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Column 274
Sunderland NorthSwansea
Thames North (Scarborough St.)
Torbay
Tunbridge Wells
Wakefield
Wallasey
Walthamstow
Warrington
Watford
Wellingborough
West Bromwich
Weymouth
Wigan
Wolverhampton North
Wood Green
Woolwich
Worcester
Workington
Wrexham
York
Disclosure of Information
Mr. Rooker: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list the matters which staff of his Department are precluded by employment conditions from discussing with their Member of Parliament. [37101]
Mr. Burt: The rules of the disclosure of information by civil servants are set out in the civil service management code, a copy of which is in the Library. Additionally, staff in his Department are prohibited by the Social Security Administration Act 1992 from disclosing, without lawful authority, any information relating to individuals which they have acquired during the course of their employment and which has not officially been made public.
Unemployment Benefits
Dr. Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what regulations apply in the case of those claimants who are deemed to be capable of some work as a result of the all-work test and have been continuously employed for two years or more. [37028]
Mr. Roger Evans: Claimants who are capable of some work and claim unemployment benefit have to satisfy the normal conditions for receipt, including the need to be available for and actively seek work. Claimants are allowed to restrict their availability if the restrictions are reasonable in view of their physical or mental condition. They need not relinquish their contract of employment in order to be unemployed, provided no earnings or retention fees are received, no work is done and there is no obligation to remain at the employer's disposal.
Travel Allowances
Dr. Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of States for Social Security if he will list the total cost of travel expenses claimed by civil servants using their own vehicles for official business in each of the last five years
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in his Department; and what would have been the saving in the last year if the maximum rate that could be claimed was set at the lowest rate. [36620]Mr. Burt: The information is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Dr. Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what rates of travel allowance may be claimed by civil servants in his Department when using their own vehicles for official
business. [36619]
Mr. Burt: The information is in the table.
DSS mileage allowances Part 1-Standard rate mileage allowances Engine capacity (cc) |Up to 1500 |Over 1500 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (1) Motor cars Rate per mile for the first 5,000 miles |34p |43p Rate for each mile beyond 5,000 miles |19p |23p
Engine capacity (cc) |Up to 125 |Over 125
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(2) Motor cycles
Rate per mile for the first 4,000 miles
(a) third party insurance |14.6p |22.1p
(b) comprehensive insurance |16.2p |25.3p
Rate for each mile beyond 4,000 miles |6.1p |9.0p
(3) Official passenger and equipment supplements ------------------------------------------------------ First passenger |2p per mile Each additional passenger |1p per mile Equipment |2p per mile
Part 2--Public transport rate allowances (third party insurance cover)
(1) Motor cars
Up to 1500cc: 19p per mile
Over 1500 cc: 23p per mile
(2) Official passenger supplement
First passenger: 2p per mile
Each additional passenger: 1p per mile
Part 3--Pedal cycle rate
6p per mile
Housing Benefit
Mr. Harry Greenway: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what housing benefit exists in each EU country; and if he will make a statement. [36417]
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Mr. Roger Evans: Information currently available on EU countries is as follows :
Austria:
The federal provinces provide social assistance payments to cover some or all of the costs of public or private rented housing and associated heating costs.
Belgium
There is no separate, generalised system of housing benefit. Some social assistance payments may include a supplementary allowance towards housing costs.
Denmark:
A housing allowance is payable to those on low incomes and social assistance to meet housing costs above a level determined by the family circumstances of the claimant.
Finland:
The social assistance allowance may include a supplementary element the level of which is at the discretion of the local welfare office, to cover reasonable housing costs. Besides social assistance there are three income- related schemes paying housing allowances to people on low incomes, pensioners and students. Allowances may be granted for both owned and rented accommodation and may cover up to 80 per cent. of housing costs. Those in receipt of social assistance may receive additional help to meet the remaining 20 per cent. of costs.
France:
Income-related housing benefits are available to assist with mortgage interest payments and rents in social and private rented accommodation.
Germany:
Those claiming social assistance receive supplementary amounts to cover reasonable housing costs. Owner occupiers may receive payments of mortgage interest up to a specified level which varies according to local circumstances and, if they have no realisable savings, loans to cover capital repayments. An income-related housing benefit is payable to those living in private or social rented housing and to owner occupiers.
Greece:
Housing benefit is available to those aged over 65 without social insurance cover and whose only resources are the minimum pension allowance. The benefit covers rents in the private sector only and is paid directly to landlords.
Ireland:
Rent and mortgage supplements are available under the supplementary welfare allowance schemes. Rent supplements may be paid to people in privately rented housing and social housing provided by voluntary housing associations. Mortgage supplements to cover mortgage interest payments only may be paid to owner-occupiers. Italy:
There is no housing benefit scheme.
Luxembourg:
Rent allowances, based on the difference between gross rent and 10 per cent. of the amount of the main income support
benefit--RMG--payable to the claimant, up to a fixed monthly maximum are available as part of the RMG.
Netherlands:
A means-tested housing benefit is available to those claiming General Assistance whose rent or mortgage interest is above as specified level and below a set limit. The benefit is only available for flats and houses: people renting a single room are not eligible. Where the rent or mortgage interest is higher than the specified ceiling, a temporary housing cost supplement may be paid through general assistance.
Portugal:
A means-tested housing allowance is available for those in public, social and private rented housing. An emergency housing benefit is available for those in sudden need as a result of a death, unemployment or invalidity.
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Spain:There is no system of housing benefit. Discretionary one-off payments may be made to assist with housing costs in cases of particular need.
Sweden:
There are three forms of housing assistance: (i) people on social assistance may have reasonable housing costs (rent or mortgage interest) added to the social assistance standard from which their level of benefit is calculated; (ii) a general housing benefit, the level of which is dependent on the composition of the household, the income of the household and the cost of the accommodation, and which is counted as income when calculating social assistance; (iii) for pensioners, an income tested housing supplement, the level of which varies between municipalities.
Note:
1. International comparisons of housing benefit are complex and should be treated with caution. In many countries help with housing costs differs from that in the UK because of their different social, cultural and economic traditions and circumstances, including different social security and taxation systems and different emphasis on bricks-and-mortar subsidies as opposed to personal subsidies. In addition, housing standards and housing costs vary considerably, both between and within countries, and in some countries housing benefits form part of the system of social assistance.
Mr. Greenway: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will bring forward proposals to equalise the subsidy effect of housing benefit between landlords with protected tenants and other landlords; and if he will make a statement. [36785]
Mr. Evans: We have no plans to introduce changes to the current arrangements for subsidising local authorities' housing benefit expenditure for rent allowances paid in respect of protected tenancies or other tenancies.
War Pensions (Nuclear Test Veterans)
Mr. Rooker: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what benefits are available to ex-service personnel accepted by the War Pensions Agency as suffering chromosome damage attributable to service. [37504]
Mr. Heald: War disablement pensions or gratuities may be awarded to ex-service personnel for any disablement which is attributable to service in the Armed Forces.
The amount payable depends upon the medically assessed degree of disablement.
Supplementary allowances may be payable in addition to the basic pension or gratuity.
Mr. Rooker: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many of the service personnel involved in the British nuclear test programme have been found to be suffering from chromosome damage attributable to service. [37505]
Mr. Heald: A pensions appeal tribunal has found, in one particular case, a claimant to be suffering from chromosome damage attributable to service.
The Secretary of State has applied for leave to appeal to the High Court on the ground that the tribunal's decision is wrong in law.
Mr. Rooker: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many war pensions have been awarded in (a) 1980 to 1985, (b) 1986 to 1990 and (c) 1991 to 1995 to ex-service personnel as a result of injury or medical conditions attributable to participation in the British
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nuclear test programmes in Australia and the South Pacific. [37506]Mr. Heald: The information in the table relates to war disablement pensions or gratuities awarded to ex-service personnel who, during their career, participated in the British nuclear weapons tests programme. These records do not specify whether the accepted injuries or other medical condition are related to service at the test sites or to some other period of service.
Period |Number of awards --------------------------------------------------- 1980 to 1985 |1 1986 to 1990 |4 1991 to 1995 |289
TREASURY
Income Tax
Mr. Rooker: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the total cost of tax-free allowances and other tax breaks to individuals; and if he will indicate the proportion of income tax which would not need to be levied if the allowances and breaks were not in place. [37073]
Mr. Jack: This depends on what the hon. Member considers a "tax break". Table 1.6 of Inland Revenue Statistics 1995, a copy of which can be found in the Library, shows the estimated cost of allowances, tax expenditures and structural reliefs against income tax. A tax system without allowances, which charges tax from the first £1 of income would bring many more people into tax, including 7 million pensioners and the unemployed.
EC Budget Council
Mr. Matthew Banks: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement about the EC Budget Council meeting held on 24 July. [37743]
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory: I represented the United Kingdom at the Budget Council on 24 July. The Council considered that Commission's preliminary draft budget for 1996. The draft budget established by the Council totalled 86.0 billion ecu or £71.8 billion in commitment appropriations and 81.4 billion ecu or £67.9 billion in payment appropriations. The draft budget would require own resources totalling 1.1885 per cent. of Community gross national product, compared with the existing own resources ceiling of 1.20 per cent. of Community GNP. The draft budget is within the financial perspective ceilings.
The Council also discussed a proposal by the French for an increase in transport Trans-European Networks of 100 mecu or £83.4 million. The Council agreed to accept an increase of 50 mecu or £41.7 million, with the United Kingdom and the Netherlands voting against. No other formal votes were taken.
The summary table compares the outcome of the Budget Council with the proposals in the Commission's amended preliminary draft budget by reference to the financial perspective ceilings.
Financial Preliminary draft Budget Council
Perspective
Expenditure budget<2> draft budget
ceilings<1>
|mecu |£ million|mecu |£ million|mecu |£ million
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commitment appropriations
1. Common agricultural policy |40,828 |34,069 |40,828 |34,069 |40,828 |34,069
2. Structural operations |29,131 |24,308 |29,131 |24,308 |29,131 |23,308
3. Internal policies |5,337 |4,453 |5,267 |4,395 |5,082 |4,241
4. External action |5,264 |4,393 |5,157 |4,303 |5,104 |4,259
5. Administrative expenditure |4,191 |3,497 |4,132 |3,448 |4,022 |3,356
6. Reserves |1,152 |961 |1,152 |961 |1,152 |961
7. Compensation |701 |585 |701 |585 |701 |585
Total Commitments |86,604 |72,267 |86,368 |72,069 |86,020 |71,779
Total payment appropriations |82,192 |68,685 |82,015 |68,437 |81,360 |67,890
<1> Throughout this reply the rate of £1=1.1984 ecu has been used-the rate notified in the Official
Journal as prevailing on the last working day of last month, 29 September.
<2> As amended in letter of amendment No. 1 from the figure which appeared in the Commission's
overview of the PDB for 1996 to take account of the higher bid for agriculture under category 1.
Note:
Further information is contained in the explanatory memorandum 9145/95 on the draft budget, which
was deposited to Parliament on 5 October.
The European Parliament will consider the draft budget for 1996 at its plenary in October. The Parliament's amendments and modifications will be considered at the Second Budget Council in November. The European Parliament's Second Reading is likely to be in mid-December.
DUCHY OF LANCASTER
Engagements
Mr. Hain: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister (1) if he will list the meetings he attended and the people he met on (a) Wednesday 19 July, (b) Tuesday 18 July and (c) Monday 17 July; [36758]
(2) if he will list his engagements for the first two weeks of October. [37625]
The Deputy Prime Minister: On each day, I had a number of meetings with ministerial colleagues and others.
Mr. Hain: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister (1) if he will list his engagements for August; [37623]
(2) if he will list his engagements for September. [37624]
The Deputy Prime Minister: On those days when I was in the office, I had a number of meetings with ministerial colleagues and others.
HEALTH
Winter Mortality
Mrs. Beckett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information is held by his Department on excess winter deaths in (a) countries of the European Union and (b) other G7 countries over the last 10 years; what is the average temperature in the relevant four-month period in each of these countries; and if he will set out the information showing excess winter mortality in numerical and percentage terms. [37313]
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Mr. Sackville: Information is not available centrally on either excess winter deaths or temperature in other countries. Data on temperature in England and Wales is held by the Meteorological Office and is a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence.
The table shows excess winter mortality in England and Wales over the last 10 years.
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