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£ million
|1993-94 |1994-95<1>
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Paid direct by Absent Parents to Parents
with Care on IS |1 |10
Paid through Agency collection service
in IS, FC and DWA cases and offsets
benefit spending<2> |10
Paid through Agency collection service
in IS, FC and DWA cases in excess of
benefit paid, and to non benefit cases<3> |3 |19
Total |<4>15 |62
<1> 1994-95 figures cover April 1994 to January 1995.
<2> Maintenance paid through the Agency collection service that offsets
benefit spending and therefore leads to benefit savings.
<3> Maintenance paid through the Agency collection service that is passed on
to parents with care.
<4> Includes a small element relating to PWCs who used the collection
service and were receiving either FC; disability working allowance (DWA), or
who were not receiving benefit.
Mr. Dewar: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the total number of (a) cases take on by the Child Support Agency since April 1993, (b) interim maintenance assessments made, (c) full maintenance assessments made, (d) cases cleared without an assessment being made, (e) cases deferred because an effective application has not been made by an income support claimant, (f) outstanding case involving a paternity dispute and (g) other outstanding cases awaiting assessment.
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 Miss Ann Chant to Mr. Donald Dewar, dated 8 March 1995:
I am replying to your recent Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security about the number of cases taken on and assessment made by the Child Support Agency.
Between April 1993 and the end of January 1995, the Agency issued 1,190,200 maintenance application forms (on some forms more than one absent parent may be involved); completed 129,000 interim maintenance assessments and 299,100 full maintenance assessments. 403,000 cases were cleared without an assessment being made.
As at the end of January 1995, 432,000 cases were on hand awaiting a maintenance assessment, including 6,800 in which paternity was being disputed. Given the volume of cases dealt with by the Agency we would expect to have around 250,000 cases on hand at any one time.
You also ask about cases deferred because an effective application had not been made by a client receiving income support. I have taken this to refer to those cases deferred as a one off exercise as part of the measures announced on 20 December 1994. This exercise was only completed last week so the full details will not be available until later this month; but by the end of January, there were 2,700 cases where IS applications had been deferred.
Mr. Dewar: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) how many maintenance enquiry forms have been issued to absent parents since the Child Support Agency commenced operation in April 1993; (2) how many maintenance application forms have been issued since the Child Support Agency commenced operation in April 1993; and what proportion have been issued to parents not already receiving 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.
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Letter from Miss Ann Chant to Mr. Donald Dewar, dated 8 March 1995:I am replying to recent Parliamentary Questions to the Secretary of State for Social Security abut the number of maintenance enquiry forms (MEFs) and maintenance application forms (MAFs) that have been issued by the Child Support Agency.
From April 1993 to the end of January 1995, 692,900 MEFs were issued to absent parents.
In the same period 1,190,200 MAFs were issued, of which we estimate that 77 per cent. were issued to parents not already receiving maintenance.
Mr. Dewar: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many requests for a review of a child support assessment have been made, and what proportion of these has resulted in an application for an appeal to a child support appeal tribunal.
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 Miss Ann Chant to Mr. Donald Dewar, dated 8 March 1995:
I am replying to your recent Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security about reviews and appeals. From April 1993 to the end of January 1995 the Child Support Agency had received 47,100 requests for review under Section 18 of the Child Support Act.
In the same period 6,800 applications for appeal were made. As not all applications for appeal arise from Section 18 reviews, it is not appropriate to express this figure as a proportion of the total number of Section 18 reviews requested.
Mr. Dewar: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what proportion of outstanding child maintenance applications are over (a) 13 weeks, (b) 26 weeks and (c) 52 weeks old.
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 Miss Ann Chant to Mr. Donald Dewar, dated 8 March 1995:
I am replying to your recent Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of state for Social Security about the proportion of outstanding child maintenance applications that are over 13, 26 and 52 weeks old.
The table shows the proportion of cases within these age bands as a percentage of the caseload as at the end of January 1995.
|Percentage of
|caseload
----------------------------------------------------
Cases over 13 weeks old |83
Cases over 26 weeks old |69
Cases over 52 weeks old |48
A significant number of the cases over 26 weeks old
will be deferred as part of the measures announced
on 20 December 1994.
Mr. Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what estimate he has made of the total payments being made to the Child Support Agency by absent parents in respect of children whose parents with care were in receipt of relevant state benefits before April 1993 and whose assessment has been completed by the Child Support Agency; and what is the total number of these cases.
Mr. Burt: The information is not available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
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Social Fund
Mr. Ron Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will give (a) the figure of the amount lent in Wales under the social fund scheme, (b) the amount currently outstanding and (c) the numbers of those currently liable.
Mr. Roger Evans: The administration of the social fund 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 Mr. Michael Bichard to Mr. Ron Davies, dated 7 March 1995:
The Secretary of State for Social Security has asked me to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question requesting the figure for the amount lent in Wales under the Social Fund scheme, the amount currently outstanding and the numbers of those currently liable. You ask for the figure of the amount lent in Wales under the Social Fund scheme. You are probably aware that the Fund has two distinct parts--regulated and discretionary. Social Fund Budgeting Loans and Crisis Loans are part of the discretionary part of the scheme.
The amount of loans expenditure in Wales for the period 1 April 1994 to 31 January 1995 is £12,143,769.41. The amount currently outstanding (unspent) in Wales for loans in the current financial year is £2,823,256.00. I am also able to tell you that as at 31 January 1995 £13,597.79, in total, was owed by applicants in the Benefits Agency Districts in Wales. This figure will include amounts outstanding on loans currently being repaid and for loans where recovery has been interrupted or deferred.
I am unable to supply the numbers of those currently liable as the Social Fund Computer System does not count the number of individual customers. However, the number of awards made in Wales for loans for the period 1 April 1994 to 31 January 1995 is 77,417. As a customer may have more than one loan outstanding, and many customers will have repaid their loan(s) within this period, this figure may be greater than the number of those currently liable.
I hope you find this reply helpful.
Compensation Recovery Unit
Mr. Dewar: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) if he will list the number of cases in which funds have been recovered by the Compensation Recovery Unit during the last year for which figures are available; what were the administrative and other costs of the unit during that period; and what was the gross and net sum ingathered after allowing for those costs;
(2) how many staff are presently employed in the Compensation Recovery Unit.
Mr. Roger Evans: These are matters 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 Mr. Michael Bichard to Mr. Donald Dewar, dated 7 March 1995:
The Secretary of State for Social Security has asked me to reply to your recent Parliamentary Questions about the number of staff currently employed in the Compensation Recovery Unit; the administrative and other costs of the unit; the number of cases handled by it and the gross and net sums ingathered after allowing for these costs during the last year for which figures are available.
The total number of people employed in the Compensation Recovery Unit at the present time is 196; this includes 46 part time staff. During the period from 1 April 1994 to 28 February 1995, the number of cases in which sums have been recovered amounts to 60,821 and the sum recouped was £91,750,000. After taking into
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account costs of £4,070,000, the net amount recovered equates to £87,680,000.I hope you find this reply helpful.
Income Support
Mr. John Marshall: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many of those who have been granted exceptional leave to remain are in receipt of income support.
Mr. Roger Evans: People who have been granted exceptional leave to remain are not separately identified within the income support scheme.
Chronic Bronchitis and Emphysema
Mr. Clapham: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many PDD12 claimants have appealed against category O X-ray evidence since September 1993.
Mr. Hague: The information requested is available only to 2 October 1994 when the total number of appeals received against the category O X-ray was 3,416.
Mr. Clapham: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) how many posthumous PDD12 claims there have been to date; and how many have received an award;
(2) how many PDD12 claimants rejected for an award when they were living because the X-ray evidence was category O have been made a posthumous award after death based on the findings of the pathologist's report;
(3) how many PDD12 appellants have been referred for fresh X-rays because the ones on which the original diagnosis was made were unsuitable.
Mr. Hague: The information requested is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Benefit Payment Card
Sir Andrew Bowden: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for City of Durham (Mr. Steinberg) of 26 January, Official Report , column 320 , if he will name the five potential suppliers of a benefit payment card.
Mr. Arbuthnot: I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Norfolk, North-West (Mr. Bellingham) on 9 December, Official Report , column 385 .
Pneumoconiosis
Mr. Clapham: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many claimants to whom an award was made for pneumoconiosis in (a) 1980, (b) 1986 and (c) 1993 had it increased because the disease worsened an attendant condition.
Mr. Hague: The information requested is not available.
Mr. Clapham: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many awards for pneumoconiosis were made in each of the coalfield areas in (a) 1980, (b) 1986 and (c) 1993.
Mr. Hague: The information requested is not available by coalfield areas. New awards for pneumoconiosis in the coal mining industry, analysed by disability benefit centre, are in the table.
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New awards for pneumoconiosis in the coal mining industry by
disability benefit centre
Disability benefit |1980 |1986 |1993
centre
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cardiff |113 |71 |58
Swansea |22 |38 |22
Glasgow |6 |7 |10
Stoke |23 |38 |27
Sheffield |179 |142 |205
Manchester |30 |18 |12
Newcastle |84 |37 |58
London |4 |6 |3
All panels |461 |357 |395
Note:
Based on a 100 per cent. count.
Housing Benefit
Mr. McAllion: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what was (a) the total cost of housing benefit in Scotland for (i) tenants of new towns, Scottish Homes and local authorities, (ii) tenants of housing associations and (iii) tenants of private landlords and (b) the total number of households in Scotland receiving housing benefit in respect of (1) Scottish Homes, local authorities and new towns, (2) housing associations and co-operatives and (3) the private rented sector for each year since 1982 83.
Mr. Roger Evans: The available information is set out in the table.
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Housing benefit in Scotland average caseload and expenditure
Year Caseload Expenditure
(thousands) (millions)
Rent rebate Rent allowance Rent rebate (£) Rent allowance (£)
|All private tenants
|(including HA |Housing association
|tenants) |tenants
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1983-84 |n/a |n/a |n/a |182.08 |29.81
1984-85 |n/a |n/a |n/a |200.63 |41.18
1985-86 |n/a |n/a |n/a |224.87 |55.47
1986-87 |n/a |n/a |n/a |258.33 |71.39
1987-88 |n/a |n/a |n/a |291.42 |88.67
1988-89 |494 |72 |n/a |314.15 |86.29
1989-90 |478 |79 |n/a |363.75 |113.23
1990-91 |467 |76 |n/a |400.30 |119.36
1991-92 |466 |76 |n/a |444.26 |136.37
1992-93 |460 |83 |22 |489.82 |169.17
1993-94 |457 |93 |30 |<1>523.99 |<1>202.31
1994-95 |446 |103 |34 |<1>537.30 |<1>230.98
Sources:
Caseload, housing benefit information system.
Expenditure, DSS planning and finance division.
Notes:
1. Rent rebate, includes local authority, new town and Scottish Homes' tenants.
2. Rent allowance, includes housing association and other private sector tenants.
3. n/a = Not available.
<1> Provisional.
Asylum Seekers
Mr. John Marshall: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, pursuant to his answer of 1 March, c. 623-24, how many of the asylum seekers in receipt of income support are (a) awaiting an initial decision on their application and (b) appealing against it.
Mr. Roger Evans: The information is not available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Habitual Residence
Mr. Trimble: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many persons from the Republic of Ireland not habitually resident in the United Kingdom at the time of their claim have been in receipt of (a) income support, (b) housing benefit and (c) council tax benefit schemes since 1 August 1994, giving the sums paid under each heading.
Mr. Roger Evans: The information is not recorded centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Residential Care and Nursing Homes
Mr. Hinchliffe: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is his estimate of the number of residents
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of care or nursing homes whose total entitlement to care funding does not meet their fees for each year since 1979.Mr. Roger Evans: Reliable information is not available before November 1992.
The number of residents with preserved rights to the higher limits of income support whose total entitlement to social security benefits does not meet the fees is:
|Number
----------------------------
November 1992 |91,500
November 1993 |85,000
February 1994 |78,500
Source:
Income support statistics
quarterly inquiries
November 1992, November
1993 and February 1994.
Some of these residents may have disregarded benefits, income or capital which could be used to meet any shortfalls.
Permanent Secretaries
Mr. Milburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security which permanent secretaries have left his Department's employment in the last five years; and
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which public positions they have been appointed to subsequently.SCOTLAND
Anti-Social Neighbours
Mr. McMaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what powers are available to (a) local authority housing departments, (b) Scottish Homes, (c) housing associations, (d) housing co-operatives, (e) private sector landlords and (f)
owner-occupiers to deal with anti-social behaviour by neighbours; and if he will make a statement.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton: In many cases, anti-social behaviour by neighbours will amount to nuisance. Local authorities, Scottish Homes, housing associations and housing co-operatives have powers under section 47 of, and part I of schedule 3 to, the Housing (Scotland) Act 1987 to raise proceedings for the recovery of possession of one of their houses including where a tenant, or any one of joint tenants, or any person residing or lodging with him or any sub-tenant of his has been guilty of conduct in, or in the vicinity of, the house which is a nuisance or causing an annoyance to others. Recovery of possession can also be granted where a tenant has been convicted of using the house, or allowing it to be used, for immoral or illegal purposes.
Local authorities also have powers under section 58 of the Control of Pollution Act 1974 to deal with noise from premises which they consider amounts to a nuisance. In this case, noise also includes vibration.
Private sector landlords have powers to raise proceedings to recover possession of their houses under section 11 of, and schedule 2 to, the Rent (Scotland) Act 1984 and section 18 of, and schedule 5 to, the Housing (Scotland) Act 1988. Private sector leases may also contain a condition under which the tenant agrees not to
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cause nuisance or annoyance to neighbours, and I believe that such conditions are common.Owner-occupiers can go to court to seek an interdict against a nuisance beginning or continuing, and damages where they have incurred loss.
On 22 February, the Scottish Office published a good practice note on tenancy management which described the legal and management remedies which are available to landlords to deal with problems arising from anti-social behaviour. I also announced on 22 February the award of a grant to the Chartered Institute of Housing to undertake research into current practice in dealing with anti-social behaviour and to identify examples of good practice among public sector landlords.
On 3 March, I announced that we would be consulting widely on a proposal which has been put to me, in the context of anti-social behaviour, for probationary tenancies. I expect to seek views on this in the near future. In making this announcement, I made it clear that I retain an open mind on action which might be required to help to deal with anti-social behaviour.
Farm Conservation Grants
Sir David Steel: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) how many farm conservation plans, so far approved in the Shetland Islands environmentally sensitive area scheme, involve payments in the (a) £0 to £1,000, (b) £1,001 to £2,000, (c) £2,001 to £3, 000, (d) £3,001 to £4,000 and (e) £4,001 to £5,000 bands; (2) how many farm conservation plans, so far approved in the Cairngorm Straths islands environmentally sensitive area scheme, involve payments in the (a) £0 to £1,000, (b) £1,001 to £2,000, (c) £2,001 to £3,000, (d) £3,001 to £4,000 and (e) £4,001 to £5, 000 bands;
(3) how many farm conservation plans, so far approved in the Argyll islands environmentally sensitive area scheme, involve payments in the (a) £0 to £1,000, (b) £1,001 to £2,000, (c) £2,001 to £3, 000, (d) £3,001 to £4,000 and (e) £4,001 to £5,000 bands.
Mr. Lang: The information, in the format requested, based on the total payments scheduled in each five-year farm or croft conservation plan is set out in the table:
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|(a) |(b) |(c) |(d) |(e) |(f)
|£0-£1,000 |£1,001-£2,000 |£2,001-£3,000 |£3,001-£4,000 |£4,001-£5,000 |£5,001 and over
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Shetlands Islands |- |- |1 |1 |- |7
Cairngorms Straths |- |- |1 |- |- |9
Argyll Islands |- |- |- |- |- |13
Opencast Coal Mining
Mr. Home Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list (a) all existing opencast coal sites in Scotland, (b) all sites for which planning consent has been granted and (c) any further sites which are either subject to planning applications or which have otherwise been drawn to the attention of his Department.
Mr. Kynoch: The information requested is as follows:
(a) Existing opencast coal mining sites in Scotland, by region; Central
Auchengean West
Blackrig
Fencehillhead
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GreyriggLadywell
Lower Redbrae
Saline Park Wood
South Roughcastle
Dumfries and Galloway
Crawick
Fife
Braehead
Cairncubie
Cotton Farm
Halbeath
Mooreland
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