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Institutional Discrimination

Dr. Godman: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security when he expects to be able to reply to the question from the hon. Member for Greenock and Port Glasgow of 22 November relating to institutional discrimination listed by his Department between men and women for social security benefit purposes. [9178]

Mr. Andrew Mitchell: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 11 January, Official Report, column 326.

Funeral Payments

Mr. Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what plans he has to increase the limit which currently applies to the funeral payment from the social fund towards funeral director's fees. [8584]

Mr. Roger Evans: Like other social fund payments, funeral payments are not subject to the annual uprating of income-related benefits. However, we keep the level of

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all social fund payments, including the ceiling placed on the amount allowable for funeral directors' fees, under review.

Mr. Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) what assessment he has made of the average cost for the services of funeral directors when calculating the limit which applies to funeral payments from the social fund; [8588]

Mr. Evans: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State the hon. Member for Gedling (Mr. Mitchell) to the hon. Member for Clydebank and Milngavie (Mr. Worthington) on 9 January 1995, Official Report, columns 160-61.

Mr. Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what changes have been made to the limit on the amount payable from the social fund for funeral payments toward funeral directors' fees in the last 10 years. [8583]

Mr. Evans: From 1980 to 1987, supplementary benefit single payments regulations provided for payment of an unlimited amount sufficient to meet the reasonable cost of any specified essential expenses for the funeral director's fees which fell to be met by the responsible person. This provision was carried forward to the social fund in 1987 and remained unchanged until 5 June 1995, when a ceiling of £500 on the amount allowable for specified funeral directors' fees for a dignified social fund funeral was introduced.

Divorce

Mr. Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is his estimate of the net cost to the public purse of (a) earmarking and (b) pension-splitting, in the event of divorce; and what are the main component parts of the costs. [9481]

Mr. Andrew Mitchell: The information is in the table.

There would also be extra administration costs for public service schemes. If the state earnings-related pension scheme was spilt, this would result in additional costs.

My hon. Friend the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department, will reply in writing in respect of the legal aid and court costs of both earmarking and pension splitting in the year 2020 as the information is not immediately available.

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£ million

Earmarking Pension-splitting
1997202019972020
Costs to unfunded public service schemes00500less than 50
Loss in tax revenue and increased tax relief00negligible80
Income related benefitsnegligible-50negligible-70
Legal Aid and court costsup to 130n/aup to 120n/a

1. Costs to unfunded public service schemes are rounded to the nearest £100 million in 1997.

2. All other costs are rounded to ther nearest £10 million.

3. A minus sign denotes a saving to the Exchequer.

4. Estimates are for full year costs, at constant prices.

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Disability Discrimination Act 1995

Mr. McMaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what guidance he intends to issue to (a) Departments, (b) executive agencies, (c) non-departmental public bodies and (d) outside bodies and arm's-length organisations which he has responsibility for, or an interest in, regarding the implementation of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995; and if he will make a statement. [9227]

Mr. Burt: A brief guide to the Disability Discrimination Act was issued in November 1995 and further information material on the provisions of the Act will follow. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Education and Employment is currently consulting on a draft code of practice relating to the employment provisions in the Act and statutory guidance related to the definition of disability. Consultation on proposals for regulations under the education, employment and definition provisions of the Act is also currently under way. I will be asking the National Disability Council, when it first meets, to produce and consult on a code of practice relating to the rights of access to goods and services. At the same time, we shall consult on associated regulations. All these items will be published in plenty of time to allow employers and service providers to prepare themselves for the introduction of the new rights and duties. We will ensure that this Department and any bodies for which it is responsible will be made aware of their responsibilities under the Act.

DEFENCE

Former Yugoslavia (Vessels)

Mr. David Porter: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the names and tonnage of all British-registered ships hired for NATO/UN operations in the former Yugoslavia and the names and tonnage of all non-British vessels with their country of registration; and if he will make a statement. [7767]

Mr. Soames: The names, tonnages and country of registration of (dry cargo) vessels chartered, are as follows. Details are given by financial year.

Non-British vessels chartered for NATO/UN operations in former Yugoslavia

NameTonnage (dwt)Flag
FY 1992-93
Bassro Star5,586Norwegian
Belvaux5,064Luxembourg
Maersk Kent12,788Bahamas
Maria J6,028German
Via Tirreno7,324Italian
Mercandian Duke7,200Danish
Nornews Service3,930Norwegian
Rheiderland3,936German
Rosa Dan14,000Danish
Santa Maria3,670German
Sea Bird4,270Danish
Sophie3,217Danish
FY 1993-94
Mercandian Duke7,200Danish
Belvaux5,064Luxembourg
Nornews Service3,930Norwegian
Arroyofrio Dos5,080Spanish
Alster Rapid2,515German
FY 1994-95
Alster Rapid2,515German
Bassro Star5,586Spanish
Mercandian Prince II7,200Danish
FY 1995-96 (up to 3 January 1996)
Neptune Olympic (Twice)7,200Greek
Mercandian Senator7,200Danish
Yuriy Maksaryov (Twice)17,773Ukranian

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None of these vessels is British registered. We charter on the international market through the Baltic exchange and all ship owners have equal opportunity to compete in open competition for MOD business.

In addition to these vessels chartered, the United States Military Sealift Command loaned two vessels free of charge and a further two vessels on repayment, during the current financial year. We were also able to use a UN chartered and funded vessel at no cost to the MOD.

Overseas Training Assistance

Mr. Wareing: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list those countries in which British military personnel have provided training assistance during the past five years. [8571]

Mr. Soames: Available records show that UK military personnel provided training assistance in the following countries between 1 January 1991 and 31 December 1995:


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This list covers those countries to which short-term training teams have been sent, as well as those countries in which we have resident loan service personnel or longer term British military advisory and training teams. A short-term training team also deployed to Puerto Rico to assist US forces in training the combined Caribbean community and common market contingent--comprising detachments from Jamaica, Antigua, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago--and also contingents from Bangladesh and Guatemala to prepare them for operations with the multinational force in Haiti. In addition, forces on exercise overseas often provide limited training to, or train alongside, the armed forces of the host nation. A central record of such training is not, however, maintained.

Mr. Wareing: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list those countries whose military forces have been provided with training facilities in the United Kingdom during the past five years. [8572]

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Mr. Soames: Available records show that military personnel from the following countries were given training in the UK between 1 January 1991 and 31 December 1995:


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