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Inward Investing Companies
Mr. Deva: To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what percentage of the British work force
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is employed by inward investing companies within the United Kingdom.Mr. Oppenheim: In 1991, foreign owned firms accounted for 17 per cent. of manufacturing employment in the United Kingdom. The information is not available for the service sector.
Mr. Deva: To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many new jobs have been created by inward investing companies in the United Kingdom since 1979.
Mr. Oppenheim: According to figures notified to the Department of Trade and Industry's Invest in Britain Bureau, 320,104 new jobs were created and 302,143 jobs were sustained in the United Kingdom as a result of inward investment for the financial years 1979 80 to 1993 94.
Commercial Lobbying
Mr. Campbell-Savours: To ask the Secretary of State for Employment (1) on how many occasions in the last four months of which he has knowledge any civil servants in his Department have been approached by commercial lobbying organisations on behalf of their clients at informal or unofficial engagements;
(2) on how many occasions in the last four months he or any of his Ministers have been approached by commercial lobbying organisations on behalf of their clients at informal or unofficial engagements.
Miss Widdecombe: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to him today by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.
SOCIAL SECURITY
Child Support Agency
Mr. Redmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security for how long the Child Support Agency has been logging telephone calls from clients.
Mr. Burt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for Miss Ann Chant, the chief executive. She will write to the hon. Member.
Letter from Ann Chant to Mr. Martin Redmond, dated 24 January 1995:
I am replying to your recent Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security about the Child Support Agency logging telephone calls.
The Agency has logged the number of calls received from clients since operations began in April 1993.
Mr. Devlin: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will instruct the CSA to terminate Mrs. Sandra Thurlbeck's (Ref. 1002139325) authority to act on her behalf in collecting maintenance.
Mr. Burt: I shall write to my hon. Friend separately.
Mr. Ingram: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many appeals have been made to child support appeal tribunals since 1 April 1994; what is the total number of cases awaiting a Child Support Agency tribunal hearing; how many have been waiting more than three months; in how many of these cases the Child Support Agency has forwarded submissions; how many of these met the target of responding to the Independent Tribunal Service within 18 days; and what has been done
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since his answer of 17 May 1994; Official Report, column 440 , to improve the success rate.Mr. Burt: I am informed by his honour Judge Bassingthwaighte, the president of the Independent Tribunal Service, that since 1 April 1994 it has received, 4,876 appeals. At 31 December 1994, 4,337 were waiting to be heard. On these cases they have received 1,022 submissions: six within 18 days of lodgement. The information requested about the number which have been waiting over three months is not available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. I am informed that the chief executive of the Child Support Agency set up a centralised appeals unit on 30 August 1994 as a measure to improve the production of submissions. Since then clearance rates have improved significantly.
Mr. Ingram: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many child support appeal tribunal hearings have been held since 1 April 1994, how many of these have been adjourned; in how many cases (a) the absent parent and (b) the parent with care attended; in how many one of the parties was represented; and in how many cases the child support officer's decision has been overturned.
Mr. Burt: I am informed by his honour Judge Bassingthwaighte, the president of the Independent Tribunal Service, that 1,446 cases have been heard since 1 April 1994 and of these 132 were adjourned. In 229 cases one of the parties was represented. In 614 instances the child support officer's decision was overturned. The information requested on the number of absent parents and parents with care who attended the hearings is not available. However I can inform the hon. Gentleman that the appellant attended 976 hearings and the other party attended on 378 occasions. Both the absent parent and the parent with care can appeal against a child support decision.
Family Credit
Ms Short: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) how many parents are in receipt of family credit child care disregard;
(2) what proportion of parents who are in receipt of family credit child care disregard receive (a) less than £10 per week, (b) £10 to £20 per week, (c) £20 to £30 per week and (d) more than £30 per week or the best available breakdown of the amount paid.
Mr. Roger Evans: In the three-month period to 31 December 1994, the latest date for which figures are available, 7,180 families received higher family credit awards as a result of the new help with child care charges. The amounts of additional family credit, and the proportion of families receiving these amounts, were as follows: (a) 35 per cent. received less than £10 a week
(b) 27 per cent. received between £10 and £19.99
(c) 38 per cent. received between £20 to £28.00
The maximum extra help in family credit alone is £28 a week although families may benefit by up to £38.20 a week if they also receive housing benefit and council tax benefit.
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Source:Five per cent. sample of family credit awards made between 1 October 1994 and 31 December 1994. The figures do not include claims made by 31 December 1994 but decided after that date.
Back-to-work Bonus
Mr. Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is his most recent calculation on the financial consequences of the proposed back-to-work bonus.
Mr. Roger Evans: Our latest estimate of the financial implications of the back-to-work bonus is that the scheme will bring an estimated increase in benefit expenditure of around £20 million in 1996 97 and around £50 million in 1997 98. However, when behavioural effects are taken into account, the scheme is likely to be broadly cost neutral. Notes:
1. Assumes 2.4 million unemployed.
2. Estimates rounded to nearest £10 million in cash prices.
National Insurance Fund
Mr. Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what would be the cost to the national insurance fund of all current holders of an APP who make no additional contributions with an annual income of
(a) £2,000 or below (b) up to £3,000, (c) up to £4,000, (d) up to £5,000, (e) up to £6,000, (f) up to £7,000, (g) up to £8, 000, (h) up to £9,000 and (i) up to £10,000 opting back into SERPS.
Mr. Arbuthnot: The information is not available in the form requested.
Mr. Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the total cost to date to the national insurance fund of national insurance rebates, tax relief and other incentives paid in respect of personal pensions contracted out of the state earnings-related pension scheme.
Mr. Arbuthnot: I refer the hon. Member to my reply of Tuesday 10 January to the hon. Member for Ealing, Southall (Mr. Khabra), Official Report , column 56 .
There is no cost to the national insurance fund of tax relief as the fund is continually reimbursed by the Inland Revenue for any payments of tax relief. Total tax relief to appropriate personal pensions amounted to £0.8 billion up to and including 1992 93.
Mr. Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the cost to date to the national insurance fund of national insurance rebates, tax relief and other incentives paid in respect of personal pensions contracted out of the state earnings-related pension scheme of individuals with an annual income of (a) £2,000 or below (b) up to £3,000, (c) up to £4,000, (d) up to £5,000, (e) up to £6,000, (f) up to £7,000, (g) up to £8,000, (h) up to £9,000 and (i) up to £10,000.
Mr. Arbuthnot: The information is shown in the table.
Rebates and |Total up to and incentives for |including 1991- Personal Pension |92 GB, £ millions holders with |Cumulative by earnings under (£ |earnings per annum) ------------------------------------------------------ 2,000 |0 3,000 |16 4,000 |114 5,000 |341 6,000 |724 7,000 |1,246 8,000 |1,887 9,000 |2,600 10,000 |3,350
Notes:
1. Data is based on an analysis of a 1 per cent. sample of people who are recorded on the Department of Social Security national insurance recording system as contributing to an appropriate personal pension scheme.
2. The figures are for accruals of rebates and incentives up to and including 1991 92 which are normally paid in the next year. The figures are therefore comparable with figures for total payments up to and including 1992 93.
3. The cost of tax relief is not included as this is not a charge to the national insurance fund.
4. Earnings are used, as a breakdown by income is not available. The following table shows estimates of tax relief.
|Total up to and
Tax relief for PP |including 1991-92
holders with
earnings
under (£ per annum) |GB, £ millions
------------------------------------------------------------
2,000 |0
3,000 |2
4,000 |10
5,000 |40
6,000 |62
7,000 |107
8,000 |163
9,000 |223
10,000 |289
Commercial Lobbying
Mr. Campbell-Savours: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) on how many occasions in the last four months of which he has knowledge any civil servants in his Department have been approached by commercial lobbying organisations on behalf of their clients at informal or unofficial engagements;
(2) on how many occasions in the last four months he or any of his Ministers have been approached by commercial lobbying organisations on behalf of their clients at informal or unofficial engagements.
Mr. Hague: I refer the hon. Member to the reply to him by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.
Severe Disability Premium
Mr. Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what assessment he has made, following the recent appeal court judgment, of how many severely disabled people should have been receiving the premium between April 1988 and 1 December 1994, when the amending regulations were laid, but did not receive it; what steps are being taken to identify these people; and where the premium is now being awarded for the years in question, what policy he has with regard to suspending payment pending the appeal which he and the chief adjudication officer are seeking to bring to the House of Lords; and in how many cases a suspension has been imposed.
Mr. Roger Evans: The Court of Appeal decision given on 30 November 1994 resulted in entitlement to the severe
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disability premium being extended until the amendment regulation came into force on 2 December 1994. Consideration is still being given as to how the cases affected for these few days might be identified.It is our practice to suspend payment in cases which are subject of an appeal to the courts, or in cases where benefit would be affected by the outcome of such an appeal. The number of cases in which payment of the severe disability premium has been suspended in these particular circumstances is not known.
Mr. Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many people are currently in receipt of the severe disability premium as part of income support.
Mr. Roger Evans: As of February 1994, the latest date for which figures are available, the total number of claimants whose income support entitlement included the severe disability premium was 184, 000.
Source:
"Income Support Statistics Quarterly Enquiry" February 1994--based on a 5 per cent. sample.
Note:
The figure has been rounded to the nearest thousand.
Jobseekers Bill
Mr. Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what assessment he has made of the impact of the provision of the Jobseekers Bill on the classification of unemployment benefit and analogous expenditure on income support into (a) planned expenditure and (b) cyclical expenditure; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Roger Evans [holding answer 16 January 1995]: Like the benefits which it is to replace, jobseeker's allowance will be, subject to passage of necessary legislation, cyclical social security expenditure.
WALES
Dental Services, Gwynedd
Mr. Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what emergency provision there is for dental patients in Gwynedd who cannot get access to NHS dental treatment.
Mr. Richards: According to information supplied by the Gwynedd family health services authority, there are 11 emergency sessions each week, at various times, on most days, including weekends, in clinics throughout Gwynedd.
That authority is best placed to advise and assist patients who require emergency treatment. Patients can also be referred to the community dental service, which provides a "safety net" for those unable to obtain general dental services.
Mr. Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many representations he has received during the past three months on the subject of dental service provision in Gwynedd; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Richards: Since 1 October 1994, 38 representations have been made on the subject of dental service provision in Gwynedd. During the same period, three questions have been asked in the House on the same subject.
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I am aware that patients in Gwynedd who are not registered with a dentist may have difficulty in obtaining NHS treatment. I fully recognise the unsatisfactory situation in the county and officials are in frequent contact with the Gwynedd health authorities. I will continue to assist them in their efforts to find solutions.Nurses
Mr. Wigley: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what proportion of those now being taken on in Wales for training as qualified nurses come as graduate entrants; and if he will make a statement on the changing qualification patterns for nurses in Wales and its implications for recruitment in future.
Mr. Richards: The current proportion of graduate entrants to Project 2000 student nurses is approximately one to 12. It remains the responsibility of the United Kingdom Central Council, as the statutory body governing nurse registration, to ensure that nurse training is tailored to meet the requirements of the NHS. This is monitored in Wales by the Welsh National Board.
It was anticipated that the recent introduction of Project 2000 September 1991 in Wales--with its emphasis on a broader-based training would better meet the needs of patients. This diploma level qualification will be evaluated including the implications for recruitment.
Mr. Wigley: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make it his policy that the forthcoming increase in nurses pay will not be financed by a reduction in the number of nurses employed in the NHS.
Mr. Richards: This is a matter for individual health authorities and NHS trusts to determine.
Police Funding
Mr. Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many representations he has received on the standard spending assessment proposed for the North Wales police authority; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Redwood: I have received 67 written representations on the proposed standard spending assessment for North Wales police. On 20 December, my hon. Friend the Member for Cardiff, North (Mr. Jones), the Under-Secretary, met a deputation from the police authority to discuss its concerns. I will announce my final settlement decisions shortly.
Mr. Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales when the consultation period for discussion on the standard spending assessment proposed for Welsh police authorities will expire.
Mr. Redwood: Formal consultation in respect of my provisional standard spending assessment and capping proposals for Welsh police authorities ended on 9 January. I am considering all the representations received and I will make my final settlement decisions shortly.
Training Providers
Mr. Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the companies in (a) Gwent and (b) the Islwyn constituency that facilitate the work of training and enterprise councils by being training providers; and if he will make a statement.
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Mr. Richards: Gwent TEC has contracts with the following training providers who arrange placements for trainees in a wide range of companies across the country.
Provider |Location
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
(a) Gwent
Age Concern |Ebbw Vale
Agency for Caring Environments (ACE) |Cardiff Office
|Gwent-wide
Beacon Training Ltd. |Pontypool
|Gwent-wide
Blaenau Gwent Borough Council |Tredegar
British Steel Llanwern |Newport
British Steel Tinplate |Ebbw Vale
CITB |Gwent-wide
CTF |Cwmbran
Focal |Gwent-wide
Gwent NCT |Blaina
|Newport
Gwent Quality Training |Newport
|Gwent-wide
Gwent Tertiary College |Newport
|Pontypool and
|Usk
|Ebbw Vale
Hill Management Criteria |Newport
JHP Training Ltd. |Brynmawr
|Newport
|Cwmbran
|Ystrad Mynach
Link Training |Cwmbran
|Brynmawr
Lucas Automotive Braking Division |Cwmbran
Monmouth Borough Council |Monmouth
Newport and District GTA |Pontypool
Saunders Valve Co. Ltd. |Cwmbran
Torfaen Training |Cwmbran
Training Management (Wales) Ltd. |Cwmbran
|Gwent-wide
Victoria Training |Ebbw Vale
(b) Islwyn
Gwent NCT |Pontllanfraith
Gwent Tertiary College |Crosskeys
Mates Training Design and Development Ltd. |Blackwood
Dairy Farmers
Mr. Morley: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what was the approximate average net profit for dairy farmers in each year since 1985.
Mr. Gwilym Jones: Information on incomes of full-time dairy farms and other farm types is collected in the farm business survey and published each year in "Farm Incomes in the United Kingdom". The latest edition, "Farm Incomes in the United Kingdom 1992/93", shows estimates of several different measures of income for dairy farms in 1991 92 and 1992 93. Definitions of these income measures are contained in appendix 2.
To illustrate longer-term trends in incomes, index series are also given for net farm income, occupier's net income and cash income back to 1986 87- -table 1.1 and appendix 1, tables 1 and 2--the earliest year for which data are available on a consistent basis.
"Farm Incomes in the United Kingdom 1993/94" will be published in the spring.
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Next Steps Agencies
Mr. Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will set out for each of the next steps agencies in his Department, whether they have acquired their own headquarters buildings and, if so, at what purchase cost or annual rental; how many support staff they have required which were not required when their operations were within his Department; how many of them publish periodical journals and at what annual cost; how many have fleets of executive cars or single executive cars and at what annual cost; how many have specially designed logos and at what cost; how many have corporate clothing and at what cost; and what is the cost of specially designed and printed corporate stationery.
Mr. Redwood: CADW: Welsh Historic Monuments is the Welsh Office's sole wholly-owned, executive agency. The body's corporate identity was established in 1984 when it was launched as a discrete management unit in its own headquarters, where it remains. No additional costs arose in this area when the agency was vested in April 1991. However, four additional support staff were required. A uniform or protective clothing is provided for some staff, but no additional costs arose from agency status. A newsletter is provided for members of Heritage in Wales--a subscription scheme which allows admission to CADW sites without further charge. The agency does not provide executive cars.
Animal Diseases
Mr. Morley: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many cases of sheep scab there were in each year since 1990 and in each month for 1994.
Mr. Gwilym Jones: The total number of confirmed cases of sheep scab in Wales for the years 1990 to 1992 was as follows:
|Number
--------------------------------
1990 |9
1991 |15
1992 (to 30 June) |14
The collation of official records on the number of outbreaks of sheep scab was discontinued after deregulation of compulsory controls in 1992.
Environmental Policy
Mr. Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will set out those matters in regard to environmental policy in Wales that are the responsibility of his Department and those which are primarily the responsibility of other Government Departments or non-departmental public bodies.
Mr. Gwilym Jones: Details of the Welsh Office's environmental policies and programmes and information on the environmental activities of its public bodies are given in the departmental report, Cm 2515, copies of which are available in the Library of the House. Information on the environmental policy responsibilities of other Departments and their public bodies is similarly available in their reports.
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Air Pollution
Mr. Barry Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what new measures he proposes to lessen air pollution in Wales.
Mr. Gwilym Jones: On 19 January, the Government published new proposals for improving air quality in the paper "Air Quality: Meeting the Challenge", a copy of which is available in the Library of the House. The measures detailed there will apply, as appropriate, in Wales as elsewhere in the United Kingdom.
Council Tax
Mr. Barry Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is the average council tax for a band D house in (a) Alyn and Deeside district council and (b) Westminster.
Mr. Gwilym Jones: The average band D council tax for 1994 95 in Alyn and Deeside is £385 and in Westminster £245. The value of properties in valuation band D ranges from £51,000 to £66,000 in Wales and from £68,000 to £88,000 in England.
Millennium Fund
Mr. Barry Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales for what projects under the control of his Department he will be applying for funds from the millennium fund; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Gwilym Jones: None. I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer given on 20 December by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for National Heritage, which explains the relationship between Ministers, Departments and the lottery distributing bodies.
Fluoride
Mr. Jon Owen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what plans he has to implement the recommendation of Health Promotion Wales to add fluoride as a supplement to Welsh water supplies.
Mr. Richards: None. This is a matter for local determination.
Through Ticketing
Mr. Dafis: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what representations he will be making to the rail regulator concerning the future availability of through ticketing from railway stations in Wales.
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