| Previous Section | Home Page |
Column 234
Proposed directive on unit pricing: orientation debate.Proposed directive on markings appearing on the labelling of foodstuffs.
Proposed directive on guarantees for consumer goods: Commission presentation.
Access to justice: Commission presentation.
Consumer education: Council resolution.
Commission action plan on consumer protection and information 1995 1999: Commission presentation.
Commission report on the implementation of the Council Directive on consumer credit: Council conclusions.
Advertising products and services attributing health benefits (miracle products): Council resolution.
Monday/Tuesday 13 14 November, Agriculture Council agenda Legislative changes to maximum residue limit Directives (possible).
Feeding stuffs (possible).
Meat products (possible).
Set-aside.
Reform of the fruit and vegetable regime.
Reform of the rice regime.
Wednesday 15 November, Fisheries Council
Likelihood that it will be cancelled but if it goes ahead it will deal with the annual price and market regime proposals.
Friday 17 November, Budget Council Agenda
Second reading of the 1996 draft budget.
Monday 20 November, Culture Council and Foreign Affairs Council Agendas not yet available.
Thursday 23 November, Internal Market Council
Agenda not yet available but likely to include inter alia : Functioning of the internal market (Commission report). Citizens First (open debate).
Molitor Report (follow up).
Joint meeting with Central and Eastern Europeans (over lunch). Pressure equipment (common position--possible A point).
Customs 2000 (common position).
Public procurement (state of progress/orientation debate). Tourism statistics directive (adoption).
Motorcycle multichapter directive (common position--possible A point).
Flavourings.
Food for particular nutritional uses (PARNUTS).
Minerals waters.
Amendment to labelling Directive (poss).
Thursday/Friday 23 24 November, Justice Council
Agenda not yet available.
Monday 27 November, ECOFIN Council Agenda
Cross Border Credit Transfers (probable A point).
Preparation of Stage 3 of EMU.
Employment policy--preparation of Madrid European Council. Multilateral surveillance.
Fraud: reports from Member States--preparation of Madrid European Council.
Loan Guarantee Fund (possible).
Bank Winding Up Directive (possible).
Monday 27 November, Telecoms Council Agenda--
Expected Agenda:
Directive on Interconnection--orientation debate.
Column 235
Draft Article 90 Commission Directives amending Directive 90/388/EEC (a) with regard to mobile and personal communications and (b) regarding the implementation of full competition in telecoms markets--debate and possible Council conclusions.Directive on application of ONP (Open Network Provision) to voice telephony --final adoption (possible).
Directive on Data Protection in telecoms sector--common position (possible).
Decision on Data Protection in telecoms sector--common position (possible).
Decision on a series of guidelines for trans-European telecommunications networks--common position.
Decision on INFO 2000 programme concerning multimedia content--common position (possible).
Directive on development of Community postal services--orientation debate or political agreement.
WTO discussions--Commission oral report.
Thursday 30 November, Health Council
Agenda not yet available.
Nuclear Tests, Pitcairn Islands
Mr. Tony Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what (a) health and (b) environmental studies have been carried out on the residents of the Pitcairn islands and their habitat to assess potential radiological impact from atmospheric and underground nuclear testing in the Pacific region. [40199]
Mr. David Davis: No specific studies have been carried out. The resident nurse has reported that the Pitcairn islanders are in good health. The Sir Peter Scott commemorative expedition, which visited the Pitcairn islands in 1991 92, reported no environmental problems as a result of nuclear testing. We do not believe that the current programme of French nuclear tests, which are being carried out underground, should cause any danger to the inhabitants of Pitcairn.
French Nuclear Tests
Mr. Tony Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what consideration he has given to invoking article 142 of the Euratom treaty in order to bring infringement proceedings before the European Court of Justice against the government of France in respect of its nuclear testing
programme. [40201]
Mr. David Davis: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Blaenau Gwent (Mr. Smith) on 20 October 1995 Official Report , column 264 .
Mr. Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps the Government (a) have taken and (b) are considering taking to protect the residents of the Pitcairn islands from the potential environmental effects of French nuclear testing at Mururoa and Fangatafau. [40196]
Mr. Davis: I refer the hon. Member to the answer which I gave the hon. Member for Linlithgow (Mr. Dalyell) on 16 October 1995 Official Report , column 18 .
Mr. Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what consultation has taken place with the residents of the Pitcairn islands on French nuclear testing in the Pacific. [40198]
Column 236
Mr. Davis: The governor's office in Wellington is in regular contact with the Pitcairn island council on a range of matters. The council has not expressed any concern about French nuclear testing.
Mr. Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what scientific analysis has been carried out by his Department on the environmental effects of the French nuclear testing programme in the Pacific. [40200]
Mr. Davis: None. The French Government have given an assurance that the tests will cause no harm to the environment, and have invited experts to visit the area in order to verify this for themselves.
Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting
Mr. Gapes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what are Her Majesty's Government's priorities at the forthcoming Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting. [40023]
Mr. Hanley: The Government's priorities are: to promote the fulfilment of the principles embodied in the Harare declaration, including a return to civilian democratic rule in all member states; to promote good government; to support reform of the United Nations and international financial institutions; and to secure a commitment for increased collective Commonwealth action against serious crime, in particular drug trafficking and money laundering.
Mr. Gapes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what priority Her Majesty's Government give to strengthening the Harare declaration at the Auckland Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting. [40025]
Mr. Hanley: The Harare declaration has become a reference point for good government principles in the Commonwealth. High priority will be given at Auckland to encouraging all member states to adhere to the principles it embodies.
Mr. Gapes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will place in the Library a copy of the letter from the Prime Minister to the Prime Minister of New Zealand setting out Her Majesty's Government's priorities for the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting. [40024]
Mr. Hanley: My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister has not written to the Prime Minister of New Zealand setting out the Government's priorities for the forthcoming Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting.
Mr. Gapes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what proposals he has for Commonwealth initiatives to support human rights and democracy. [40028]
Mr. Hanley: The Commonwealth Secretary-General has proposed that within the theme for the Auckland Heads of Government meeting in November-- "Fulfilling the Harare Declaration"--a prime focus should be "Advancing Fundamental Political Values". My right hon.
Column 237
Friend the Prime Minister will take an active role in formulating practical proposals under this heading.Human Rights (Zimbabwe)
Mr. John D. Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations have been made recently to the Zimbabwean Government regarding human rights abuses in that country. [39924]
Mr. Hanley: We have not made any such representations recently to the Government of Zimbabwe.
SOCIAL SECURITY
Travel Services
Mr. Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what was the total cost of travel administered through DSS travel services in the last three financial years; which company is currently operating the DSS travel service; and what target savings for the current year the present operator has been asked to meet. [39332]
Mr. Burt: The information is in the table:
|Amount
Year |£
------------------------------
1993-94 |3,895,339
1994-95 |4,764,841
Information for earlier periods is not available.
Carlson Wagonlit is contracted to deliver travel services. The contract does not provide for specific savings targets. All travel costs are discounted under its terms, with the contractor required always to offer the lowest published fare.
Departmental Work
Mr. Pawsey: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will make a statement on the work of his Department since 1990. [38072]
Mr. Burt: We have a clear strategy for social security. The principal objectives are to focus benefit on the most needy, to encourage personal responsibility, to improve incentives to work and save, to bear down on fraud and abuse and to ensure that the system does not outstrip the nation's ability to pay. Social security has cost £440 billion in real terms since 1990 and provides one of the most comprehensive safety nets in the EU.
The Department has focused benefit on those who need it most. Disability living allowance was introduced in April 1992. Expenditure on help for customers below pension age with care and mobility needs has increased by more than 50 per cent. in real terms since 1992. In addition, the Disability Discrimination Bill will ensure that disabled people are not discriminated against in the workplace or when seeking access to goods and services.
Column 238
Incapacity benefit, which replaced sickness benefit and invalidity benefit on 13 April this year, provides a better targeted and more affordable system of provision. A more objective medical test will focus help on those genuinely incapable of work because of their medical condition.The Department has encouraged personal responsibility and the Pensions Act 1995 encourages increased self-provision. Pensioners in all income groups have seen their income rise since 1979 and on average are 50 per cent. better off. About 88 per cent. of recently retired pensioners have incomes other than state benefits. The UK is the largest investor in private pensions in the EU, with more assets invested in pension funds than the rest of the EU put together. In 1993, the Child Support Agency was launched to implement the Child Support Act 1991 and to operate the new system of child maintenance for parents who live apart. The new Child Support Act 1995 includes wide-ranging improvements to the scheme which will be fairer, improve service and ensure maintenance is paid regularly. This year the Child Support Agency is on track to collect or arrange £300 million in maintenance and achieve a reduction in the bill to the taxpayer of £1.4 billion since its launch.
The Department has improved incentives to work and save. Reforms since 1988 have significantly alleviated the unemployment trap, where people are better off unemployed than working, and the poverty trap, where net income falls even though wages go up. We will reinforce incentives as result of the Jobseekers Act 1995. This country has pioneered the use of in-work benefits. Family credit expenditure has helped to boost earnings for families on low income, and over 5.2 million awards have been made since 1990. We have announced plans for the first ever pilot of a benefit, earnings top-up, for low-earning single people and couples without children.
To bear down on fraud and abuse the Benefits Agency has developed a security strategy ensuring that the right money is paid to the right person at the right time and has delivered fraud savings of record £706.8 million in 1994 95 against a target of £654 million. The Department has a proud record of efficiency, particularly following the establishment of agencies, where 97 per cent. of our staff now work. Agencies have consistently met or exceeded efficiency targets, resulting in savings of over £500 million being made over the last five years. In the Benefits Agency, output per member of staff has increased by 26.4 per cent. since 1989 90. Further efficiencies will be delivered through the Department's plan to apply an extensive and innovative range of efficiency techniques over the next three years.
The Department is at the forefront of public sector management and service delivery. Nineteen offices of the Benefits Agency have been awarded the charter mark. The Benefits Agency achieved an 84 per cent. satisfaction level of an independent and comprehensive customer survey in 1993 94, an increase on the previous year. The Information Technology Services Agency achieved the international standard for quality accreditation for the whole of its business in 1994. ITSA was one of the first next steps agencies to achieve such recognition for all areas of its business.
Column 239
Under the Government's private finance initiative, the Contributions Agency has awarded the contract for the development and operation of the replacement national insurance recording system. This was the first major IT contract to be awarded under PFI. Work is also progressing on plans to automate payment of benefit at post offices. The Benefits Agency aims to start issuing benefit payment cards during 1996. Full roll-out of the card will take two to three years and will be funded under PFI; a procurement exercise is now under way.Over the last several years we have undertaken many measures that have reduced the burdens on business. These include simplifying the rules and requirements of statutory sick pay and introducing from April 1996 a national insurance holiday to encourage employers to take on employees who have been unemployed for two years or more. We have taken steps to align the tax and national insurance schemes wherever possible. The Contributions Agency, Inland Revenue and Customs and Excise have also established an extensive programme of work which will deliver real benefits for business in practical terms by reducing bureaucracy and duplicate handling.
By focusing help on those in need and encouraging personal responsibility we will achieve savings reaching £4 billion a year during the next Parliament, and more than three times that amount next century.
Disability Living Allowance
Mr. Redmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will consider holding centrally records of the number of applications for disability living allowance for babies, by Benefits Agency district area; and if he will make a statement. [39024]
Mr. Andrew Mitchell: The information is not available in the format referred to. However, figures are available on claims made for disability living allowance for children under the age of two. This information is held nationally. In addition, it is possible to provide details of awards made in these cases broken down by Benefits Agency district.
Statutory Pay
Mr. Kevin Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) what was the annual was the annual cost of statutory sick pay for 1979 80; and what has been the cost in each subsequent year including 1994 95; [40090]
(2) what was the annual cost of statutory maternity pay for 1979 80; and what has been the cost in each subsequent year including 1994 95. [40089]
Mr. Heald: The information is in the table. The statutory sick pay and statutory maternity pay schemes were introduced in April 1983 and April 1987 respectively.
Statutory sick pay and statutory maternity pay:
government expenditure
£ million
|Statutory sick pay |Statutory maternity
|pay
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1983-84 |500 |0
1984-85 |508 |0
1985-86 |545 |0
1986-87 |757 |0
1987-88 |840 |193
1988-89 |898 |250
1989-90 |949 |286
1990-91 |941 |314
1991-92 |700 |345
1992-93 |683 |398
1993-94 |689 |420
1994-95 |25 |443
Source:
Figures have been taken from the Social Security Departmental Report March 1995
and earlier equivalents.
Notes:
(a) Expenditure is at cash price.
(b) 1994-95 figures are estimates.
Incapacity Benefit
Mr. Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many recipients of invalidity benefit have been found fit for work under the provisions of the Incapacity for Work Act 1994 since its implementation; how many new claimants for incapacity benefit have been found fit for work; how many medical tests to determine incapacity for work have been carried out; and how many appeals against the decision that a claimant is fit for work have (a) been heard and (b) are outstanding. [39288]
Mr. Burt: Information is not available in the format requested. It is not possible to provide separate figures for the number of ex-invalidity benefit recipients and new incapacity benefit claimants who have been found incapable for work under the provisions of the Incapacity for Work Act 1994. Available information is in the table.
,
|Numbers
--------------------------------------------
Medical examinations |<1>116,349
Found capable of work |<1>19,188
Appeals heard |89
Appeals outstanding |6,520
<1> This includes both all work test
examinations and own occupation test
examinations. All data is up to 30
September.
Family Credit
Mr. Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security on what evidence the estimate, in the explanatory memorandum on the Social Security (Persons from Abroad) Miscellaneous Amendment Regulations, that about 5,000 claims for family credit, disability benefits and invalid care allowance are made annually by persons from abroad, is based; and how many claims he estimates are made for each of the benefits. [40616]
Mr. Roger Evans: No systematic record is kept of claims made for benefits by persons from abroad. The estimate is based on an extrapolation across the relevant benefits of an analysis of child benefits claimants who came to the United Kingdom from abroad in 1994.
Column 241
| Next Section
| Home Page |