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Mr. Clapham : To ask the President of the Board of Trade what is the estimated total cost of preparing the coal industry for privatisation.
Mr. Eggar : Expenditure in connection with the privatisation of the coal industry in 1991-92 and 1992-93 was £3.3 million, including VAT, and £3.5 million, including VAT, respectively. Provision for 1993-94 is £14.3 million, including VAT. The privatisation budget for 1994-95 has still to be decided.
British Coal Redundancy Scheme
Mr. Clapham : To ask the President of the Board of Trade what has been the cost of the British Coal redundancy scheme from October 1992 to date.
Mr. Eggar : The cost of redundancy arrangements is a matter for British Coal.
Mr. Barron : To ask the President of the Board of Trade if the enhanced redundancy payments currently paid by British Coal will continue beyond the end of March 1994 ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Eggar [holding answer 22 February 1994] : I have informed British Coal that the Government are prepared to fund the current redundancy terms for miners until 30 April 1994 and, where redundancies are proposed before 30 April, for so long as the consultations with the unions on any such proposal continue.
Steel Industry
Mr. Barry Jones : To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement on the prospects for the British steel industry.
Mr. Sainsbury : The United Kingdom steel industry is now one of the most efficient in the world. Strict
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implementation of the state aids package and monitoring arrangements agreed at the 17 December Industry Council is essential to eradicate illegal subsidies and to ensure the prosperity and growth of efficient EC producers, including the United Kingdom industry.Mr. Barry Jones : To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement concerning price fixing in the steel industry in the European Union as it affects the United Kingdom.
Mr. Sainsbury [holding answer 22 February 1994] : I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave in the House to the hon. Member for Livingston (Mr. Cook) on 16 February 1994, Official Report, column 945.
Mr. Barry Jones : To ask the President of the Board of Trade what representations he has received concerning the ending of the iron and steel employees readaptation benefits scheme arrangements for redundant steel workers ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Sainsbury [holding answer 22 February 1994] : I received representations from a range of interested parties including the steel industry and its representative bodies, trades unions, local authorities and hon. Members and Members of the European Parliament. I also refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the then hon. Member for Eastleigh on 27 January 1994, Official Report, column 369.
Overseas Investment
Mr. Lewis : To ask the President of the Board of Trade what has been the level of overseas investment into the United Kingdom for each year since 1970 at constant prices.
Mr. Sainsbury : Reliable price deflators for overseas investment are not available. Figures for gross investment into the United Kingdom are also not available. Information is available only for net investment at current prices.
This information up to 1991 is contained in the Pink Books 1973, 1983 and 1993, United Kingdom balance of payments, published by the Central Statistical Office ; copies are available in the Library of the House.
The information for 1992 and the first nine months of 1993 is as follows :
Net overseas investment in the United Kingdom<1>
current prices
£ million
|Direct |Portfolio|Total
--------------------------------------------------
1992 |10.3 |20.5 |<2>30.9
<3>1993 |8.5 |29.1 |37.6
<1> Net of disinvestment in the United Kingdom by
overseas investors.
<2> Discrepancy between total and its constituent
elements due to
rounding.
<3> January to September.
Source: Balance of payments press release, CSO (
93) 190, 20 December
1993.
Electrical Appliances (Plugs)
Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the President of the Board of Trade what study he has made of (a) excessive costs to consumers, (b) costs to the plug manufacturers and (c) safety problems arising from the imposition in Britain of the European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardisation-- CENELEC--standards for electrical plugs and wiring.
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Mr. Sainsbury : My Department has commissioned an independent analysis of the costs and benefits for the United Kingdom, including consumers and plug manufacturers, of the proposed harmonisation. The final report from the consultants will be published shortly to form a basis for wider consultation. My Department is participating in the CENELEC discussions to ensure that United Kingdom consumer safety is not compromised.
Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the President of the Board of Trade when he intends to revise plug and socket safety regulations ; what representations he has received from the EC Commission about the proposal to require all electrical appliances to be sold with plugs ; what evidence he has of safety hazards if they are not so sold ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. McLoughlin : The announcement last year by the then Minister for Consumer Affairs of the intention to introduce regulations that would require most domestic appliances to be fitted with a plug before they are supplied to a consumer has been welcomed, although the European Commission has sought clarification on the possible impact on intra-Community trade. I am hopeful that these matters will be resolved shortly.
Each year an average of three people die because of an incorrectly fitted plug and 300 people require hospital treatment for injuries received from fitting plugs to electrical appliances.
Motor Cars
Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the President of the Board of Trade what effect the change in the terms of trade for finished manufactures has had on (i) imports and exports of motor cars and (ii) output and unemployment in the United Kingdom car industry since 1973 ; and what has been the import penetration into the United Kingdom car market in (a) 1973, (b) 1979 and (c) 1993.
Mr. Sainsbury : There is no detailed information on the effect that the change in terms of trade for finished manufactures has had on the motor car industry. Information on the terms of trade and overseas trade is regularly published in the "Monthly Review of External Trade Statistics", a copy of which is available in the Library of the House. I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him on 16 February 1994, Official Report, columns 829-30.
Enterprise Initiative (London)
Mrs. Bridget Prentice : To ask the President of the Board of Trade how much has been spent in the Greater London region on the enterprise initiative since its inception.
Mr. McLoughlin : Total payments on enterprise initiative consultancy projects in the London region from the launch of the consultancy scheme in 1988 to the end of 1993 amounted to £24.9 million.
Manufacturing Industry
Mr. Gordon Prentice : To ask the President of the Board of Trade what percentage of domestic manufacturing industry was owned by foreign companies, in each year since 1979.
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Mr. Sainsbury : The percentages of United Kingdom manufacturing industry owned by overseas companies are given in the table. It shows the percentages of industry accounted for by overseas registered companies and by United Kingdom subsidiaries of overseas registered companies. Such subsidiaries are defined as companies where the composition of the board of directors is controlled by an overseas registered company or where an overseas company holds more than 50 per cent. of the equity share capital.
|Gross value |Total sales |Employment
|added at |and work done
|factor cost
----------------------------------------------------------------------
1979 |21.4 |22.8 |15.0
1980 |<1>- |<1>- |<1>-
1981 |18.3 |19.4 |14.9
1982 |<1>- |<1>- |<1>-
1983 |18.6 |20.4 |14.5
1984 |20.2 |21.3 |14.8
1985 |18.7 |20.3 |14.0
1986 |17.3 |19.4 |13.0
1987 |18.8 |21.0 |13.4
1988 |18.2 |20.7 |13.1
1989 |21.1 |24.1 |14.9
1990 |21.8 |25.2 |16.1
1991 |21.7 |25.5 |17.2
<1> Prior to 1984 these data were collected biennially: consequently,
information for 1980 and 1982 is not available.
Sources: Derived from table 18-table 19 in 1979-of the annual
summary volumes of the report on the census of production-Central
Statistical Office-"Business Monitor" PA 1002.
Household Insurance
Mr. Gordon Prentice : To ask the President of the Board of Trade what assessment he has made of the number of people who have been refused insurance or reinsurance because of claims arising from river flooding.
Mr. Neil Hamilton : None. This is a matter for the commercial judgment of insurance companies, with which the Government cannot interfere. However, I understand that the Association of British Insurers, to which the hon. Member has also written, is investigating these concerns.
Deregulation
Mr. Spearing : To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many copies of the document deposited in the Vote Office of the House entitled "Deregulation and Contracting Out Bill--An Explanatory Guide" were printed ; where else it was sent or made available ; what information this document contained which was not also printed as part of the explanatory and financial memorandum on the face of the Bill ; why this guide contained no source of authorisation, date, printer, publisher, or official catalogue number ; and by whom and for what reason it was authorised for publication.
Mr. Neil Hamilton : Since publication of the Deregulation and Contracting Out Bill, the document "Deregulation and Contracting Out Bill-- An Explanatory Guide" has been available in the Vote Office and from the Department.
Approximately 4,000 copies of the document were made. Of these, approximately 3,500 have been distributed. Approximately 500 were made available in the Vote Office. The remainder were given, after the Bill was
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published, to the press and to individuals and organisations known to have an interest in the Bill, or have been given, on request, to members of the public, consumer and business organisations. It is normal practice to publish such a document for long or complex Bills. The document contained a fuller explanation of the provisions of the Bill than the explanatory and financial memorandum, giving background information which would not have been appropriate for inclusion in the EFM, such as the Government's proposals for parliamentary scrutiny of orders made under chapter 1 of the Bill. The source and date of the document were omitted by an oversight. However, all copies distributed, other than through the Vote Office, were accompanied by material which made clear the source of the document.Staff Loans
Mr. Matthew Taylor : To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will list the schemes his Department operates to assist staff facing financial hardship following a transfer, showing (a) the particular criteria and rules applying to each one, including the circumstances under which any loans can be written off, (b) the total amount loaned or granted under the schemes in 1992-93 and so far in 1993-94 and (c) the number of staff assisted in 1992-93 and so far in 1993-94.
Mr. Eggar : The Department has a number of discretionary arrangements, delegated from Her Majesty's Treasury, which it can use in cases where a staff transfer in the public interest would lead to proven financial hardship. These arrangements include
interest-bearing and interest-free loans ; in highly exceptional cases there is provision for write-off. The arrangements are administered bearing in mind the cost to the taxpayer.
To provide the details requested would entail disproportionate cost.
Coal Mining
Mr. Wigley : To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many deep mines were in production in (a) England, (b) Wales, (c) Scotland and (d) the United Kingdom in each year since 1964.
Mr. Eggar : The numbers of British Coal deep mines in production at 31 March in each year since 1964 were as follows :
Year |England |Wales |Scotland|United
|Kingdom
------------------------------------------------------
1964 |386 |103 |87 |578
1965 |365 |92 |77 |534
1966 |334 |82 |67 |483
1967 |305 |75 |58 |438
1968 |263 |66 |47 |378
1969 |223 |57 |37 |317
1970 |213 |54 |32 |213
1971 |207 |53 |32 |292
1972 |204 |53 |32 |289
1973 |199 |53 |29 |281
1974 |185 |50 |24 |259
1975 |178 |46 |22 |246
1976 |176 |45 |21 |241
1977 |174 |44 |20 |238
1978 |172 |40 |19 |231
1979 |167 |39 |17 |223
1980 |165 |38 |16 |219
1981 |160 |36 |15 |211
1982 |149 |35 |14 |198
1983 |143 |35 |13 |191
1984 |131 |30 |9 |170
1985 |130 |30 |9 |169
1986 |105 |19 |9 |133
1987 |89 |15 |8 |110
1988 |78 |12 |4 |94
1989 |74 |10 |2 |86
1990 |65 |7 |1 |73
1991 |59 |5 |1 |65
1992 |45 |4 |1 |50
1993 |37 |2 |1 |40
Source: British Coal.
Mr. Wigley : To ask the President of the Board of Trade what was the total amount of coal production expressed in million tonnes from deep mines in (a) England, (b) Wales, (c) Scotland and (d) the United Kingdom for each year since 1964.
Mr. Eggar : The information requested is as follows :
Coal production (million tonnes)<1>
Year |England |Wales |Scotland|United
|Kingdom
------------------------------------------------------
1964 |151.9 |21.8 |16.1 |189.8
1965 |148.1 |19.3 |15.7 |183.1
1966 |137.6 |18.6 |14.9 |171.1
1967 |135.2 |17.9 |14.6 |167.7
1968 |130.5 |16.1 |13.1 |159.7
1969 |120.2 |14.3 |12.0 |146.6
1970 |109.3 |16.1 |11.3 |136.7
1971 |111.2 |12.6 |12.7 |136.5
1972 |89.1 |9.9 |10.0 |109.1
1973 |99.3 |10.1 |10.6 |120.0
1974 |83.1 |8.1 |8.8 |100.0
1975 |98.5 |8.9 |10.1 |117.4
1976 |92.0 |8.7 |9.6 |110.3
1977 |90.1 |8.3 |8.7 |107.1
1978 |90.6 |8.6 |8.3 |107.5
1979 |90.9 |8.7 |8.2 |107.8
1980 |95.5 |8.8 |8.2 |112.4
1981 |94.4 |8.6 |7.5 |110.5
1982 |91.0 |8.2 |6.9 |106.2
1983 |87.6 |8.0 |6.2 |101.7
1984 |32.5 |1.8 |1.0 |35.2
1985 |65.7 |6.0 |3.6 |75.3
1986 |78.8 |7.7 |3.9 |90.4
1987 |76.7 |6.3 |2.9 |86.0
1988 |76.1 |5.5 |2.1 |83.8
1989 |72.8 |4.7 |2.1 |79.6
1990 |66.0 |4.6 |2.3 |72.9
1991 |68.0 |3.0 |2.4 |73.4
1992 |61.0 |2.6 |2.2 |65.8
<2>1993 |46.6 |2.0 |1.9 |50.5
<1> Includes production from licensed deep mines.
<2> Provisional figures.
United Kingdom Exports
Mr. Jenkin : To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will produce a table to show what proportion of United Kingdom exports, including services and invisibles, was exported to the rest of the EC single market in each of the last 10 years and a similar table in respect of each of the last 12 months.
Mr. Heseltine [holding answer 22 February 1994] : Information for 1982 to 1992 is given in the table. A
Column 235
breakdown of invisible exports to other EC countries is only available annually. Information for 1993 is not yet available.Credits on United Kingdom transactions with the EC as a proportion of total credits on the current account of the balance of payments. Year |Per cent. ------------------------------ 1982 |36.1 1983 |37.3 1984 |37.2 1985 |38.1 1986 |37.8 1987 |38.5 1988 |38.5 1989 |38.6 1990 |41.1 1991 |44.1 1992 |45.5 Note: Includes trade in goods and services, flow of interest profits and dividends, and financial transfers. Source: The Pink Book 1993: United Kingdom balance of payments.
SOCIAL SECURITY
Invalidity Benefit
Mrs. Bridget Prentice : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many appeals there were against invalidity benefit being removed in (a) Lewisham and (b) London in 1993.
Mr. Scott : This 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.
Letter from M. Bichard to Mrs. Bridget Prentice, dated 22 February 1994 :
The Secretary of State for Social Security has asked me to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about appeals against removal of Invalidity Benefit (IVB) in Lewisham and London.
The information is not available in the exact format requested. This is because Benefits Agency District boundaries do not correspond with county or borough boundaries. The Benefit Agency's Lewisham District Office is responsible for Lewisham postal addresses but also for some adjacent areas. However, benefits work appropriate to Lewisham DO and a number of other Districts within the London area is dealt with by the Belfast Benefits Centre.
Statistics maintained by the Benefits Centre are available to show numbers of appeals received appropriate to each District. Within these figures it is possible to identify the numbers of appeals against removal of IVB. As figures cannot be further broken down geographically, the figure for Lewisham District may include appeals received from people living outside the Lewisham postal district. In 1993, the number of appeals received against removal of IVB, appropriate to Lewisham District, was 31.
Although a number of the Agency's Districts within the London area have their benefits work dealt with at Benefit Centres, others process work within the District. Districts generally comprise a District Office and one or more Branch Offices. In some instances Districts have offices both inside and outside the London postal area. In addition, some Districts deal with IVB appeals at one site within that District. Statistics held by Districts regarding numbers of appeals could not therefore give a reliable figure for those appropriate to London.
For this reason the statistics below are those provided by the Independent Tribunal Service (ITS) for their London North and London South regions ; and show the numbers of appeals received concerning IVB in the quarter ended March 1993 to be as follows :--
London North--427
London South--349
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As these statistics represent all IVB appeals received, they will include cases where IVB is removed, or reduced. In addition, as the ITS regions include additional areas to the London postal area, the figures will include appeals received from people living outside that area.The statistics provided are the latest supplied by ITS. I hope you find this reply helpful.
Income Support
Ms Gordon : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, from data taken from the annual statistical inquiry in 1991, 1992 and 1993, how many households in Tower Hamlets are having weekly deductions made from their income support as appropriate, for (a) electricity and (b) gas of (i) under £2 per week and (ii) in each £1 band above £2 per week up to £40 per week.
Mr. Burt : The administration of income support is a matter for Mr. Michael Bichard, the chief executive of the Benefits Agency. He will write to the hon. Member.
Letter from M. Bichard to Ms Mildred Gordon, dated 22 February 1994 :
The Secretary of State for Social Security has asked me to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking about the number of households in Tower Hamlets who are having deductions made from their Income Support to meet fuel costs.
The information is not available in the format requested this is because statistics are not kept which are specific to Tower Hamlets. However, I have placed in the attached appendix information which has been obtained from the Annual Statistical Enquiry, which is based on a 1 per cent. sample of Income Support claimants. The information is for the South East of England which comprises of the London North and London South administrative regions which cover the area of Tower Hamlets but cannot be broken down to a local level. All figures have been rounded to the nearest 500.
I hope you find this reply helpful.
Appendix
Number of Income Support recipients in South East England with
deductions from benefit in respect of fuel costs
£ |Deductions for |Deductions for gas
|electricity
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
1991
0.01- 2.00 |- |-
2.01- 3.00 |500 |-
3.01- 4.00 |1,000 |500
4.01- 5.00 |1,000 |1,000
5.01- 6.00 |1,000 |2,500
6.01- 7.00 |1,500 |3,500
7.01- 8.00 |1,000 |2,500
8.01- 9.00 |1,000 |4,500
9.01-10.00 |1,500 |3,500
10.01-11.00 |1,500 |4,000
11.01-12.00 |1,500 |2,500
12.01-13.00 |1,000 |1,500
13.01-14.00 |1,000 |1,500
14.01-15.00 |500 |1,500
15.01-16.00 |500 |500
16.01-17.00 |500 |-
17.01-18.00 |500 |-
18.01-19.00 |- |-
19.01-20.00 |- |-
20.01-21.00 |- |-
21.01-22.00 |500 |-
22.01-23.00 |- |-
23.01-24.00 |- |-
24.01-25.00 |- |-
25.01-26.00 |- |-
26.01-27.00 |- |-
27.01-28.00 |- |-
28.01-29.00 |- |-
29.01-30.00 |- |-
30.01-31.00 |- |-
31.01-32.00 |- |-
l32.01-33.00 |- |-
33.01-34.00 |- |-
34.01-35.00 |- |-
35.01-36.00 |- |-
36.01-37.00 |- |-
37.01-38.00 |- |-
38.01-39.00 |- |-
39.01-40.00 |- |-
40.01 and over |- |-
|----- |-----
Total |16,000 |30,500
1992
0.01- 2.00 |- |-
2.01- 3.00 |500 |-
3.01- 4.00 |- |1,000
4.01- 5.00 |500 |1,500
5.01- 6.00 |1,000 |3,500
6.01- 7.00 |1,000 |5,000
7.01- 8.00 |1,500 |5,000
8.01- 9.00 |1,000 |6,500
9.01-10.00 |2,000 |5,500
10.01-11.00 |1,500 |5,000
11.01-12.00 |1,000 |4,500
12.01-13.00 |1,000 |3,000
13.01-14.00 |1,000 |2,000
14.01-15.00 |500 |1,500
15.01-16.00 |500 |1,000
16.01-17.00 |500 |-
17.01-18.00 |500 |-
18.01-19.00 |- |500
19.01-20.00 |500 |500
20.01-21.00 |- |500
21.01-22.00 |- |500
22.01-23.00 |- |500
23.01-24.00 |- |-
24.01-25.00 |- |-
25.01-26.00 |- |-
26.01-27.00 |- |-
27.01-28.00 |- |-
28.01-29.00 |- |-
29.01-30.00 |- |-
30.01-31.00 |- |-
31.01-32.00 |- |-
32.01-33.00 |- |-
33.01-34.00 |- |-
34.01-35.00 |- |-
35.01-36.00 |- |-
36.01-37.00 |- |-
37.01-38.00 |- |-
38.01-39.00 |- |-
39.01-40.00 |- |-
40.01 and over |- |-
|----- |-----
Total |15,000 |47,500
Benefits Agency, Ilford
Mr. Gapes : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many people claiming income support at the Ilford office of the Benefits Agency in 1992 and 1993 were refused benefit by an adjudication officer ; how many appealed ; how many of those who appealed subsequently had their claim for income support allowed ; and how many of those concerned had children.
Mr. Burt : The administration of income support 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.
Column 238
Letter from M. Bichard to Mr. Mike Gapes, dated22 February 1994 : The Secretary of State for Social Security has asked me to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about persons refused income support at the Benefits Agency's Ilford Office.The full range of information you request is not readily available and could only be obtained at a disproportionate cost. This is because statistics relating to the refusal of Income Support and those which would identify children are not routinely collected. To obtain all the relevant information would require a physical examination of all Income Support records at the Ilford Office, which are in excess of 50,000.
I am, however, able to provide records which show the number of income support appeals which are for January to December for each year and are shown below :--
|1992|1993
-----------------------------------------
Appeals received |503 |459
Appeals allowed |40 |54
Appeals partially allowed |10 |9
This information has been obtained from the Income Support Management Information Statistics.
I am sorry that I am unable to be of more help on this occasion but I hope you find the reply helpful.
Child Support Agency
Mr. Patchett : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many objections have been made to the Child Support Agency over its investigations into the arrangement of maintenance (a) where a court order for maintenance was already in operation and (b) where the agency proposed the setting up of maintenance ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Burt : This information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Women's Pensions
Mr. Burden : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) what assessment he has made of the number of married women who revoke the election to pay reduced rate contributions in the latter years of their working life, in the belief that there may be some significant gain, yet still have to rely on category B retirement pension or an addition paid to their husband ;
(2) how many of women claiming a category B retirement pension in each of the last five years had revoked their election to pay reduced contributions either five, four, three, two or one year before retiring ; and if he will estimate the value of the contributions they paid ;
(3) in how many cases an adult dependant addition paid with invalidity benefit has been adjusted to take account of a category A retirement pension which is being paid to a wife who revoked her election to pay reduced contributions within five years before retiring ; and what is the value of contributions paid by these married women.
Mr. Hague : This information is not available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Mr. Burden : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what guidance he has issued to the Contributions Agency and the Benefits Agency concerning advice to be given to women considering revoking the election to pay reduced contributions in the latter years of their working life ; and what reference is made to the impact which the husband's benefit circumstances may have on the financial benefits available.
Column 239
Mr. Hague : It is open to any person, including women who have elected to pay reduced rate contributions, to request information about their contribution record or a forecast of the expected state retirement pension from the Benefits Agency. If a women has elected to pay reduced rate contributions, the pension forecast will tell her that if she wishes to improve her benefit position by paying more years of full contributions, she will have to cancel her election to pay reduced rate contributions. From then on, she would be able to pay contributions which do count towards retirement pension, subject always to her achieving a minimum entitlement of 25 per cent. If a women seeks advice about the advantages of cancelling her election, Contributions Agency staff have instructions to recommend she obtains a pension forecast. They will also give her as much information as she wants about her national insurance position but without influencing her decision in any way. Taking account of her own circumstances, a women should decide for herself whether to keep or cancel her election.
If approached, the CA will suggest that she bears the following points in mind :
(i.) the relevant costs of paying full rate and reduced rate contributions ;
(ii.) whether she will qualify for a basic pension and how that will compare with the pension she will receive on her husband's insurance when he reaches pension age and retires ;
(iii.) how long she will have to wait to receive a pension on her husband's insurance ;
(iv.) whether she will qualify for an additional pension and, if so, how much ;
(v.) the effect of contracted-out deductions on the additional pension if she is paying towards an occupational pension scheme ; (
(vi.) if she anticipates qualifying for short-term benefits, the contribution conditions for the award of such benefits and the relevance of cancelling her election from the beginning of a tax year.
Additional information is available in leaflet NI1--national insurance choices for married women, available from local Social Security offices. This explains to women that they can qualify for a basic pension on either their own or their husband's contributions but they cannot get two pensions.
Disability Working Allowance
Mr. Alfred Morris : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what recent representations the Minister for Social Security and Disabled People has received from Nicole Davoud in relation to the disability working allowance ; what reply he is sending ; what action he will take ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Scott : I have recently received representations from Mrs. Davoud and will be replying in the next few days.
Benefits Offices, Liverpool
Mrs. Jane Kennedy : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) what is his latest estimate of the total amount of money allocated to each benefit office in Liverpool for 1993-94 that is so far unclaimed for (a) family credit and (b) disability working allowance ; and how many people he estimates are failing to take up their entitlement to the above benefits of each such benefit office ;
(2) what is the total amount of money allocated to each benefit office in Liverpool for 1993-94 for (a) family credit
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and (b) disability working allowance ; and what is the planned allocation to each benefit office in Liverpool for each benefit for (i) 1994-95 and (ii) 1995-96.Mr. Burt : The information is not available. Benefit expenditure on family credit and disability working allowance is not planned or allocated on a regional basis.
WALES
Dental Services
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) what progress has been made by the health intelligence unit, in collaboration with district health authorities and family health service authorities, to develop measures of consumer satisfaction with dental services ;
(2) whether a baseline has been determined in 1993 for the purpose of assessing progress on the reduction in the proportion of 12-year-old children who have sustained dental injuries ; and whether definitive criteria for this baseline have been published ; (3) which family health service authorities and district health authorities (a) have submitted to the Welsh Office a programme for the involvement of the resident population of their areas in the planning, provision and improvement of dental services and (b) not submitted such a programme by 31 December 1993 ;
(4) whether the protocol for investment in health care-oral health remains the basis of dental health policy objectives in Wales ; and what assessment he has made of progress towards achieving those objectives ;
(5) whether a baseline was determined during 1993 against which dental health gain targets for people without equal opportunity for good oral health can be assessed, based on local dental planning areas ; and whether the definitive criteria of this baseline have been published.
Mr. Gwilym Jones : All health authorities and family health services authorities in Wales have developed action plans to improve the health of their local population by the turn of the century. These are currently being assessed by the Department.
The development of the local strategies for oral health has been guided by the advice issued by the Welsh health planning forum in November 1992. Responsibility for establishing the necessary baseline information and measuring progress towards locally set targets, including those relating to patient satisfaction, rests mainly with health authorities.
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