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Cleveland Potash LimitedIsle of Man Government Offices
Mercury Communications Limited
Mr. Ainger: To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement on how his Department applies the Government's commitment to the precautionary principle contained in "Sustainable Development; The United Kingdom Strategy", paragraph 3.12 to licensing oil exploration, especially in environmentally sensitive areas.
Mr. Charles Wardle [holding answer 24 October 1994]: A central concern for United Kingdom policy with regard to sustainable development, will be to reconcile the demand for energy with the need to reduce the impact of its exploitation, generation and use on the environment. However, these concerns are not incompatible with the continued need for hydrocarbon exploration around the United Kingdom coast. The Government will apply the precautionary principle where there is a threat of serious or irreversible damage to the environment. There is no evidence to suggest that oil and gas exploration activity poses such a threat.
Mr. Ainger: To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will list all the environmental organisations which have made representations to him either individually or in consortia, concerning the 16th round of offshore licensing; which organisations urged a complete suspension of the round; and which urged suspension in specific areas or blocks.
Mr. Charles Wardle [holding answer 24 October 1994]: Listed are the environmental organisations which have made representations to my Department concerning the 16th round. None of these has urged the complete suspension of the round. The organisations which have urged suspension of specific areas or blocks have been indicated on the list.
Environmental Organisations who have made representations to DTI over the 16th Round.--
Countryside Commission
Cumbria Wildlife Trust (i)
Devon Wildlife Trust (i)
Dorset Trust for Nature Conservation (i)
Dyfed Wildlife Trust (i)
Friends of Cardigan Bay (i)
Friends of the Earth Cymru (i)
Greenpeace (i)
Joint Countryside Advisory Service
Joint Nature Conservation Committee (i) -- co-ordination of the view of --
Countryside Council for Wales
English Nature
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds
Scottish Natural Heritage
Sea Mammals Research Unit
The National Trust
North Wales Wildlife Trust (i)
North Yorkshire Moors National Park (i)
Strangford Lough Management Committee (i)
The Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust (i)
Wildlife and Countryside Link (i)--representation made on behalf of the following organisations (some of which have replied separately)--
Campaign for the Protection of Rural Wales
Environment Investigation Agency
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Friends of the EarthFriends of the Earth Cymru
Friends of Cardigan Bay
Greenpeace
Marine Conservation Society
Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
Royal Society for the protection of Birds
The Wildlife Trusts
Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society
World Wide Fund for Nature
Wildlife Trusts (Royal Society for Nature Conservation) (i) World Wide Fund for Nature (i)
(i) Organisations who have urged suspension of specific blocks or areas.
Mr. Kevin Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what are the current regulations governing the repayment by the Child Support Agency to absent parents of any overpayment made by absent parents in respect of child support maintenance.
Mr. Burt: There are no regulations that permit the Child Support Agency to repay to absent parents any overpaid maintenance. Regulation 10 of the Child Support (Arrears, Interest and Adjustment of Maintenance Assessments) Regulations 1992 does, however, provide that a child support officer may adjust the current maintenance assessment where it has retrospective effect or where there has been an underpayment or overpayment of maintenance.
Mr. Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) how many copies of "New Outlook" were distributed direct to claimants; and what measures were taken to ensure that "New Outlook" was not sent to claimants who could not be eligible for the new child allowance;
(2) what was the total cost of preparing, printing and distributing "New Outlook".
Mr. Burt: "New Outlook", a newspaper-style compilation of information on in-work benefits and Government training schemes, was distributed to lone parents on income support with a youngest child aged nine years or over -- total of 260,702 families.
"New Outlook" contained information on a wide range of help likely to be of interest to lone parents who might be thinking of returning to work. It was not intended solely to publicise the new help with childcare charges.
The total cost of preparing, printing and distributing "New Outlook" was £74,009.30 inclusive of VAT.
Mr. Beith: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security whether he will publish the text of the letter currently being sent to pensioners advocating the payment of pensions through bank accounts rather than at post offices.
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Mr. Arbuthnot: There is currently no letter going from this Department to retirement pensioners advocating the payment of pensions through bank accounts rather than at the post office. People approaching retirement age are sent a pack containing a claim form covering all payment methods and leaflet AC1 explaining payment to an account, including Girobank and National Savings accounts at post offices. Copies of the pension claim form and this leaflet are available in the Library.
Mr. Beith: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security whether it is Government policy to seek by voluntary means a reduction in the proportion of pensions paid through post offices.
Mr. Arbuthnot: Our policy is to offer pensioners the choice of receiving their benefit over a post office counter or having it paid directly into a bank or building society account, including Girobank and national savings accounts at post offices.
Ms Corston: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is his estimate of the numbers of people who will claim incapacity benefit in 1995 96 and 1996 97.
Mr. Hague: We forecast that around 1.1 million new claims' to incapacity benefit will be made in each of the years 1995 96 and 1996 97.
Source: forecast based upon the projection of past trends in the data, rounded to the nearest 100,000.
Notes:
A "new claim" means a claim submitted at the beginning of a spell of incapacity for work. If a person has several separate spells of incapacity for work during the year, each spell is included as a new claim. The figure includes new claims which will not result in a payment of benefit.
Mr. Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what was the total spending on housing benefit to the private sector in (a) 1993 94 and (b) to date in the current year; and what was the average amount per week of housing benefit paid in (i) the private sector, (ii) the council sector and (iii) the housing association sector.
Mr. Roger Evans: The provisional total for housing benefit paid to private tenants in 1993 94 is £3,817 million; the forecast for 1994 95 is £4,320 million.
( The average weekly housing benefit at the end of May 1993 was |£ ---------------------------------------- council tenants |28.94 housing association tenants |35.75 other private tenants |46.80 Sources: Housing Benefit Management Information System. DSS Departmental Report 1994.
The May 1994 figures are not yet available.
Ms Corston: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many claimants of income support disability premium since April 1993 have had this premium withdrawn following a decision that they are capable of work; how many of these appealed; and in how many of these appeals the claimants were successful.
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Mr. Roger Evans: The information requested is not available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Ms Corston: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many claimants of income support in each region also receive the disability premium; and how many receive the disability premium by reason only of their incapacity to work.
Mr. Roger Evans: The available information is set out in the table:
|Numbers in receipt |Total number on IS|of the disability |in receipt of the |premium because of Region |disability premium|incapacity<1> ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- North Eastern |84,000 |47,000 London North |84,000 |52,000 South Western |31,000 |18,000 Midlands |82,000 |43,000 North Western |103,000 |61,000 London South |67,000 |43,000 Wales |44,000 |28,000 Scotland |73,000 |48,000 |------- |------- Total |568,000 |340,000 <1>over twenty eight weeks incapacitated for work, and people who receive invalidity benefit or severe disablement allowance. People who qualify because they are registered blind or are provided with an invalid carriage are also included. The figure does not include those who qualify because of receipt of disability living allowance, attendance allowance, or disability working allowance. Source: Income Support Statistical Enquiry November 1993.
Mr. Kirkwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list each public opinion survey commissioned by (a) his Department and (b) his agencies since 1 October 1992, showing for each the subject, objectives, total cost, the period in which it was conducted and the organisation from which it was commissioned.
Mr. Hague: The public opinion surveys conducted since 1 October 1992 by the Department of Social Security and its agencies are as follows:
1. Benefits Agency
(a) Title --1993 BA National Customer Survey
Objective --To measure the satisfaction of BA
customers with service provided
Contractor --Public Attitude Surveys Ltd
Period of Survey --October to November 1993
Cost --£187,500
2. Contributions Agency
(a) Title --1992 CA Customer Satisfaction Survey
Objective --To measure the satisfaction of CA
customers with the service provided
Contractor --British Market Research Bureau
International
Period of Survey --November to December 1992
Cost --£75,000
(b) Title --1993 CA Customer Satisfaction Survey
Objective --To measure the satisfaction of CA
customers with the service provided
Contractor --BMRB International
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Period of Survey --November to December 1993Cost --£154,000
(c) Title --1994 CA Customer Satisfaction Survey
Objective --To measure the satisfaction of CA
customers with the service provided
Contractor --BMRB International
Period of Survey --November to December 1994
Cost --£150,000
3. Resettlement Agency
(a) Title --1992 Resettlement Agency Customer
Satisfaction Survey
Objective --To measure the satisfaction of RA
customers with the service provided
Contractor --BMRB International
Period of Survey --December 1992
Cost --£50,000
(b) Title --1993 RA Customer Satisfaction Survey
Objective --To measure the satisfaction of RA
customers with the service provided
Contractor --BMRB International
Period of Survey--October 1993
Cost --£42,000
(c) Title --1994 RA Customer Satisfaction Survey
Objective --To measure the satisfaction of RA
customers with the service provided
Contractor --BMRB International
Period of Survey --October 1994
Cost --£19,500
4. Child Support Agency
(a) Title --1993 CSA Customer Satisfaction Survey
Objective --To measure the satisfaction of CSA
customers with the service provided
Contractor --Market and Opinion Research
International (MORI)
Period of Survey --October to November 1993
Cost --£187,000
(b) Title --1994 CSA Customer Satisfaction Survey
Objective --To measure the satisfaction of CSA
customers with the service provided
Contractor --MORI
Period of Survey --October to December 1994
Cost --£265,000
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