pensions Scheme
Mr. French : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will make a statement on the future of SERPS.
Mr. Hague : The Government are committed to ensuring that all individuals have the opportunity to make provision for their retirement in addition to the basic state pension. SERPs is one of several options available to people. Some 10 million people are contracted out of SERPs through occupational pension schemes ; and an additional 5 million people have chosen to contract out of SERPs through personal pensions. The Government want to encourage personal responsibility in the provision of pensions, and we are considering ways of ensuring that personal pensions remains attractive across the age range.
Column 596
Mr. Bates : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many individuals who contracted out of SERPs during the last year for which figures are available had earnings whch when expressed as a fraction of national average earnings were (a) less than 50 per cent., (b) 50 to 99 per cent., (c) 100 to 149 per cent. and (d) 150 per cent. or more.
Mr. Hague : The information is not available in the form requested. Information on the earnings of members of contracted out occupational schemes expressed as a percentage of national average earnings, as at the end of 1991-92, is shown in the table. Such information as is available on the earnings of individuals contracted out of SERPs by virtue of appropriate personal pensions is contained in "Social Security Statistics 1993", a copy of which is in the Library.
Earnings band |Number of employees
|in contracted-out
|employment (000s)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Less than 50 per cent. of national average
earnings |360
Between 50 and 99 per cent. of national
average earnings |2,620
Between 100 and 149 per cent. of national
average earnings |3,270
Over 150 per cent. of national average
earnings |3,110
Notes:
1. Data derived from Inland Revenue statistics. It relates to the whole of the
United Kingdom.
2. The figures are based on an analysis of a 1 per cent. sample of all end-of-year
PAYE returns submitted to the Inland Revenue by employers. Each relates to a
single employment.
3. The definition of national average earnings for this purpose is calculated from
the sample using the amount of pay and an estimate of the length of employment
covered by each return, and includes both part-time and full-time employment.
Cold Weather Payments
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security where is the weather station whose recordings trigger payments to the residents of Balmoral and Braemar ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Scott : A list of all weather stations and the post-coded areas which they cover is contained in the social fund cold weather payments general regulations, copies of which are in the Library.
Child Support Agency
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if the Child Support Agency will instigate a system of credits so that cross- subsidies from parents are taken fully into account ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Burt : The formula which the Child Support Agency uses to assess maintenance contains a protected income provision which takes account of the fact that a parent is supporting stepchildren, and of whether or not maintenance is paid for those children.
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what current review the Child Support Agency is undertaking in respect of maintenance payments in clean-break divorces where arrangements have been made by courts ; and if he will make a statement.
Column 597
Mr. Burt : Any review of child support policy is a matter for Ministers, not the Child Support Agency. As with any new policy, the improved arrangements for child maintenance are being carefully monitored. If, in the light of experience, the system can be made even better, changes will be considered.
Unemployment Benefit
Ms Short : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what plans he has for changing the 21-hour rule ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Burt : The 21-hour rule enables unemployed claimants in receipt of income support to follow part-time education and training courses while continuing their search for work. We have no plans to change this rule.
Absent Fathers
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many women have been asked to date to name an absent father at benefit offices in the Doncaster area ; how many have demurred ; how many have had their benefit deducted as a penalty ; and if he will show in his answer from what benefit the deduction was made.
Mr. Burt : The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for Ros Hepplewhite, the chief executive. She will write to the hon. Member.
Letter from R. Hepplewhite to Mr. Martin Redmond, dated 30 November 1993 :
I have been asked to reply to your Question to the Secretary of State asking how many women have been asked to name an absent father at benefit offices in the Doncaster area ; how many have demurred ; how many have had their benefit deducted as a penalty ; and the benefit from which deductions were made.
Between 5 April and 31 October 1993, 137 parents with care of children were interviewed in connection with their applications for child maintenance in the Doncaster area ; 4 declined without good cause to co-operate with the Agency in arranging maintenance. As yet no Reduced Benefit Directions have been implemented in the area.
Fuel Bills
Mr. Colvin : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what help he is proposing to give householders in need in order to meet their fuel bills ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Burt : I refer my hon. Friend to the reply my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Gainsborough and Horncastle (Mr. Leigh) on 30 November 1993.
Rent Allowances
Mr. Spellar : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will give the latest figures for the cost of rent allowances in respect of private tenancies.
Mr. Burt : The estimated expenditure on rent allowances for 1993-94 is £3,254 million.
Notes : The source of this information is the 1993 departmental report, published in February 1993. A copy of the report is in the Library.
Column 598
Funeral Grants
Mr. Pickthall : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what plans he has to review the inequalities between men and women in the provision of funeral grants.
Mr. Scott : There is no such inequality.
Income Support
Dr. Godman : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is his current estimate of eligible persons in (a) Inverclyde, (b) Strathclyde and (c) Scotland who do not claim income support ; what means are being used to improve the take-up rate ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Burt : Take-up figures for income support are not available on a regional or local basis. Estimates for the take-up of income-related benefits for Great Britain were published in January 1993 in "Income Related Benefit Estimates of Take-up for 1989" and showed that 87 per cent. of available income support was being received by 75 per cent. of those eligible to claim it.
Social security legislation puts the onus of claiming benefit on individuals who may decide, for various reasons, not to take up benefit entitlement. The Department's role is to ensure that people are in a position to make informed choices.
In this respect, the Benefits Agency are responsible for a wide range of initiatives to increase awareness of entitlement : Exhibitions talks, liaison with citizens advice bureaux, operation of multilingual freelines, participation in local radio phone-ins and now the one-stop initiative.
Payment Recovery
Mr. Hinchliffe : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what studies are available to indicate the effect DSS recovery procedures may have on legal settlements of compensation and associated civil actions ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Scott : I am not aware of any such studies.
Housing Benefit
Dr. Godman : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the current estimate of eligible households in (a) Inverclyde, (b) Strathclyde and (c) Scotland which do not take up housing benefit ; what means are used in order to improve the take-up rate ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Burt : Take up figures for housing benefit are not available on a regional basis. Estimates of the take up of income related benefits for Great Britain were published in "Income Related Benefit Estimates of Take- up in 1989" in January this year, a copy of which is in the Library. These figures show that 91 per cent. of available housing benefit was being received by 83 per cent. of those eligible to claim.
Information on housing benefit is available at all benefit agency and unemployment benefit offices, though as responsibility for the administration of housing benefit lies with individual local authorities they are in the best position to undertake local publicity and initiatives to improve local take-up.
Column 599
WALES
Overseas Visits
Mr. Vaz : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many visits abroad he has made during 1993 ; and what was (a) the cost to public funds and (b) the purpose of each visit.
Mr. Redwood : The previous Secretary of State undertook a visit to Brussels on 1-2 April 1993 for the purpose of inward investment and to attend EC meetings. The total cost of the visit was £983.20. My right hon. Friend also visited Stuttgart on 8-9 May 1993. The purpose of the visit was to perform the opening ceremony of the Wales at Stuttgart Arts Festival and participate. The total cost to the Department was £908.80.
In September 1993 I undertook an inward investment mission to Hong Kong, Japan and North America. The final cost is expected to be below £30,000 and comes from the WDA budget.
Felinheli Bypass
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement giving details of the causes of the delay in opening the Felinheli bypass in Gwynedd ; what is the additional cost to the Welsh Offic10T Sir Wyn Roberts : The contract completion date for the Felinheli bypass is July 1994. The contractor is, however, intending to open the bypass before the end of the contract period but accidental damage to the new bridge over the bypass during the movement of heavy earth moving plant has frustrated his attempt to open it before the end of the year. He still expects to open the bypass early next spring, several months ahead of its contract completion date.
All the repair costs will be borne by the contractor.
Training and Enterprise Councils
Ms Short : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what accumulated reserves were held in total and by each TEC in Wales on 1 April 1992 and on 1 April 1993 ; and if he will make a statement.
Sir Wyn Roberts : The reserves held by each TEC are set out in their annual reports and accounts as at 29 March 1992 and 28 March 1993 and copies of these are held in the Library of the House.
Ms Short : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many learning for work places and what budget have been allocated to each TEC in Wales ; how many people are currently on learning for work in each area ; what monitoring information is collected about learning for work participants and the subsequent destinations they will be entering ; how he plans to evaluate the programme ; and if he will make a statement about its extension beyond 1994.
Sir Wyn Roberts : The number of learning for work places contracted with TECs in Wales and the number of participants on the programme as at 29 October are set out in the table. Information about the allocation of budgets by the Welsh Office to individual TECs is commercial in confidence. However, the total budget available for learning for work in Wales is £3.887 million.
Column 600
Information is being collected about starts, participants and qualifications, and take up by gender and disability.Destinations of leavers will be obtained through follow-up questionnaires. The programme will be evaluated in the costs and benefits compared to other programmes.
The learning for work programme is scheduled to run until August 1994 and its future beyond that date is currently being considered.
Learning for Work-Wales
Position at 29 October 1993
TEC name |Contracted places|Starts
|1993-94
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gwent |304 |73
Mid Glamorgan |384 |65
North East Wales |152 |64
North West Wales |235 |16
Powys |44 |0
South Glamorgan |380 |36
West Wales |423 |105
|------- |-------
Wales Total |1,850 |359
Moated Sites
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) if he will list for the last 10 years the archaeological moated grange sites that have been demolished ;
(2) if he will list the archaeological moated grange sites that are due to be lost because of planning permission approval being granted.
Sir Wyn Roberts : Responsibility for the subject of the questions has been delegated to Cadw : Welsh Historic Monuments Executive Agency under its chief executive, John Carr. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given.
Letter from E. A. J. Carr to Mr. Martin Redmond, dated 1 December 1993 :
The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your two recent Parliamentary Questions about the loss of moated grange sites in Wales.
In my letter of 30 November in answer to your earlier questions about the identification and protection of moated sites generally in Wales I referred to recent Planning Policy Guidance issued by the Department on Archaeology and Planning. The Guidance gives advice on the handling of archaeological matters in the planning process. In particular it emphasises that the desirability of preserving an ancient monument and its setting is a material consideration in determining planning applications whether that monument is scheduled or unscheduled. Advice to local authorities in Wales who for the most part do not have in-house archaeological staff is available from the Welsh Archaeological Trusts who, as you know, maintain the Sites and Monuments Record. Against this policy background it is for local authorities themselves to determine planning applications for development of sites of archaeological interest. Cadw does not keep details of planning permission granted by Welsh local authorities which affect such sites.
Where development is planned on a site scheduled as an ancient monument consent needs to be submitted to the Secretary of State. This is in addition to any application for planning permission. As I mentioned in my earlier letter Cadw's records of consent do not identify the monument by type but we are not aware of consent being granted for the demolition of any scheduled moated site in Wales in the past 10 years.
Column 601
Urban Energy Management
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what role councils in Wales play in the United Kingdom urban energy management network.
Mr. Gwilym Jones : Cardiff city council represents Wales on the seven-city strong urban energy management network.
Energy Efficiency
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what involvement training and enterprise councils in Wales have had in assessing the skill base in Wales for implementation of an energy efficiency programme in (a) industry, (b) commercial and (c) domestic sectors in Wales.
Sir Wyn Roberts : The TECs were commissioned by the WDA under the auspices of the Welsh energy project to add specific questions on training needs relating to energy and environmental issues, in the industrial and commercial sectors, as part of the 1992 Welsh labour market information survey.
Investors in People Award
Ms Short : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many employers in each TEC area in Wales have been given the investors in people award ; how many have made a commitment to meeting the standard ; and if he will make a statement.
Sir Wyn Roberts : As at 31 October 1993, 33 employers in Wales have been awarded investor-in-people status, and 213 have made a commitment to meeting the investors standard. The table sets out the breakdown by TEC.
| Next Section
| Home Page |