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Bathing Water Monitoring
Ms Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what assessment he has made of recent incidents at Oxwich bay, Wales; and what plans he has
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to increase the monitoring of viruses in bathing water as a result.Mr. Atkins [holding answer 6 March 1995]: An investigation, carried out by the West Glamorgan health authority, and published 28 February, concluded that there was no evidence of a link between illnesses and bathing or visiting Oxwich bay. I have no present plans to require increased monitoring of viruses in bathing waters.
Ms Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment what monitoring of viruses in Britain's bathing water is currently carried out; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Atkins [holding answer 6 March 1995]: Monitoring for viruses in United Kingdom bathing waters is carried out in accordance with the EC bathing water directive. UK monitoring is the most extensive of any member state.
Ms Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what assessment he has made of the effect of viruses in sewage and chemical discharges on (a) human health and (b) bathing water quality.
Mr. Atkins [holding answer 6 March 1995]: In January 1994, I announced and placed in the Library the results of a four-year study, funded by the Department of the Environment, the Department of Health, the Welsh Office and the National Rivers Authority, into health and bathing water quality. A detailed summary of the results of UK bathing water quality monitoring is placed in the Library each year. The results for 1994 were placed on 20 January 1995.
Ms Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment in how many instances water-borne viruses have been thought to be the cause of illness contracted by bathers in British waters in each of the last five years.
Mr. Atkins [holding answer 6 March 1995]: I understand from the Department of Health that there is no conclusive evidence that any serious illness has been contracted by bathers in UK bathing waters during this period. The four-year study to assess the health risks of sea bathing published last year suggested that there is only a minimal risk of illness from British bathing waters.
SOCIAL SECURITY
Child Support Agency
Mr. Dewar: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the latest figure for reported benefit savings accrued by the Child Support Agency, giving in each case (a) the amount represented by pre-existing maintenance arrangements carried over by the Child Support Agency, (b) the amount represented by cases in which benefit ceased following action by the agency, (c) the amount represented by cases in which maintenance exceeds the amount of benefit payable and (d) the amount represented by consequential savings in council tax benefit and housing benefit.
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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. Donald Dewar, dated6 March 1995: I am replying to your recent Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security about the benefit savings scored by the Child Support Agency.
Benefit savings by category
£ million
|1994-95
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Existing maintenance agreements before
CSA assessments
Paid direct by absent parent to parent with care-existing |101.65
Paid through pre-Agency collection service-existing |6.96
Sub total |108.61
New maintenance as a result of CSA assessments
Paid direct by absent parent to parent with care-new |10.48
Paid through Agency collection service to Secretary of
State-new |32.45
Absent parent-Income Support deductions |1.55
Sub total |44.48
Benefit ceases following action by the Agency
Non-maintenance cessations |165.95
Maintenance cessations |20.43
Sub total |186.38
Total |339.48
Savings arising from maintenance paid in Family Credit/DWA cases, and the
consequential savings arising in Council Tax Benefit and Housing Benefit
from cases where benefit has ceased are scored retrospectively after the
end of the financial year, and figures are not currently available.
Mr. Dewar: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many parents with care at each Child Support Agency reporting centre have ceased to receive income support after receiving payments of child maintenance; and how many have ceased to receive income support and are receiving family credit after receiving child maintenance.
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. Donald Dewar, dated 7 March 1995: I am replying to your recent Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security about the number of parents with care (PWCs) who have ceased to claim income support (IS); or who have ceased to claim IS, but are receiving family credit (FC) after receiving child maintenance.
|<1> <2>PWCs no
|longer
Agency centre |receiving IS
---------------------------------------------
Belfast |1,688
Birkenhead |490
Dudley |1,176
Falkirk |1,186
Hastings |1,182
Plymouth |1,317
<1> Year to date from April 1994 to January
1995.
<2> Child maintenance may not have been the
only income received.
Information is not available on the number
of clients who have ceased to claim IS, but
are receiving FC.
Mr. Dewar: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many people are currently employed by the Child Support Agency; and what was the figure in April 1993.
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. Donald Dewar, dated7 March 1995: I am replying to your recent Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security about the number of staff employed by the Child Support Agency.
In April 1993, there were 2,937 established staff in the Agency. In addition there were 160 Northern Ireland civil servants based at the Child Support Agency Centre in Belfast who were engaged in work relating to parents with care who live in Great Britain.
In January 1995 there were 5,799 established staff in the Agency, and 645 Northern Ireland civil servants engaged in work relating to parents with care who live in Great Britain.
This increase in staffing reflects both the anticipated build up in staff, and the additional staff deployed as part of the recovery plan.
Mr. Dewar: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the basis for his estimate of the cost of taking account of travel-to- work costs in the child support formula.
Mr. Burt: The costs of the proposed allowance were estimated using data from the 1991 census about the distribution of distances travelled to work.
Mr. Dewar: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what will be the cost of each of the proposed changes to the Child Support Agency referred to in his oral statement of 23 January 1995, Official Report, columns 19 21.
Mr. Burt: The cost, in terms of reduction in anticipated savings in benefit expenditure, of each of the proposed changes is estimated as follows:
|1995-96 |1996-97 |1997-98
|£ million|£ million|£ million
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Formula changes
Property/capital settlements |5 |10 |10
Travel to work costs |10 |15 |20
Provision for full housing costs |5 |10 |10
Deferral of liability by eight weeks |10 |10 |10
30 per cent. cap on payments |10 |10 |10
Changes requiring primary legislation
Departure orders |- |10 |10
Maintenance credit |- |- |15
Totals |40 |65 |85
Note:
All figures in £ million, rounded to nearest £5 million.
Mr. Dewar: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security when he expects the Child Support Agency to deal with all cases involving child maintenance; and if he will set out the Government's revised programme for the phased take-on of cases.
Mr. Burt: It was never the intention that the Child Support Agency would deal with all cases of child maintenance. Where there is a maintenance order in force with which both parents are content, and no benefit is
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being paid to the parent with care, the agency will not become involved.Where such an order is currently in force, but one party is dissatisfied, the courts will continue to exercise jurisdiction until such time as the Child Support Agency takes over jurisdiction. This was intended to be in 1996, but the Government have announced plans to defer this date until the agency is in a position to take on the cases efficiently and to a high standard.
The agency expects to resume the take-on of those cases deferred as a result of the measures announced on
20 December 1994 by the end of 1995.
Lone Parents
Mr. Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the Government's policy on encouraging all lone parents into employment and on providing incentives to that end; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Burt: It is our policy to encourage lone parents to take up and stay in work. Improving work incentives is the most effective way of ensuring that lone parents leave benefit dependency; this offers the best long-term prospects for the families involved and produces savings for the public purse. Research indicates that most lone parents want to work. We have been very successful in encouraging lone parents to move from dependency on income support to work supplemented by family credit. In 1988, there was one working lone parent on family credit for every 10 on income support; by 1994, the proportion was almost one for every four.
In April 1992, we changed the qualifying hours of work for family credit from 24 hours to 16 hours a week. Currently, 120,000 lone parents work between 16 and 24 hours a week and receive family credit; many of these had previously been dependent on income support. Last October, we introduced the child care disregard to remove a stumbling block preventing some parents returning to work. This is worth up to £28 a week extra in family credit. In the long term, we expect that 150,000 families, mostly lone parents, will benefit from this change. The work incentives package announced last November includes measures to help people returning to work, such as the four-week extension of housing benefit, the national insurance contribution holiday for employers, and the back to work bonus. All of these will apply to lone parents and unemployed people. In January 1995, the child support White Paper announced a new scheme giving a credit for maintenance received by parents with care on income support. This scheme-- the child maintenance bonus--will provide further help on returning to work through a lump sum of up to £1,000.
Mr. Butterfill: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many lone mothers receive means-tested benefits; and what proportion of these are (a) never married, (b) separated wives, (c) divorced women and (d) widows and wives of pensioners.
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Mr. Burt: The information is not available in the form requested. Such information as is available is in the tables:
Table 1: Numbers of lone mothers in receipt of family credit, disability working allowance or income support in May 1993 Numbers in receipt |Total of ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Family credit |200,000 Disability working allowance |- Income support with no family credit or disability working allowance |987,000
Table 2: Numbers of lone parents in receipt of housing benefit/council tax benefit but not in receipt of family credit, disability working allowance or income support, in May 1993 Numbers in receipt |Total of ---------------------------------------------------------- Housing benefit |46,000 Council tax benefit |44,000 Sources: Income Support Annual Statistical Enquiry May 1993. Family Credit Statistical System. This is a 5 per cent. sample of awards made. Disability Working Allowance Statistical System. Housing Benefit/Council Tax Benefit MIS annual 1 per cent. sample. Notes: 1. The figures refer to Great Britain and have been rounded to the nearest thousand. 2. There will be considerable overlap in table 2 as many cases receive both HB and CTB, but due to the collection procedure these cannot be identified. 3. For HB and CTB it is not possible to distinguish lone mothers from lone fathers. This information refers to lone parent rather than lone mother.
The marital status breakdown is only available for the income support data and is shown in the following table:
Table 3:
Marital status |Total ------------------------------------------------ (a) never married |463,000 (b) separated |313,000 (c) divorced |192,000 (d) widowed |16,000 Source: Income Support Annual Statistical Enquiry May 1993.
Habitual Residence Test
Mr. Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Birmingham, Selly Oak (Dr. Jones), of 19 December 1994 Official Report , column 930 , if he will consider making some assessment of the ethnic origin of claimants who have failed the habitual residence test to check whether particular ethnic groups are disproportionately affected by the test.
Mr. Roger Evans: We have no plans to do so.
Incapacity Benefit
Mr. Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if a claimant can appeal against a Benefits Agency medical services doctor's failure to provide (i) a certificate under regulation 10(2)(e) and (ii) an opinion under regulation 27 of the Social Security (Incapacity For Work) (General) Regulations 1995.
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Mr. Hague: A claimant cannot appeal against a Benefits Agency medical services doctor's failure to provide a certificate or opinion. He can appeal against an adjudication officer's decision on capacity for work. That decision will take into account whether the claimant is certified as being in an exempt category under regulation 10(2)(e), whether he has satisfied the all work test and whether any of the prescribed exceptional circumstances apply under regulation 27.
Mr. Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security at what intervals and on what basis a claimant of incapacity benefit will be re-tested after April 1995.
Mr. Hague: After the initial application of the all work test, a Benefits Agency medical services doctor will provide advice to the adjudication officer as to whether and, if so, at what interval, the question of the claimant's capacity should be reviewed. The interval will depend on the individual circumstances of each case.
Mr. Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many people he estimates will sign on as available for work pending an appeal against a decision that they are capable of work; and how many will claim income support.
Mr. Hague: No estimate has been made of the number of people who will choose to make themselves available for work pending an appeal. Estimated numbers expected to claim income support are not broken down between those appealing against a decision and those not making an appeal.
Mr. Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the latest estimate of the number of people who will move from incapacity benefit and sign on as unemployed in (i) 1995 96, (ii) 1996 97; (iii) 1997 98.
Mr. Hague: The estimated number of people who will move from incapacity benefit, including new claimants after April 1995, and sign on as unemployed earlier than would otherwise have been the case, as a result of the new medical test, is as follows: 160,000 in 1995 96, 120,000 in 1996 97 and 60,000 in 1997 98. It is estimated that the average increase in the unemployment count as a result of the reform of incapacity benefit provision will be 90,000 in 1995 96, 195,000 in 1996 97 and 200,000 in 1997 98. These figures include people joining the unemployment count who will previously have been receiving income support with disability premium as well as those who will have been receiving incapacity benefit.
Mr. Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) how many people who are expected to leave incapacity benefit in 1995 96 to sign on as unemployed he estimates will be aged (a) under 45 years, (b) between 45 and 54 years old, (c) 55 years or over; and how many in each category are estimated to receive an occupational or private pension amounting to (i) less than £35 per week, (ii) between £35 and £50 per week and (iii) between £50 and £75 per week; (2) how many people who are expected to leave incapacity benefit in 1996 97 to sign on as unemployed he estimates will be aged (a) under 45 years, (b) between 45 and 54 years and, (c) 55 years or over; and how many in each category are estimated to receive an occupational or private pension amounting to (i) less than £35 per week, (ii) between £35 and £50 per week and (iii) between £50 and £75 per week.
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Mr. Hague: The information requested is not available.
Mr. Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is his estimate of the number of new claimants of both (a) incapacity benefit and (b) severe disablement allowance who will (i) be found capable of work under the all work test and (ii) how many and what proportion he expects will lodge an appeal against this decision.
Mr. Hague: It is estimated that in 1995 96, approximately 45,000 and in subsequent years 55,000 new incapacity benefit claimants will be found capable of work earlier than would otherwise have been the case, as a result of the new medical test. It is estimated that 60 per cent. of these claimants will appeal against the decision of capacity for work. No estimates have been made of the number of new severe disablement allowance claimants expected to be found capable of work.
Mr. Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what assessment he has made of the number and proportion of appeals against a decision of capacity for work which are frivolous.
Mr. Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security when he consulted (i) the Independent Tribunal Service, (ii) the Council on Tribunals and (iii) the Social Security Advisory Committee about the benefit reduction for people appealing against a decision that they are capable of work.
Mr. Roger Evans: The Secretary of State referred the proposed income support regulations to the Social Security Advisory Committee under section 172(1) of the Social Security Administration Act 1992 on 3 and 16 February 1995. The Social Security Advisory Committee agreed on 16 February 1995, under section 173(1)(b) of the same Act, that the regulations need not be formally referred to it. There is no statutory requirement in these circumstances to consult either the Independent Tribunal Service or the Council on Tribunals.
Mr. Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Stratford-on-Avon (Mr. Howarth) on 30 January 1995 Official Report, column 520, if the normal control dates based on form MF213 will be the basis for reviewing the estimated 220,000 people who will fail the new incapacity test.
Mr. Hague: Under the existing invalidity benefit system, when a claim is considered by the Benefits Agency medical services--the doctor gives advice on if and when the case should be reviewed. In cases with a review date, the new all-work test will be applied for the purpose of the first planned review after 13 April this year. We expect that all such cases will be reviewed in the first two years of the new benefit. The remaining cases will then also be reviewed under the new test.
Invalidity Benefit
Mr. Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the average number of weeks between the date an appeal was lodged against a decision that a person is capable of work to the date of the hearing.
Mr. Hague: The information is not available in the form requested. However, the average clearance time for
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all invalidity benefit appeals in the quarter ending June 1994 was 26.6 weeks.Housing Benefit
Mr. Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what percentage of housing benefit claimants are currently in receipt of additional help with rent under regulation 11(3) of the Housing Benefit General Regulations.
Mr. Roger Evans: The information is not held centrally.
National Insurance Credits
Mr. Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if people claiming income support pending an appeal against a decision that they are capable of work will be credited for national insurance purposes for the period between lodging an appeal and the hearing.
Mr. Arbuthnot: To ensure that credits are available for the period pending an appeal against a decision that a person is capable of work, he should register as available for employment. If he fails to do this, incapacity credits will be awarded only for the period if his appeal succeeds.
Registering as available for employment will not prejudice the outcome of his appeal.
Mortgage Interest
Mr. Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (i) what assessment his Department has made of the implications for income support claimants of the changes to income support mortgage interest to be implemented in October 1995;
(2) what assessment the Government have made of the impact on the rate of repossession of the changes to income support for mortgage interest to be implemented in October 1995;
(3) what estimate he has made of the number of (a) monthly and (b) annual repossessions that will arise from October 1995 as a result of the Government's reduction in help for unemployed home owners.
Mr. Roger Evans: We believe that our proposals will result in the development of comprehensive quality insurance and will provide better protection for all home owners, not just those who currently get help from income support mortgage interest.
Mr. Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what are the estimated additional housing costs (a) to local authorities in England and Wales and (b) to housing associations in England and Wales of the changes to income support for mortgage interest to be implemented in October 1995.
Mr. Roger Evans: There should not be any additional housing costs of this nature.
Mr. Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many claimants in receipt of income support for mortgage interest payments had their homes repossessed in (a) 1993 94 and (b) each of the five preceding years.
Mr. Roger Evans: The information is not available.
Housing Benefit
Mr. Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list the percentage of private rented
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sector tenants who are currently in receipt of housing benefit in each local authority in England and Wales.Mr. Roger Evans: The information requested is not available. It is estimated that the proportion of tenants of
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private landlords who receive housing benefit in England is 49 per cent. and 61 per cent. in Wales.Source: Housing Benefit Management Information Statistics February 1994 and Housing and Construction Statistics September 1994.
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