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Mr. Bowis : None. Care in the community is partly financed by the personal social services element of the standard spending assessment, partly by the special transitional grant and partly by decisions within each local authority as to priorities for spending of its overall spending assessment.
Mr. Barry Field : To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the hon. Member for Isle of Wight will receive copies of the literature promised by the officials at the meeting with the Under-Secretary, the hon. Member for Battersea (Mr. Bowis), showing the Department's intention to alter the grant for the care in the community in 1994-95 and the effect it will have on a community like the Isle of Wight.
Mr. Bowis : Officials wrote, as promised, to the director of social services for the Isle of Wight on 22 December. A copy of that letter has been sent to the hon. Member.
Upper-limb Disorders
Mr. Alfred Morris : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate her Department has made of the number of people with work-related upper limb disorders ; if she has commissioned any research into these disorders and their cause, or will be doing so ; what medical advice she has about their cause ; and if she will make a statement.
Mr. Sackville : The Department has no such estimates and would seek to be advised by the Department of Employment, to whom the hon. Member has addresed a similar question.
The main agency through which the Government support biomedical and clinical research is the Medical Research Council, MRC, which receives its grant-in-aid from the office of my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster. We understand that the MRC is not currently supporting any research specifically into work-related upper limb disorders, but is always willing to
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consider scientifically based sound proposals for research. The prospects for funding of research into work- related upper limb disorders will, therefore, depend on the nature of any applications received.There is no medical consensus on whether work-related upper limb disorders are a single syndrome or a collection of differing conditions ; nor is there general agreement on their cause or treatment.
Mammography
Ms Primarolo : To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) in which circumstances the national health service allow for mammography for women aged under 50 years ; and what instances of mammography being refused for women of this age group have been drawn to her attention ;
(2) in how many health authorities women in the 35 to 50 years age group are provided with free national health service mammograms upon request.
Mr. Sackville : Women under 50 will not be invited for routine screening for breast cancer ; younger women at special risk may be offered mammography if referred by their general practitioner as will women with symptoms. This is a clinical decision and not one in which we would wish to interfere. No instances of mammography being refused have been drawn to our attention.
NHS Authorities (Membership)
Mr. Milburn : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list all the chairs and members who serve concurrently on more than one NHS authority.
Dr. Mawhinney : Chairmen and non-executive members of national health service authorities may not serve concurrently on more than one such authority, excepting family health services authorities chairmen who may be appointed as a member of a regional health authority. Executive members of NHS authorities may serve on more than one authority. These appointments are a matter for the authorities themselves.
Elderly Persons' Homes
Mr. Hinchliffe : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will give the number of places available in local authority elderly persons' homes for each year since 1979.
Mr. Bowis : The information available is shown in the table.
Number of places in staffed local authorities homes catering primarily
for elderly people and young physically disabled people, England
As at |Elderly and |Elderly people |Younger physically
31 March |younger physically |disabled people
|disabled people
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1979 |113,592 |<1>- |<1>-
1980 |114,103 |<1>- |<1>-
1981 |114,921 |<1>- |<1>-
1982 |115,493 |<1>- |<1>-
|1983 |115,913 |<1>-
1984 |116,430 |<1>- |<1>-
1985 |116,080 |<1>- |<1>-
1986 |115,609 |<1>- |<1>-
1987 |114,189 |112,360 |1,829
1988 |112,422 |110,598 |1,824
1989 |109,194 |107,386 |1,808
1990 |105,380 |103,601 |1,779
1991 |97,853 |96,137 |1,716
1992 |86,676 |85,037 |1,639
<1> Not available.
Note: The decrease in places in 1991 and 1992 reflects the transfer oflocal authority homes to
the independent sector and rationalisation.
Latero Flora
Mr. Corbett : To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to her answer of 14 January, Official Report, columns 324-25, when she now expects the Medicines Control Agency to complete its investigation into the American-imported product Latero Flora and its active ingredient bacillus laterosporus.
Mr. Sackville : Following its earlier undertaking to stop promoting Latero Flora as a medicinal product, the supplier has now told the Medicines Control Agency that it ceased trading in the product three weeks ago. The agency will continue to work with other agencies to monitor the situation and protect public health.
Westcountry Ambulance Services Trust
Mr. Jamieson : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the total annual budget of the Westcountry ambulance services trust.
Mr. Sackville : In 1993-94 the trust's income is planned to be £23.8 million.
Mr. Jamieson : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list the names and salaries of the chairman and non-executive directors of the Westcountry ambulance services trust.
Mr. Sackville : The chairman of the Westcountry ambulance services trust is Mr. James Pease-Watkin who receives an annual remuneration of £17,145.
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The non-executive directors are Mrs. Betty Collard, Mr. Justin Luttrell, Mrs. Hilary Bucklar, Mr. Patrick Egan and Lt. Colonel Robert Perkins OBE. All non-executive directors receive an annual remuneration of £5,000.Nurses Grading
Mr. Hoyle : To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what steps have been taken to ensure monitoring takes place of the ethnic status of nurses appealing against their nurse clinical gradings ; (2) if she will provide statistics on the ethnic status of nurses appealing against their gradings and their rate of success.
Mr. Sackville : There are no plans to monitor centrally the ethnic status of nurses appealing against their grading. Under the clinical grading structure staff are graded according to the duties and responsibilities of the post occupied. Any staff who are unhappy with the grading of their post are able to challenge the employing authority's decision.
Sexually Transmitted Diseases
Mr. Shore : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cases of (a) HIV and (b) rectal gonorrhoea in the age groups 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21 and 22 years and over were notified to her Department in each year since 1987.
Mr. Sackville : Laboratory reports of HIV infections newly identified in England, Wales and Northern Ireland are made to the Public Health Laboratory Service AIDS centre at the communicable diseases surveillance centre. The number who were of the ages shown at the time their HIV infection was diagnosed is given for each year since 1987. The 1993 figures may not be complete.
Column 205
Age (yearNumber of HIV
infections reported
|1987 |1988 |1989 |1990 |1991 |1992 |1993
------------------------------------------------------------------------
16 |3 |4 |0 |2 |0 |1 |1
17 |4 |1 |5 |11 |5 |3 |4
18 |11 |14 |9 |12 |11 |7 |15
19 |23 |15 |21 |13 |21 |18 |11
20 |39 |30 |22 |31 |38 |35 |20
21 |60 |29 |31 |36 |36 |58 |36
22+ |1,898 |1,400 |1,499 |1,932 |2,205 |2,125 |2,093
|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------
Total |2,038 |1,493 |1,587 |2,037 |2,316 |2,247 |2,180
Laboratory reports of rectal gonorrhoea are routinely received by the HIV/STD division at the communicable disease surveillance centre. The number who were of the
Column 206
ages shown at the time of report are shown broken down by sex for each year since 1989. Data are unavailable for 1988 and 1987. The 1993 figures may not be complete.Column 205
Number of rectal gonorrhoea isolates reported
Age (Years)
|16 |17 |18 |19 |20 |21 |22 |23+ |Total
--------------------------------------------------------------------
1989
Female |4 |4 |3 |3 |2 |4 |1 |20 |41
Male |0 |0 |0 |0 |1 |0 |0 |23 |24
Unknown |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |1 |1
|--- |--- |--- |--- |--- |--- |--- |--- |---
Totals |4 |4 |3 |3 |3 |4 |1 |44 |66
1990
Female |2 |2 |4 |1 |5 |2 |1 |18 |35
Male |0 |0 |0 |2 |0 |0 |1 |103 |106
Unknown |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |1 |1
|--- |--- |--- |--- |--- |--- |--- |--- |---
Totals |2 |2 |4 |3 |5 |2 |2 |122
1991
Female |1 |5 |4 |8 |4 |3 |2 |17 |44
Male |0 |1 |2 |2 |4 |3 |4 |97 |113
|--- |--- |--- |--- |--- |--- |--- |--- |---
Totals |1 |6 |6 |10 |8 |6 |6 |114 |157
1992
Female |2 |3 |6 |8 |2 |4 |1 |14 |40
Male |0 |0 |1 |2 |0 |3 |3 |27 |36
|--- |--- |--- |--- |--- |--- |--- |--- |---
Totals |2 |3 |7 |10 |2 |7 |4 |41 |76
1993
Female |1 |5 |2 |1 |4 |1 |1 |12 |27
Male |0 |0 |1 |1 |5 |7 |3 |26 |43
|--- |--- |--- |--- |--- |--- |--- |--- |---
Totals |1 |5 |3 |2 |9 |8 |4 |38 |70
Appointments
Mr. Milburn : To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to her answer of 1 February, Official Report, column 599, whether a person may serve concurrently as a chair or non-executive director of a trust of NHS authority board and a shadow trust board.
Ms Primarolo : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will give the percentage of ethnic minority non-executive directors of NHS trusts, health authorities and family health services authorities in each year since 1990-91.
Dr. Mawhinney : Three per cent. of people currently appointed to national health service authorities and trusts in a non-executive capacity are from ethnic minorities. We are aiming to increase this proportion to 4 per cent. by September 1996. Information for earlier years is not available.
GP Fundholders
Ms Primarolo : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to decrease funds to general practitioner fundholders who do not meet waiting list targets.
Dr. Mawhinney : None. Fundholders are expected to comply with patients charter standards in the same way as district health authorities, and are proving extremely effective in improving waiting times.
Regional Health Authorities
Mr. Luff : To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to her answer of 7 December, Official Report, column 198, what financial capital allocation each regional health authority will receive in 1994-95 ; and what is the aggregate capital allocation to national health service trusts in each regional area.
Mr. Sackville : The division of the regional capital planning totals announced on 7 December 1993 between regional health authorities and national health service trusts is set out in the table. Regions have now been notified of their capital allocations, and trusts their external financing limits, for 1994-95.
Column 208
|RHA |NHS trusts |Total
|(£ millions)|(£ millions)|(£ millions)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Northern |24.694 |75.768 |100.462
Yorkshire |5.193 |111.934 |117.127
Trent |4.798 |143.074 |147.872
East Anglia |2.749 |61.765 |64.514
North West Thames |35.287 |62.432 |97.719
North East Thames |19.812 |91.988 |111.800
South East Thames |<1>-1.143 |116.386 |115.243
South West Thames |7.815 |78.254 |86.069
Wessex |15.500 |81.381 |96.881
Oxford |6.722 |66.928 |73.650
South Western |<1>0.000 |106.657 |106.657
West Midlands |22.000 |140.940 |162.940
Mersey |16.500 |60.009 |76.509
North Western |4.038 |125.932 |129.970
England |163.965 |1,323.448 |1,487.413
<1>Receipts from asset sales equal or exceed regional planned capital
expenditure.
SOCIAL SECURITY
Invalidity Benefit
Mr. Bradley : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will publish a table showing the number and percentage of invalidity benefit recipients who are in receipt of other sources of income by source and average amount of such other income.
Mr. Scott : Information on the number of invalidity benefit recipients who are in receipt of other sources of income is not available. Estimates of the percentage of invalidity benefit recipients who are in receipt of other sources of income and the average amount of such income are in the table.
Source |Percentage |Average
|of invalidity|amount per
|benefit |week<1>
|recipients |£
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Investment |52 |18
Occupational pensions |38 |60
Non income-related benefits
(exc. invalidity benefit)<2> |78 |11
Community Charge and Housing
Benefits<3> |37 |17
Income Support and family credit<3> |7 |40
Net earnings<4> |8 |37
Other<5> |7 |13
Source: 1990 and 1991 Family Expenditure Surveys
Notes:
<1> January 1991 prices.
<2> Christmas bonus, child benefit, industrial injuries disablement pension,
invalidity care allowance, disability living allowance, attendance allowance,
war disablement pension.
<3> Figures relate to "benefit units" rather than to individuals. Benefit
units containing two invalidity benefit recipients are counted twice.
<4> Average is "inflated" by a small number who receive payments from former
employers.
<5> Children's income, income-in-kind, income from absent spouse etc.
Benefit Levels
Mr. Pawsey : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) if he will publish the level in real terms of each benefit in 1979, or at time of introduction if later, and at present ;
(2) what is the current level of each benefit ; and what it was in 1979, or at the time of introduction, if later, in constant prices.
Mr. Burt : The information for the main social security benefits is in the table.
Level of benefit in 1993 or time of introduction, at 1993 prices
Benefit |April 1993 |Rate in 1979 or
|introduction, at
|April 1993 prices
|£ |£
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Retirement pension single person |56.10 |54.37
Retirement pension married
couple |89.80 |87.04
Unemployment benefit (personal
benefit) |44.65 |43.17
Unemployment benefit (Dep.
Adult increase) |27.55 |26.72
Invalidity benefit |56.10 |54.37
Attendance allowance (higher
rate) |44.90 |43.40
Mobility allowance |<1>- |28.00
Disability living allowance (Care
component higher rate) |44.90 |<2>43.91
Disability living allowance
(mobility component higher
rate) |31.40 |<2>30.69
Child benefit (first child) |10.00 |9.33
Child benefit (subsequent
children) |8.10 |9.33
One parent benefit |6.05 |5.83
Supplementary benefit (couple
with 2 children aged 7 and 11) |<1>- |95.14
Supplementary benefit (pensioner
couple) |<1>- |82.06
Income support (couple with 2
children aged 7 and 11) |115.85 |<3>111.31
Income support (pensioner couple) |95.25 |<3>89.24
Family income supplement |<1>- |29.42
Family credit (one child under 11) |53.25 |<3>50.29
<1>Indicates benefit replaced.
<2>Introduced April 1992.
<3>Introduced April 1988.
Note: The amounts relating to pensioners under the age of 80 have been given.
Column 210
Mr. Pawsey : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many benefit claimants there were, excluding unemployment-related claimants, in (a) 1979 and (b) 1993.
Mr. Burt : The information is in the table. Figures relate to benefit recipients and unless otherwise stated have been rounded to the nearest thousand.
Some claimants receive more than one benefit. It has not been possible to exclude unemployment-related claims except in the case of supplementary benefit/income support and unemployment benefit itself.
Benefit recipients Benefit |1979 |1993 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Attendance Allowance |286,000 |890,000 Child Benefit |7,190,000 |6,855,000 Child Special Allowance |<1>825 |<1>99 Rent Rebate<3> |1,205,000 |<2>2,961,000 Rent Allowance<3> |220,000 |<2>1,217,000 Rate Rebate<3> |3,065,000 |Not applicable Community Charge Benefit<3> |Not applicable|<2>6,254,000 Disability Living Allowance |Not applicable|1,167,000 Disability Working Allowance |Not applicable|<1>3,165 FIS/Family Credit |81,000 |487,000 Guardians Allowance |4,000 |2,000 Supplementary Benefit/ Income Support |2,288,000 |3,671,000 Industrial Death Benefit |31,000 |22,000 Industrial Disablement Benefit |198,000 |<2>204,000 Invalidity Benefit |610,000 |<2>1,439,000 Invalid Care Allowance |6,000 |<2>189,000 Maternity Allowance |105,000 |<2>11,000 Mobility Allowance |138,000 |Not applicable One Parent Benefit |381,000 |877,000 Pneumo, Byssinosis and misc. |2,000 |<2>1,000 Reduced Earnings Allowance |148,000 |<2>157,000 Retirement Pension |8,806,000 |10,084,000 Sickness Benefit |430,000 |<2>138,000 Severe Disablement Allowance |Not applicable|<2>302,000 Widows Benefit |452,000 |337,000 Workmans Compensation |5,000 |<2>1,000 War Pension |367,000 |<2>260,000 HNCIP/NCIP |162,000 |Not applicable <1>Exact figures. <2>1992 data. <3>Figures relate to benefit units.
Incapacity Benefit
Mr. Bradley : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many staff from (a) the Benefits Agency medical service and (b) the Benefits Agency will be required to process claims for incapacity benefit ; and how many of these staff will be qualified medical practitioners.
Mr. Scott : The estimated staffing consequences for the introduction of incapacity benefit appear in the financial memorandum accompanying the Social Security (Incapacity for Work) Bill. Further refinement of these figures will depend upon decisions still to be taken by Parliament.
Mr. Bradley : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what estimates his Department has as to the time it will take to process claims for the two thirds of claimants who will have their claims for incapacity benefit referred to the Benefits Agency medical service.
Mr. Scott : Until details of the new objective medical test are agreed we cannot produce precise estimates for how long each reference will take. Because cases will be
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referred while benefit is being paid, we do not expect any worsening of the overall clearance time for claims on account of the introduction of incapacity benefit.Housing Benefit
Mr. Battle : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what effect the receipt of the allowance for VAT will have upon retirement pensioners' entitlement to housing benefit.
Mr. Burt : For those in receipt of retirement pension at the standard basic rate, the extra help for VAT of 50p for a single pensioner and 70p for a pensioner couple will not affect housing benefit entitlement. Those on a modified basic retirement pension, who receive proportionally less help with VAT, will see some increase in their housing benefit entitlement. Couples, where each partner receives the standard rate pension in their own right, will see some decrease in their housing benefit entitlement but will gain by more than the 70p overall.
Mr. Raynsford : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will publish a table showing the average cost of housing benefit payments to (a) tenants of local authorities, (b) tenants of housing associations and (c) tenants of private landlords in the latest year for which the information is available.
Mr. Burt : I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Leeds, West (Mr. Battle) on 3 February 1994.
Parliamentary Ombudsman
Mrs. Wise : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what effect the privatisation of parts of social security administration will have on the rights of a citizen to make a complaint of maladministration to the parliamentary ombudsman.
Mr. Hague : The jurisdiction of the Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration is unaffected where administrative functions of a Department are carried out by private contractors.
One Place Service
Mr. Bayley : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) what percentage of the population is served by local offices offering a single point of contact for help and information ;
(2) what action his Department has taken in response to his one-stop consultation paper.
Mr. Burt : Following overwhelmingly positive responses to the one- stop discussion paper, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State announced on 9 September a national programme whereby all Benefits Agency district offices will provide a one-place service. The one-place programme will mean that customers will be able to : obtain advice and information on all benefits from their local Benefits Agency office ;
lodge a claim for any benefit at a local office, (regardless of where that benefit is processed) report a change of circumstance, receive reliable advice about the claim to benefit from that local office.
The Benefits Agency has issued to all its managers a national customer service definition so that staff are clear about the level and scope of service to be delivered.
Column 212
The Benefits Agency has 159 districts with over 470 outlets. The national customer service definition will ensure that all customers will be able to receive a one-place service throughout the country by July 1994.Although there are no figures available as to the number of Benefits Agency district offices already providing this service, work is under way to establish the current position and ensure that this level of service will be in place by July 1994.
Pensioners
Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list the number and proportion of pensioners on benefits in (a) London and (b) the United Kingdom.
Mr. Hague : The information is not available.
Asbestosis
Mr. Milburn : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many cases of industrial injuries disablement benefit have been granted in each of the last five years for (a) people with primary carcinoma of the lung associated with asbestosis and (b) people with bilateral diffuse pleural thickening of the lungs associated with asbestosis (i) in the United Kingdom and (ii) by region.
Mr. Scott : Information is not collected in the precise format requested. The available information is given in the table and relates only to medical assessments made by special medical boards in Great Britain.
Special Medical Boards
Number of cases, analysed by
special medical board,
assessed as having 14 to 100
per cent. disablement
relating to prescribed
diseases D8 and D9
|D8<1>|D9<2>
-----------------------------
1992
All boards |52 |123
Cardiff |7 |12
Swansea |0 |4
Glasgow |4 |16
Stoke |9 |7
Sheffield |3 |32
Manchester |11 |4
Newcastle |8 |23
London |10 |25
1991
All boards |51 |115
Cardiff |5 |14
Swansea |5 |4
Glasgow |7 |15
Stoke |4 |6
Sheffield |6 |32
Manchester |10 |10
Newcastle |8 |17
London |6 |17
1990
All boards |56 |104
Cardiff |11 |7
Swansea |4 |2
Glasgow |8 |11
Stoke |4 |5
Sheffield |4 |23
Manchester |13 |14
Newcastle |5 |24
London |7 |18
<1> D8=Primary carcinoma of
the lung.
<2> D9=Bilateral diffuse
pleural thickening.
Note: Based on 100 per cent.
sample.
Information is not available
for years prior to 1990.
Mr. Milburn : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many applications for industrial injuries disablement benefit from people with asbestos-related diseases have been refused in each of the last five years (a) in the United Kingdom and (b) by region.
Mr. Scott : The information is not collected in the precise format requested. Available information is in the table and relates only to medical assessments made by special medical boards in Great Britain.
Special Medical Boards Number of cases, analysed by Special Medical Board, of asbestos- related diseases not diagnosed, or diagnosed at less than the applicable percentage (prescribed diseases D1 and D3 1 per cent., D8 and D9 14 per cent.<1>) 1992 |D1<2><3>|D3<4> |D8<5> |D9<6> -------------------------------------------------------- All boards |758 |58 |191 |278 Cardiff |17 |7 |22 |35 Swansea |14 |2 |5 |7 Glasgow |199 |11 |23 |29 Stoke |14 |4 |12 |11 Sheffield |59 |6 |32 |42 Manchester |135 |11 |44 |40 Newcastle |243 |4 |13 |42 London |77 |13 |40 |72
1991 |D1<2><3>|D3<4> |D8<5> |D9<6> -------------------------------------------------------- All Boards |1,317 |50 |189 |279 Cardiff |36 |5 |21 |43 Swansea |7 |1 |6 |8 Glasgow |159 |7 |25 |17 Stoke |11 |6 |13 |17 Sheffield |62 |6 |24 |46 Manchester |95 |7 |41 |19 Newcastle |891 |6 |27 |73 London |56 |12 |32 |56
1990 |D1<2><3>|D3<4> |D8<5> |D9<6> -------------------------------------------------------- All Boards |637 |54 |237 |256 Cardiff |35 |4 |21 |43 Swansea |6 |2 |8 |5 Glasgow |126 |1 |25 |28 Stoke |15 |5 |13 |9 Sheffield |67 |10 |26 |35 Manchester |102 |16 |50 |37 Newcastle |232 |5 |50 |57 London |54 |11 |44 |42
1989 |<2> <3>D1|<4>D3 |<1> <5>D8|<1> <6>D9 ------------------------------------------------------------- All boards |473 |39 |117 |136 Cardiff |31 |4 |16 |19 Swansea |4 |0 |3 |1 Glasgow |92 |2 |15 |9 Stoke |14 |3 |5 |10 Sheffield |63 |4 |17 |28 Manchester |97 |7 |24 |27 Newcastle |106 |5 |10 |16 London |66 |14 |27 |26
Column 214
1988 |<2> <3>D1|<4>D3 |<1> <5>D8|<1> <6>D9 ------------------------------------------------------------- All boards |486 |39 |155 |120 Cardiff |43 |3 |25 |25 Swansea |5 |1 |6 |4 Glasgow |112 |4 |15 |8 Stoke |12 |0 |8 |5 Sheffield |37 |2 |11 |9 Manchester |101 |10 |23 |17 Newcastle |104 |3 |36 |9 London |72 |16 |31 |43 Note: Based on 100 per cent. sample. <1>Only refers to 0 per cent. cases for 1988 and 1989 due to different method of data collection at that time. <2>Asbestos industry only. <3>D1=Pneumoconiosis. <4>D3=Diffuse mesothelioma. <5>D8=Primary carcinoma of the lung. <6>D9=Bilateral diffuse pleural thickening.
Mr. Milburn : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what have been the annual costs of industrial injuries disablement benefit payments for asbestosis-related cases in each of the last five years.
Mr. Scott : The information is not available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Independent Living Fund
Mr. Hinchliffe : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many applications for assistance from the independent living fund have been turned down during the current financial year on the grounds that the value of the applicant's existing care package totals £500 or more ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Scott : I am informed by the director of the independent living (1993) fund that 11 applications to the fund have been turned down on those grounds.
Mr. Hinchliffe : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many (a) successful applications for assistance were made to the independent living fund during the current financial year, (b) individuals receiving help from the independent living fund under the previous arrangements continued to receive help during the current financial year and (c) unsuccessful applications for help were made to the independent living fund in the current year ; and if he will break these figures down by local authority.
Mr. Scott : I am informed by the director of the independent living (1993) fund that, as at 1 February, 187 successful applications had been made to the fund. A further 311 applications have been unsuccessful. At the same date, 19,137 former clients of the independent living fund were receiving payments from the independent living (extension) fund.
A breakdown of the figures at 1 February by local authority is not yet available. The table shows the breakdown of applications as at 31 December 1993.
Local authority |Successful |Unsuccessful
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Avon |5 |4
Bedfordshire |1 |2
Berkshire |2 |3
Buckinghamshire |6 |1
Cambridgeshire |0 |1
Cheshire |0 |6
Cleveland |0 |5
Cornwall |0 |1
Cumbria |4 |3
Derbyshire |5 |1
Devon |2 |2
Dorset |1 |1
Durham |1 |4
East Sussex |0 |3
Essex |7 |4
Gloucester |3 |0
Hampshire |3 |2
Hereford and Worcester |0 |2
Hertfordshire |2 |4
Humberside |1 |2
Isle of Wight |1 |1
Kent |0 |0
Lancashire |1 |3
Leicestershire |2 |0
Lincolnshire |2 |2
Norfolk |1 |4
Northamptonshire |1 |1
Northumberland |0 |2
North Yorkshire |1 |3
Nottinghamshire |0 |4
Oxfordshire |2 |2
Shropshire |4 |3
Somerset |2 |0
Staffordshire |0 |2
Suffolk |4 |2
Surrey |5 |0
Warwickshire |1 |0
West Sussex |0 |1
Wiltshire |0 |0
Greater Manchester
Wigan |0 |0
Bolton |0 |0
Bury |0 |1
Rochdale |0 |0
Salford |1 |1
Manchester |0 |0
Oldham |2 |6
Trafford |0 |0
Stockport |0 |0
Tameside |0 |1
West Midlands
Wolverhampton |1 |3
Walsall |1 |1
Dudley |1 |0
Sandwell |2 |0
Birmingham |0 |2
Solihull |1 |2
Coventry |0 |1
Merseyside
Sefton |0 |0
Liverpool |0 |6
St. Helens |0 |4
Knowsley |0 |1
Wirral |0 |1
South Yorkshire
Barnsley |0 |0
Doncaster |0 |1
Sheffield |3 |1
Rotherham |1 |0
Tyne and Wear
Newcastle |1 |2
North Tyneside |0 |1
Gateshead |0 |0
South Tyneside |0 |0
Sunderland |1 |1
West Yorkshire
Bradford |1 |0
Leeds |1 |0
Calderdale |1 |0
Kirklees |0 |0
Wakefield |0 |2
Wales
Clwyd |11 |7
Dyfed |2 |0
Gwent |0 |1
Gwynedd |1 |7
Mid-Glamorgan |2 |0
Powys |0 |0
South Glamorgan |1 |2
West Glamorgan |0 |0
N. Ireland
Northern area |0 |2
Southern area |0 |6
Eastern area |1 |4
Western area |0 |7
Scotland
Highland |0 |1
Grampian |0 |0
Tayside |1 |0
Fife |2 |3
Lothian |2 |3
Central |3 |0
Borders |0 |0
Strathclyde |7 |7
Dumfries and Galloway |1 |0
Orkneys |0 |0
Shetlands |0 |1
W. Isles |0 |1
London Central
Camden |4 |5
Greenwich |2 |1
Hackney |3 |4
Hammersmith |0 |6
Islington |0 |1
Kensington |2 |4
Lambeth |4 |2
Lewisham |0 |1
Southwark |2 |4
Tower Hamlets |0 |0
Wandsworth |0 |1
Westminster |1 |1
City |0 |0
Outer London
Barking |1 |1
Barnet |0 |1
Bexley |0 |1
Brent |2 |1
Bromley |0 |0
Croydon |0 |0
Ealing |0 |1
Enfield |0 |0
Haringey |1 |2
Harrow |1 |1
Havering |2 |1
Hillingdon |1 |1
Hounslow |1 |0
Kingston |3 |0
Merton |1 |0
Newham |0 |0
Redbridge |1 |0
Richmond |1 |0
Sutton |1 |0
Waltham Forest |1 |0
Column 217
Mortgages
Sir Thomas Arnold : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is his current assessment of the number of people in receipt of direct assistance with their mortgage payments.
Mr. Burt : There are 562,000 cases with mortgage interest included in the assessment of benefit.
Source : Income Support Statistics Quarterly Enquiry February 1993.
Note : The number of claimants has been rounded to the nearest thousand.
Family Benefits
Mr. Peter Bottomley : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many and what percentages of children aged (a) under five years, (b) five to 11 years and
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(c) 12 to 15 years live in families receiving (i) income support and (ii) family credit ; and what were the comparable figures in each year since 1978-79.Mr. Burt : Information is not available in the precise form requested as income support and family credit were not introduced until April 1988. Such information as is available is in the tables.
Numbers and proportions of children in families receiving
income support
Year |Under |Per |Five |Per |12-15 |Per
|five |cent. |to 11 |cent. |years |cent.
|years |years
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1993 |1,139,000|30.1 |1,291,000|25.9 |540,000 |20.3
1992 |1,062,000|28.1 |1,166,000|23.4 |476,000 |17.9
1991 |949,000 |25.3 |1,019,000|20.5 |400,000 |15.4
1990 |829,000 |22.4 |860,000 |17.5 |355,000 |13.8
1989 |830,000 |22.6 |829,000 |17.2 |371,000 |14.0
1988 |820,000 |22.7 |853,000 |18.0 |419,000 |15.1
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Numbers and proportions of children in families receiving family credit
Year |Under five|Per cent. |Five to 11|Per cent. |12 to 15 |Per cent.
|years |years |years
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1993 |282,000 |7.5 |425,000 |8.5 |230,000 |8.6
1992 |253,000 |6.7 |368,000 |7.4 |192,000 |7.2
1991 |229,000 |6.1 |317,000 |6.4 |160,000 |6.1
1990 |217,000 |5.9 |284,000 |5.8 |139,000 |5.4
1989 |216,000 |5.9 |261,000 |5.4 |131,000 |5.0
Notes:
1. Figures rounded to nearest thousand and percentages are correct to one decimal
place.
2. 1993 percentages based on population figures for mid-1992.
3. Family credit figures are not available for 1988.
Source:
Income Support Statistical Enquiry, February 1993.
Income Support Statistical Annual Enquiries, May 1988-1992.
Family Credit 5 per cent. Sample of Awards, June 1989-1992.
Office of Population, Censuses and Surveys.
Mr. Ingram : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many of the total number of families with children in receipt of (a) income support, (b) family credit and (c) disability working allowance include a qualifying child for child support purposes.
Mr. Burt : This information is not available centrally.
Unemployed Volunteers
Dame Peggy Fenner : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) what proposals he has to encourage unemployed people to offer their services as volunteers and to improve the conditions for doing so ;
(2) what representations he has received from the National Association of Voluntary Bodies on the need for further improvements in conditions for unemployed volunteers in receipt of benefits.
Mr. Burt : The Government strongly support opportunities for volunteering and provide a variety of advice and opportunities for the unemployed who wish to do so. Publicity leaflets outline the advantages to unemployed people who wish to undertake voluntary work and point out that as volunteers they can now be allowed 48 hours notice before taking up a job opportunity.
Community action will this year provide 50,000 opportunities for unemployed people to do work of benefit
Column 218
to the community. Participants receive an allowance equivalent to £10 per week more than their weekly benefit rate.Additionally, the benefit rules contain a more generous provision for this treatment of earnings received by people such as retained fire fighters, lifeboatmen and others who volunteer for forms of special service to the community.
No recent representations have been received from the National Association of Voluntary Bodies.
National Association of Pension Funds
Mr. Denham : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will make public the National Association of Pension Funds submission in response to the Government's Green Paper on social security reforms of September 1985.
Mr. Hague : Publication is a matter for the National Association of Pension Funds.
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