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General Practitioner Lists

Mr. Barry Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many patients were removed from the treatment lists of their general practitioners in 1990 and in each of the succeeding years.

Mr. Richards: The information is not available centrally.

Mr. Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what consultations he has had with the chairmen of (a) the Welsh Health Common Services Authority and (b) the Cardiff Bay development corporation concerning the repayment of part of the grant paid to Grosvenor Waterside plc for the development of Crickhowell house in cognisance of (i) roof leaks, (ii) wall leaks, (iii) window leaks and (iv) basement leaks in Crickhowell house; and what notification his Department has had of negotiations in relation to such building defects.

Mr. Redwood: None. Any building defect is a matter for Grosvenor Waterside to resolve with the parties responsible for the design and construction of the building.

Crown Buildings

Mr. Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement on the installation work being


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carried out in that section of the Crown Buildings, Cathays park occupied by the information technology branch of NCM Ltd. prior to its transfer to Llanishen.

Mr. Redwood: NCM is carrying out some preparatory work for its move from Cathays park.

Cash Limits

Mr. Sweeney: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what proposals he has for changes to the local authority

capital--WO/LACAP--and Housing for Wales--WO/HFW--cash limits for his Department in the current financial year.

Mr. Redwood: The cash limit for WO/LACAP will be reduced by £5,437,000 from £490,215,000 to £484,778,000 and the cash limit for WO/HFW will be increased correspondingly by £5,437,000 from £120,740,000 to £126,177,000.

These changes reflect a transfer a provision from local authorities to Housing for Wales which enables housing associations to provide additional housing units.

SOCIAL SECURITY

Internal Fraud

Mr. Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security pursuant to his answer of 22nd February, Official Report, column 245, if he will give details of the charges made against the 16 staff of his Department prosecuted for fraud and the outcome of the legal actions.

Mr. Arbuthnot: Since 1 April 1994, 34 staff have been prosecuted for matters relating to benefit fraud. The charges and results of the prosecutions are:


Case                                |Charges                            |Outcome                                                                

No.                                                                                                                                             

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1                                   |Theft and deception                |Awaiting trial                                                         

2                                   |Deception                          |Awaiting trial                                                         

3                                   |Deception                          |Awaiting trial                                                         

4                                   |Deception                          |Warrant out for arrest                                                 

5                                   |Deception                          |Awaiting trial                                                         

6                                   |Deception                          |Awaiting trial                                                         

7                                   |Deception                          |Adjourned                                                              

8                                   |Deception                          |Final hearing awaited                                                  

9                                   |Deception                          |Awaiting trial                                                         

10                                  |Deception                          |Warrant out for arrest                                                 

11                                  |Deception                          |Conditional discharge                                                  

12                                  |Deception                          |Awaiting trial                                                         

13                                  |Deception                          |£110 fine and £120 costs                                               

14                                  |Conspiracy to defraud              |Awaiting trial                                                         

15                                  |Aiding and Abetting                |£150 fine and £30 costs                                                

16                                  |Conspiracy to defraud              |Awaiting trial                                                         

17                                  |Conspiracy to defraud              |Awaiting trial                                                         

18                                  |Conspiracy to defraud              |Discharged                                                             

19                                  |Conspiracy to defraud              |Awaiting trial                                                         

20                                  |Conspiracy to defraud              |Awaiting trial                                                         

21                                  |Conspiracy to defraud              |Awaiting trial                                                         

22                                  |Conspiracy to defraud              |Awaiting trial                                                         

23                                  |Conspiracy to defraud              |Awaiting trial                                                         

24                                  |Conspiracy to defraud              |Two years imprisonment                                                 

25                                  |Conspiracy to defraud              |Adjourned                                                              

26                                  |Conspiracy to defraud and deception|Awaiting trial                                                         

27                                  |Conspiracy to defraud              |Awaiting trial                                                         

28                                  |Conspiracy to defraud              |Awaiting trial                                                         

29                                  |Conspiracy to defraud              |Awaiting trial                                                         

30                                  |Conspiracy to defraud              |Awaiting trial                                                         

31                                  |Conspiracy to defraud              |Awaiting trial                                                         

32                                  |Conspiracy to defraud              |Awaiting trial                                                         

33                                  |Theft and deception                |9 months imprisonment                                                  

34                                  |Theft and false accounting         |Awaiting trial                                                         

Residential Care Homes

Sir Trevor Skeet: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) when he proposes to revise the fees available for retirement pensioners in residential homes to meet the actual costs of the accommodation and services provided;

(2) if he will identify his expectations of the liability of the state for retirement pensioners living in residential homes after their assets had run out in each year up to 2002;

(3) if he will estimate the additional cost to public funds at current rates, if his Department matched the real costs met by retirement pensioners in residential homes.

Mr. Roger Evans: I infer that these questions are about the higher levels of income support, which are available to people living in residential care and nursing homes on 31 March 1993 with preserved rights. These range between £194 and £262 for residential care homes and £290 and £325 for nursing homes with higher amounts available in London.

All income support limits are reviewed each year taking account of a variety of available information as well as representations from interested parties. Any extra help is targeted within available resources at specific groups where the need is greatest. All the limits will be increased in April. It has never been the intention to meet all fees, however high they may be set. That would be an unrealistic commitment.

We will continue to look carefully at these amounts each year as part of the uprating exercise. Any increases which result from that uprating will apply equally to people living in registered residential care homes on 31 March 1993 who were self-supporting at that time but who need to claim income support at a later date when their assets run out. Forecasts about the state's liability are not appropriate in these circumstances.

The estimated additional cost to public funds if the Department were the meet the full costs charged to people above pension age in residential care homes would be £56 million and for those in nursing homes £79 million. These figures are based on the February 1994 income support quarterly statistical inquiry, and reflect the limits in payment at that time. The figures assume that homeowners do not make further increases in charges.

Residential Care and Nursing Homes

Mr. Nigel Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what was the aggregate spending of his Department on residential and nursing home care in the financial year 1992-93.

Mr. Roger Evans: The estimated annual expenditure for those in residential care and nursing homes in receipt of income support including other social security pensions and benefits taken into account, for 1992-93 was £3.05 billion.


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Source:

Income Support Statistics Annual Enquiry, May 1992.

Expenditure (Water and Sewerage)

Mr. Nicholls: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the cost of his Department's expenditure on water and sewerage in (a) the current year and (b) each of the three previous years.

Mr. Hague: The information requested for the current year is available only for the period up to and including 31 January 1995.


Period                          |Departmental costs                   

----------------------------------------------------------------------

1 April 1991 to 31 March 1992   |2,788,734                            

1 April 1992 to 31 March 1993   |3,081,113                            

1 April 1993 to 31 March 1994   |2,852,609                            

1 April 1994 to 31 January 1995 |2,409,267                            

Mullahs

Mr. David Atkinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Secuirty if he will make a statement on the entitlement to benefits of Pakistani mullahs who have been issued visas to preach in mosques in the United Kingdom.

Mr. Roger Evans: Visiting mullahs are admitted to the United Kingdom under the immigration rules for up to six months as a visitor on the understanding that they do not become a charge on public funds. They are not entitled to income support, housing benefit or council tax benefit. They would not be entitled to contributory benefits because they would not have paid British national insurance contributions.

Benefits

Mr. Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what would be the cost and how many individuals would be successful in claims of (a) unemployment benefit, (b) sickness benefit and (c) invalidity benefit through qualification of sickness benefit if the pre-1988 contribution rules were re-established.

Mr. Hague [holding answer 3 March 1995]: The estimated cost and caseload increases of restoring the pre-1988 contribution conditions are given in the tables:


Table 1: Effects of restoration of pre-1988 National      

Insurance                                                 

contribution conditions on claims to and cost of          

unemployment                                              

benefit                                                   

                                                          

----------------------------------------------------------

Gross cost (£million)                       |115          

Net cost (£million)                         |20           

Increase in unemployment benefit recipients |45,000       

Notes:                                                    

The following assumptions have been made:                 

1. Costs have been rounded to the nearest £5 million and  

caseloads to the nearest 5,000.                           

2. Calculations are based on an unemployment benefit      

caseload of 500,000.                                      

3. Calculations have been based on data taken from the    

1992-93 National Insurance Recording System data-base,    

the 1993 Annual Statistical Enquiry and the 1990/91/92    

Family Expenditure Surveys, updated to 1994-95 prices and 

benefit levels.                                           

4. Some people who would satisfy revised contribution     

conditions may be disallowed, or disqualified for,        

unemployment benefit on other grounds (eg leaving work    

voluntarily, misconduct, compensation from an employer).  

5. The figures are an under-estimate as no allowance can  

be made for people who sign as unemployed for the first   

time as s result of the change in contribution            

conditions.                                               


Table 2: Effects of restoration of pre-1988 National Insurance        

contribution conditions on claims to and cost of incapacity benefit   

                                                                      

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Long-run gross cost (£ million)                       |500            

Long-run net cost (£ million)                         |100            

Estimated number of successful new Short-term (lower                  

  rate) Incapacity Benefit claims (per annum)         |50,000         

Long run increase in number of longer term Incapacity                 

  Benefit recipients                                  |100,000        

Notes:                                                                

1. "Longer term incapacity benefit" means those receiving short-term (

higher rate) and long-term incapacity benefit.                        

The following assumptions have been made:                             

1. Costs have been rounded to the nearest £50 million and caseloads   

to the nearest 50,000.                                                

2. Calculations have been based on data taken from the 1992-93        

National Insurance Recording System data-base, and the 1993 Annual    

Statistical Enquiry, uprated to 1994-95 prices and benefit levels.    

3. New entitlements come from either the current severe disablement   

allowance caseload or from those, registering as sick, who are less   

than 80 per cent. disabled and who currently have insufficient        

contributions.                                                        

4. Allowance has been made of the effect of the incapacity benefit    

changes and the expected effect of the new medical test on the        

long-term Incapacity Benefit caseload.                                

5. The new contribution conditions for the lower rate of short-term   

incapacity benefit are assumed to apply to long-term incapacity       

benefit. This means that all those who get lower rate of short-term   

incapacity benefit will move onto long-term incapacity benefit as     

long as their incapacity continues.                                   

6. The figures are an under-estimate as no allowance can be made for  

people registering as sick for the first time as a result of the      

change in the contribution conditions.                                

7. These estimates are highly uncertain and should be treated with    

extreme caution.                                                      

Social Fund

Mr. Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what was the net value after repayment of loans of the social fund budget for 1994 95; and what percentage this was of the net value of the social fund budget for 1988 89.

Mr. Roger Evans: The net value of the social fund discretionary budget in 1994 95 was £140 million. This is equivalent to 112 per cent. of the net social fund discretionary budget of £125 million for 1988 89.

The improved recovery of loans means that over this period the gross discretionary budget increased from £203 million to £368 million, an increase of over 81 per cent. The recycling of loans has allowed more people to get more help while protecting the public purse.

Child Support Agency

Mr. Pawsey: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the current total number of staff employed by the Child Support Agency.

Mr. Burt: I refer my hon. Friend to the reply given to the hon. Member for Glasgow, Garscadden (Mr. Dewar)


Column 697

by Miss Ann Chant, the chief executive on 7 March 1995, Official Report, column 165.

Appointments

Mr. David Shaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he intends to appoint a new chairman of the social security advisory committee.

Mr. Lilley: The current chairman of the social security advisory committee, Mr. Michael Bett, will be giving up his post following his appointment as First Civil Service Commissioner. He has agreed to continue as chairman until a suitable successor is found. I shall be advertising the post nationally.

Statutory Sick Pay

Mr. Chidgey: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the statutory sick pay entitlement for individuals undertaking the Government's youth training scheme.

Mr. Hague: For trainees who have employed status and are paid wages by their employer while on youth training, entitlement to statutory sick pay is assessed on the same basis as for any other employee employed under a contract of service. The remaining trainees, who have non-employed or self-employed status and receive a training allowance, are excluded from entitlement to SSP.

Mortgage Interest

Mr. Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many claimants received sums for income support for mortgage interest under the deserted partners rule allowing interest on normally ineligible loans to be paid to the remaining partner, in 1994 95 and in each of the five preceeding years;

(2) what was the average expenditure on income support for mortgage interest for each claimant who received a payment of income support for mortgage interest under the deserted partner rule in 1994 95 and in each year of the five preceeding years;

(3) what was the total expenditure on income support for mortgage interest under the deserted partner rule in 1994 95 and in each of the five preceeding years; and what percentage of total expenditure on income support for mortgage interest it represented in each of these years.

Mr. Roger Evans: The information collected on income support mortgage interest paid to claimants does not differentiate the amounts paid for otherwise ineligible loans. The information requested could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Habitual Residence Test

Mr. Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will make a statement on the methods by which his Department is monitoring the outcomes of the appeals made by British nationals who are refused income support because they have failed to satisfy the habitual residence test.

Mr. Roger Evans: The independent tribunal service identifies appeals according to the benefit involved at the appeals tribunal stage but does not categorise the reason for each appeal.


Column 698

School Meals

Mr. Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the estimated cost of extending access to free school meals to children whose parents are in receipt of family credit.

Mr. Roger Evans: Around £120 million a year.

Jobseeker's Allowance

Mr. Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if the back-to-work bonus under the jobseeker's allowance will affect claims for (a) family credit and (b) housing benefit.

Mr. Roger Evans: The back-to-work bonus will be treated as capital for the purposes of claims to income-related benefits. Bonus payments made to people who move from jobseeker's allowance or income support into work and claim family credit and housing benefit will be disregarded as capital for 52 weeks from date of receipt. Where a claimant returns to income-based jobseekers allowance or income support after claiming the bonus, the payment will be taken fully into account in assessing the claimant's capital resources. Any person qualifying for these benefits will continue to be entitled to maximum help with rent as now.

Housing Benefit

Mr. Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will publish a table showing the total cost to each local authority in England and Wales of making payments to housing benefit claimants under regulation 11 to the Housing Benefit General Regulations and in each year since 1988 89.

Mr. Roger Evans [holding answer 7 March 1995]: The available information has been placed in the Library.

Fraud

Mr. Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many officials of his Department in each of the last 30 years have been prosecuted for making fraudulent benefit claims.

Mr. Arbuthnot [pursuant to his reply, 22 February 1995, c. 245]: I regret that the information provided was incorrect. The correct information is as follows.

The figures requested are not available for any of the past 30 years. However, the Benefits Agency recently conducted a special survey to ascertain how many staff were prosecuted for benefit fraud, including instrument of payment fraud and benefit fraud where the member of staff was involved in fraudulent benefit claims by others, since 1 April 1994. There were 34 such prosecutions.

HEALTH

Water and Sewerage

Mr. Nicholls: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the cost of her Department's expenditure on water and sewerage in (a) the current year and (b) each of the three previous years.

Mr. Sackville: Following the splitting of the Department of Health from the Department of Social


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Security, expenditure on water and sewerage was not separately recorded from expenditure on other utilities. Information for 1991 92 is therefore not available. Expenditure by the Department in subsequent years is shown in the table. The figures include expenditure by the Department's agencies with the exception of the NHS Estates agency. The landlord of the building occupied by NHS Estates levies a single, fixed service charge, and does not separately bill the agency for water and sewerage.

1992 93: £334,920

1993 94: £102,233

1994 95 : £66,120

This figure included overpayment in respect of the London estate, as a result of which expenditure in subsequent years has been reduced.

Year to date.

NHS Complaints

Dr. Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she now expects to announce the Government's response to the review of the national health service complaints system.

Mr. Malone: Shortly.

Mrs. Beckett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the number of complaints about the NHS in each of the last three years.

Mr. Malone: The latest information available about numbers of complaints about the national health service are shown in the tables. The rise can be attributed to the increase of patient awareness and confidence due to the patients charter.

Family Health Services: Number of complaints investigated formally :

1991: 2,205

1992: 1,974

1993: 2,520

Hospital Complaints :

1990 91: 37,350

1991 92: 51,130

1992 93: 58,443 Notes:

1. Information for 1994 for family health services will be available in the autumn, and will be contained in "Health and Personal Social Services Statistics", copies of which are routinely placed in the Library.

2. Information on hospital complaints for 1993 94 will be available shortly.

NHS Administration

Mr. David Nicholson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on any aspects of NHS administration that arise from the necessity to transfer an accident victim in Orpington to Leeds Royal infirmary.

Mr. Sackville: Responsibility for identifying health care needs rests with the local health authorities who, together with local providers, should ensure there is sufficient provision. The South Thames region of the national health service executive is conducting a full investigation.

Waiting Lists

Mr. Clelland: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information she has to indicate how widespread is the practice of consultants refusing to accept on to their


Column 700

waiting lists patients referred by GPs for non-urgent operations on the basis that this would extend the waiting lists beyond Government guidelines of acceptability.

Mr. Malone: None.

Sir John Gorst: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what are the present waiting lists for hospitals in the borough of Barnet; and if she will estimate what she expects them to be in 1997.

Mr. Malone: Barnet General and Edgware General hospitals are both managed by the Wellhouse national health service trust. At 30 September 1994, there were 5,671 patients waiting for in-patient or day case treatment at the trust, of whom none were waiting more than 18 months. I expect further progress to be made in reducing waiting times at the trust.

Solvent Abuse

Mr. Pike: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many deaths were caused by solvent abuse (a) in Lancashire, (b) in the north-west and (c) in the United Kingdom in respect of those aged (i) under 16, (ii) 16 to 24 and (iii) 25 years and over for the years 1990 to 1995.

Mr. Bowis: The information for the last five years available is shown in the table:


Age            |1990|1991|1992     

-----------------------------------

Lancashire                         

Under 16       |2   |0   |2        

16-24          |3   |1   |1        

25 + over      |0   |0   |0        

                                   

North West                         

Under 16       |6   |2   |5        

16-24          |9   |8   |8        

25 + over      |1   |3   |1        

                                   

United Kingdom                     

Under 16       |47  |44  |19       

16-24          |98  |55  |45       

25 + over      |6   |22  |15       

                                   

Total          |151 |121 |79       

London Ambulance Service

Mr. Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what price increase the London ambulance service is imposing for its emergency service; how much extra each London district health authority will have to pay; what choice they have about paying it; what considerations have caused the Government not to pay directly to rectify any problems in the emergency service in respect of the London ambulance service; and if she will make a statement.

Mr. Sackville: It is for district health authorities in London and the London ambulance service to agree contracts.

Private Patients

Mrs. Beckett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients were admitted to NHS trust hospitals directly from (a) private hospitals and (b) private beds in NHS hospitals.

Mr. Sackville: This information is not available centrally.


Column 701

Mrs. Beckett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many finished consultant episodes there were on private patients in NHS facilities in each of the last four years (a) in total, (b) by region and (c) by district health authority.

Mr. Sackville: The information requested in total and by region is published in "Hospital Episodes Statistics, Volume 1"; copies for the four latest years of published data to 1992 93 are available in the Library. The corresponding information by district health authority is not available centrally.

Mr. Alex Carlile: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the income from private patient activity in each NHS trust and directly managed unit for the last year for which figures are available.

Mr. Sackville: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave the right hon. Member for Derby, South (Mrs. Beckett) on 13 January, columns 267 68.

Statistics

Mrs. Beckett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to her answer of 24 February, Official Report , columns 355-56 , if she will list the health statistics in the categories in the answer for the top five district health authorities or family health service authorities as appropriate .

Mr. Sackville: The information is shown in the table.

a) the five district health authorities with the highest crude birth rates in 1993 were:


=

                     |Crude birth rate<1>                    

-------------------------------------------------------------

East London and City |19.3                                   

West Birmingham      |18.2                                   

East Birmingham      |17.9                                   

North Manchester     |17.3                                   

South East London    |16.7                                   

                                                             

England              |13.1                                   

<1> Number of births per 1,000 population of all ages.       

b) The five local authority areas in England with the highest number of notifications of tuberculosis in 1993 were:


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