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Bank Transfers
Mr. Cousins : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many customers were receiving (a) child benefit and (b) pension payments by either bank transfer or order book payments in each of the last four years.
Mr. Burt : The administration of child benefit and pensions is a matter for Mr. Michael Bichard, the chief executive of the Benefits Agency. He will write to the hon. Member.
Letter from Michael Bichard to Mr. Jim Cousins, dated 27 April 1994 :
The Secretary of State for Social Security has asked me to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the number of customers in receipt of Child Benefit and Pension being paid by order book and automated credit transfer.
I have provided the figures that you require in the attached appendix.
I hope you find my reply helpful.
Child Benefit Year |Total |Order book|Act ------------------------------------------------------- 1990 |6,642,950 |5,345,675 |1,297,275 1991 |6,741,925 |5,335,100 |1,406,825 1992 |6,801,475 |5,296,050 |1,505,425 1993 |6,833,825 |5,239,225 |1,594,600
B Retirement pension and widow's pension Year |Total |Order book|Act |<1>Others ------------------------------------------------------------------ 1990 |8,744,048 |6,445,754 |1,981,646 |316,648 1991 |8,906,018 |6,463,075 |2,160,017 |283,726 1992 |9,191,326 |6,433,787 |2,392,292 |365,247 1993 |9,882,576 |6,386,962 |2,670,937 |824,917 <1>Others include those cases where payments are made by hospital schedule, 13 weekly payments, and annual payments by payable order.
Social Security Benefits, Edinburgh
Mr. Chisholm : To ask the Secretary of state for Social Security what is the number of recipients of (a) income support, (b) invalidity benefit and (c) retirement pension in the area covering Edinburgh postcodes EH4 and EH5.
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 Michael Bichard to Mr. Malcolm Chisholm, dated 27 April 1994 :
The Secretary of State for Social Security has asked me to reply to your recent parliamentary Question asking for details of the number of recipients of Income Support, Invalidity Benefit and Retirement Pension in the area covering Edinburgh Postcodes EH4 and EH5.
Figures are not available which relate soley to the specific post codes requested. However, the Edinburgh postcodes EH4 and EH5 come within the area of the Benefits Agency's Lothian Central District, which comprises the Edinburgh City and Edinburgh North offices and also covers postcodes EH1- EH3, EH6-EH8 and EH10. The Lothian Central District live loads for the benefits referred to are :
Income Support 22,687 at 28 February 1994*
Invalidity Benefit 5,551 at 31 March 1994**
Retirement Pension 30,958 at 28 February 1994*
* Obtained from a routine quarterly count of computer records ** Obtained from a routine clerical count of live records. This figure will include a small number of customers who, although entitled to Invalidity Benefit, are not receiving it because of entitlement to an overlapping benefit payable at a higher weekly rate.
I hope you find this reply helpful.
Invalidity Benefit
Dr. Godman : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, pursuant to the answer given to the hon. Member for Stoke-on-Trent, North (Ms. Walley) on 3 March, Official Report, column 821, what advice is given to women who are awaiting the outcome of the Graham case at the European Court of Justice, in relation to the lifting of the suspension of payment of invalidity benefit ; what guidelines have been issued to local offices to enable officials to deal with such applications ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Scott : My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State's discretion to take account of extreme hardship in deciding whether to impose or lift suspension of benefit is exercised on his behalf by Benefits Agency staff. Mr. Michael Bichard, the chief executive of the Benefits Agency, will write to the hon. Member with further information.
Letter from Michael Bichard to Dr. Norman Godman, dated 27 April 1994 :
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The Secretary of State for Social Security has asked me to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about women in receipt of Invalidity Benefit (IVB), who at age 60 have had part of their IVB suspended.You will be aware from the reply of 3 March to the hon. Member for Stoke-on -Trent, Volume 238, column 821, that the Benefits Agency (BA) routinely notifies women who are entitled to an increase of IVB as a result of the Social Security Commissioner's (SSC) decision in the Graham case. It is explained that the payment of the increase is suspended by the Secretary of State. Customers are also advised that they will be paid in full if the Commissioner's decision against which the Secretary of State is appealing is upheld ; and that if they have difficulty managing they should contact their local BA office.
All local offices are issued with guidelines in relation to the lifting of the suspension of payment of IVB. The Secretary of State has the discretion not to suspend if it would be inappropriate to do so, for example if it would cause exceptional hardship in an individual case.
There are no set criteria for lifting suspensions. Each case is considered in relation to the personal circumstances of the customer. However, the Agency, conscious of the requirement to treat all customers fairly, issued guidelines on the question of hardship to all local offices. They stress that cases have to be looked at individually and that, while it is not possible to state in hard and fast terms what constitutes exceptional hardship, a number of factors need to be borne in mind by staff considering hardship applications. These include the fact that hardship will arise only in exceptional circumstances ; that prior to the Commissioner's decision, IVB would have been reduced to the rate of the Retirement Pension that would otherwise have been payable ; that Income Support and Social Fund are available to meet financial hardship ; and that the onus is on the customer to prove that hardship exists rather than for the Agency to disprove hardship.
The guidance also gives two examples of circumstances in which exceptional hardship might be considered. These are :
1. where it is already known or suspected that a customer has a terminal illness and is likely to die before the outcome of the appeal is known ; and
2. where the customer has been led to believe that benefit will continue at the higher rate and has entered into a financial commitment on that basis.
It is not inevitable that exceptional hardship would be found to exist in these sort of situations, nor are they the only situations in which exceptional hardship would be considered. They are provided to give examples of what "exceptional hardship" might mean and indicate that such cases can be expected to arise only rarely. I hope you find this reply helpful.
EMPLOYMENT
Departmental Publications
Mr. Rowe : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment for how many regular publications he was responsible in 1993-94 ; what was their circulation ; and how many were obtainable by subscription.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : The Department published 10 regular publications in the last financial year. All are available through subscription to subscribers who have indicated they wish to be on databases held by the Department. Average circulation details are shown in the following table :
Publication |Circulation |Frequency --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Employment Gazette |7,000 |monthly Employment News |56,000 |monthly Tempo |48,000 |monthly Labour Force Survey |1,000 |quarterly Insight |70,000 |3 X per year Labour Market Quarterly Review |25,000 |quarterly Update |25,000 |8 X per year Labour Market Skill Trends |25,000 |8 X per year Competence and Assessment |6,739 |quarterly Career Development Loans-newsletter |10,000 |quarterly
Disabled People
Mrs. Fyfe : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what proportion of people with disabilities have jobs.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : The labour force survey asks people of working age if they currently have a health problem or disability which limits the kind of paid work they can do. Estimates based on answers to this question will include people with short-term health problems and disabilities as well as those registered as disabled. The latest LFS estimates for summer 1993 show that of all such people of working age in Great Britain 34 per cent. were in employment, 10 per cent. were ILO unemployed and 56 per cent. where economically inactive.
Mr. Berry : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is his estimate of the proportion of employers complying with the Disabled Persons (Employment) Act 1944.
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. Roger Berry, dated 28 April 1994 :
The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question about his estimate of the proportion of employers complying with the Disabled Persons (Employment) Act 1944.
As at 1 June 1993, the latest date for which information is available, there were 5,525 (18.9 ) employers for whom my Placing, Assessment and Counselling Teams (PACTs) had records and who met or exceeded the 3 Quota.
I hope this is helpful.
Mr. Berry : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many referrals for employment rehabilitation were made by the Employment Service in the years 1991-92, 1992-93 and 1993-94.
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. Roger Berry, dated 28 April 1994 :
The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question, about how many referrals for employment rehabilitation were made by the Employment Service in the years 1991-92, 1992-93 and 1993-94. The number of people who were referred to employment rehabilitation by the Employment Service and who started programmes in the years from 1991-92 to 1993-94 were :
|Number
----------------------
1991-92 |12,149
1992-93 |7,569
1993-94 |9,532
The figures for 1992-93 have been revised. The figures for 1992-93 published in the departmental Report contained a clerical error. A figure of 8,036 rehabilitation starts for 1992-93 was quoted in the department Report. This was a forecast outturn which appeared in previous documents, and should not have been given as the actual outturn. The actual outturn was 7,569. I hope this is helpful.
Mr. Berry : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many complaints under section 9(5) of the Disabled Persons (Employment) Act 1994, relating to the dismissal of a registered disabled person without reasonable cause, have been (a) investigated by the Employment Service, (b) referred to a district advisory committee and (c) prosecuted by the Secretary of State in each year since 1964.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : Responsibility of 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. Roger Berry, dated 28 April 1994 :
The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your Question about how many complaints under section 9(5) of the Disabled Persons (Employment) Act 1944 have been investigated by the Employment Service ; how many have been referred to a district advisory committee ; and how many employers have been prosecuted by the Secretary of State in each year since 1964.
It may be helpful if I explain that the Disabled Persons (Employment) Act 1944 does not provide a statutory complaints procedure. However, registered disabled people who lose their jobs, and who think their employers may have infringed the 1944 Act in dismissing them, may complain to their local Disability Employment Adviser. Complaints which cannot be resolved satisfactorily by negotiation are thoroughly investigated and all the relevant factors are taken into account before a decision is taken.
Employers cannot be prosecuted without the authority of the Secretary of State for Employment. Criminal proceedings cannot be commenced against an employer under the unreasonable discharge provisions of the Act unless the matter has first been referred to a local district advisory committee these bodies are (now known as Committees for the Employment of People with Disabilities--CEPDs) for a report.
I regret that we do not have information on the number of complaints investigated. This information is not held centrally. However, the average annual number was probably very small. Similarly, information is not readily available on the number of such cases referred to CEPDs for a report for the full period since 1964. However, one case was referred to a CEPD in 1983, another in 1991, two in 1992 and one in 1993.
Three employers have been prosecuted since 1964, for alleged offences against the unreasonable discharge provisions of the Act ; there was one prosecution in 1964, one in 1973 and one in 1974. I hope this is helpful.
Multinational Companies
Mr. Worthington : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment, pursuant to his answer of 19 April, Official Report, column 491, what is the policy of the European Commission on the applicability to Britain of the draft legislation on works councils for multinationals ; and what plans he has to resolve disagreements.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : The European Commission accepts that the proposed directive on European works councils should not apply to any companies or employees in the United Kingdom.
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Women's Unwaged Work
Mr. Peter Robinson : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what evaluation he has made of the report issued by the European Parliament on the assessment of women's unwaged work ; what steps the Government intend to take to implement the recommendations in the report that women's unwaged work should be included in the figures for gross national product ; and what plans he has to provide social security and pension rights for unwaged women at home.
Miss Widdecombe : The Government recognise the important contribution women make to society both at home and in the workplace. The compilation of gross domestic product figures are the responsibility of the Central Statistical Office. The CSO follows the internationally agreed system of national accounts which recommends that domestic work is not included. The reasons for this are explained in paragraphs 6.19 and 6.22 of the new SNA, a copy of which is available in the Library.
Concerning social security rights, a married woman can qualify for a retirement pension based on her husband's insurance record. In addition, women with caring responsibilities at home may qualify for home responsibilities protection. Responsibility for these two issues lies with my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Social Security.
Code of Practice on Government Information
Mr. Worthington : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment whether the new code of practice on Government information applies to training and enterprise councils.
Miss Widdecombe : Yes, the code extends to functions carried out on behalf of Departments by contractors and, as such, training and enterprise councils are regarded as being within scope.
Employment Service, West Midlands
Dr. Lynne Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment, pursuant to his oral answer to the hon. Member for Birmingham, Edgbaston ( Dame J. Knight) of 19 April, Official Report , column 727, how many of the people of the west midlands placed in work by the Employment Service in the last 12 months were in (a) full-time and (b) part-time (i) temporary and (ii) permanent jobs ; and what information he has on the proportion of these jobs which paid less than a half of the current average hourly rate.
Miss Widdecombe : Approximately 70 per cent. of those placed into employment by the Employment Service in the west midlands in the last 12 months were placed into full-time jobs, the rest in part-time jobs. It is estimated that 82 per cent. of vacancies filled in the last 12 months were in permanent jobs, the rest were temporary jobs of up to six months in duration. No information is available on the rates of pay which these jobs attracted.
Equal Pay Cases
Mr. Allen : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many cases have been taken to the European Court under article 119 of the EEC treaty on
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equal pay since its acceptance ; if he will make a statement on the trends ; and what proposals Her Majesty's Government will bring forward based upon those trends.Mr. Michael Forsyth : We are aware of 46 cases which have been taken to the European Court of Justice under article 119 of the EEC treaty since it came into effect in 1957.
The decisions reflect developing jurisprudence in the field of equal pay between men and women for equal work. They do not reveal any discernible trend.
Departmental Contracts
Mr. Prescott : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many employees of the Employment Department are employed on six month contracts ; and, of these, how many have had their contracts renewed (a) once, (b) twice, (c) three times and (d) more than three times.
Mr. Michael Forsyth [holding answer 26 April 1994] : Only one, and his contract has been renewed more than three times.
Labour Statistics
Mr. Prescott : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list for each quarter since spring 1992 the number of people in Great Britain surveyed by the labour force survey who, although they are without a job, have looked for a job within the four weeks prior to their labour force survey interview or are waiting to start a job they had already obtained, were not available to start a job within the two weeks following their labour force survey interview, and the number of people on the International Labour Organisation measure, but who said they would like a job.
Mr. Michael Forsyth [holding answer 26 April 1994] : Both of the categories asked for in the question are defined as economically inactive according to international ILO guidelines. Estimates from the labour force survey for each quarter since spring 1992 of the numbers in each group are given in the table.
As shown by the analyses of these groups routinely published in the LFS helpline section of the Employment Gazette, the majority of people who say they want work but are not actively seeking it are students, looking after a family or home, or long-term sick or disabled.
Great Britain
People who say they would like work but are not actively
seeking it and/or are not available to start
Thousands
Quarter |Total |Of which: seeking
|work, but not
|available to
|start<1>
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Spring 1992 |2,221 |313
Summer 1992 |2,191 |277
Autumn 1992 |2,128 |231
Winter 1992-3 |2,177 |232
Spring 1993 |2,195 |310
Summer 1993 |2,248 |245
Autumn 1993 |2,226 |190
Source; Labour Force Survey
Not seasonally adjusted
<1> Numbers without a paid job who had either looked for work in the
past four weeks or were waiting to start a job they had already
obtained, but were not available to start within the next two weeks.
Mr. Prescott : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will publish a breakdown of the latest data on the actual and usual hours worked by (a) part-time employees, (b) self-employed part-time workers and (c) all part-timers who work (i) less than eight hours per week, (ii) between eight and 16 hours per week and (iii) between 16 and 24 hours per week.
Mr. Michael Forsyth [holding answer 26 April 1994] : Estimates from the autumn 1993 labour force survey for Great Britain of the number of people whose main job was part time are as shown in the table. Actual hours returned in the survey are shorter than usual hours because they take into account periods of absence from work in the survey reference week arising from, for example, holidays or sickness.
Total actual hours of people working part time-Great Britain
Autumn 1993 Thousands
Status |0 to 7 hours |8 to 15 hours |16 to 23 hours
Employees |1,204 |1,425 |1,493
Self-employed |209 |154 |108
Employees and self-employed |1,413 |1,579 |1,601
Total usual hours of people working part time-Great Britain Autumn 1993 Thousands Status |0 to 7 hours |8 to 15 hours |16 to 23 hours ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Employees |629 |1,519 |1,762 Self-employed |122 |175 |141 Employees and self-employed |751 |1,695 |1,903 Source: Labour Force Survey.
Redundancies
Mr. Cousins : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many claims were processed by the Redundancy Payments Service in 1992-93 and 1993-94 ; what were the costs of meeting payments shortfalls under the Employment Protection Act 1978 when enterprises were insolvent ; and what sums were recovered in 1992-93 and 1993-94.
Miss Widdecombe : The number of claims processed by the Redundancy Payments Service in 1992-93 was 301,913 and in 1993-94, 242,332. The Employment Protection (Consolidation) Act 1978 provides for various payments out of the national insurance fund when an employer is unable to make them by reason of insolvency. Payments made and sums recovered in 1992 -93 and 1993-94 were as follows :
£ million
|1992-93|1993-94
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Payments
To employers in respect of arrears of pay, holiday pay, compensation for pay in lieu of notice and certain other payments |154.9 |129.7
To occupational pension schemes in respect of unpaid contributions |4.7 |7.2
Total payments |159.6 |136.9
Debt recovery
Recovery of debts in insolvency |18.7 |16.8
Note: Because of the delay between the making of payments and the eventual settlement fo claims in the insolvency, the sums recovered do not
correspond directly to the year in which payments were made. The figures for payments and recoveries for 1993-94 are, at this stage, provisional.
Pregnant Workers
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will publish his estimate of the additional number of women in (a) England, (b) Wales, (c) Scotland, (d) Northern Ireland and (e) the United Kingdom, who would be entitled to have their posts kept open for them while pregnant in the event of implementation of the ruling of the Law Lords in March ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : The Government are carefully considering the House of Lords judgment to ascertain its full implications and will make an announcement as soon as possible.
Jobcentres (South Yorkshire Villages)
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what jobcentre catchment areas cover the south Yorkshire villages of Adwick-on- Dearne, Barnburgh, Brodsworth, Clayton-with-Frickley, Hampole, Hickleton, High Melton, Hooton Pagnell and Marr.
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. Martin Redmond, dated 28 April 1994 :
The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question asking which Jobcentre catchment areas cover a number of South Yorkshire villages.
It may be helpful if I explain that Jobcentre boundaries are designed to reflect the geographical areas from which Jobcentres can realistically expect to attract clients in terms of employers and job seekers, therefore boundaries are not static.
I should also point out that there is some flexibility in the choice of Employment Service office at which clients claim unemployment related benefits. Therefore job seekers living in these villages may not necessarily attend the office given below. The answers requested are provided in the table below.
Villages |Covered by Jobcentre
|at
----------------------------------------------------------------
Adwick-on-Dearne |Mexborough
Barnburgh |Goldthorpe
Brodsworth |Doncaster<1>
Clayton-with-Frickley |South Kirby
Hampole |Doncaster<1>
Hickleton |Goldthorpe
High Melton |Goldthorpe
Hooton Pagnell |South Kirby
Marr |Doncaster<1>
<1>There are five offices in Doncaster.
I hope this is helpful.
Construction Industry
Mr. Burns : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on fatal injury rates for the construction sector.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : The estimated fatal injury rate for employees for 1992-93 is the lowest on record, at 7.5
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per 100,000. The comparable rate for self- employed workers is 3.7 per 100,000, which is significantly lower than for most of the 1980s. The combined rate for major injuries has also fallen by 20 per cent. over the last five years. I am greatly encouraged by these reductions, which have undoubtedly been helped by the efforts of committed people in the industry, the Health and Safety Commission and the Health and Safety Executive.However, there is no room for complacency. Good planning and management is the key to better health and safety performance, and we must continue to seek ways of getting that message adopted right across the industry. For that reason, the HSE will continue to attach a high priority to inspection in the construction sector, through checks on the quality of site management, and through head office visits and risk-targeted campaigns. In addition HSE inspectors will not hesitate to use their considerable enforcement powers to require improvements, or take prosecutions, where necessary.
NORTHERN IRELAND
Slaughterhouses
13. Mr. Harry Greenway : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what abattoirs exist in Northern Ireland for the purpose of slaughtering (a) equines and (b) other animals ; how many such animals were slaughtered in the past year ; what was the total value of the animals in categories (a) and (b) which were slaughtered ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Ancram : There are no abattoirs in Northern Ireland approved for the slaughter of equines. In 1993, 20 abattoirs were approved for the slaughter of other animals and those slaughtered some 453,000 cattle, 981,000 pigs and 1 million sheep worth in total some £403 million. I have arranged for additional information to be placed in the Library.
Cross-border Security
14. Mr. Robathan : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what further progress has been made regarding cross-border security co-operation with the Irish Republic.
Sir John Wheeler : I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave earlier today to my hon. Friend the Member for Sutton and Cheam (Lady Olga Maitland).
Public Services
15. Mr. Mackinlay : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what expansion is proposed in the essential public services of Northern Ireland during the current financial year.
Sir John Wheeler : The departmental report Command Paper 2516, published on 11 March, summarised plans for the provision of public services which involve departmental expenditure.
Political Talks
16. Sir Thomas Arnold : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a further statement about the progress of the inter -party talks.
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20. Mr. Alton : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when he last met the leaders of Northern Ireland's political parties ; and if he will make a statement on progress in the talks.
Mr. Ancram : I am continuing bilateral discussions with three of the four Northern Ireland parties on the same basis as previously and the two Governments continue to work intensively on a framework to carry the process forward.
25. Mr. Canavan : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent discussions he has had with political leaders from Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland about the peace process.
Sir Patrick Mayhew : My hon. Friend the Member for Devizes (Mr. Ancram) and I meet political leaders from Northern Ireland regularly to discuss a range of matters including political development and the prospects for a permanent end to violence.
I met the Irish Deputy Prime Minister, Mr. Spring, at a meeting of the intergovernmental conference in Belfast this Monday.
26. Mrs. Fyfe : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on meetings which have been held with the political parties in Northern Ireland and the Irish Government regarding a constitutional settlement for Northern Ireland.
Sir Patrick Mayhew : I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Glasgow, Rutherglen (Mr. McAvoy) earlier today.
Mr. McAvoy : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on progress towards securing a resumption of the inter-party talks on the future of Northern Ireland ; and what discussions he has had with the Government of the Republic of Ireland.
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