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Part-time Work
Ms Quin: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what plans he has to change the benefits system to encourage (a) part-time work and (b) job sharing. [2155]
Mr. Roger Evans: Family credit already helps 215,000 people working between 16 and 24 hours a week. In 1994 we introduced a child care disregard to remove a stumbling block preventing some parents from taking up work. Disability working allowance also tops up the earnings of some disabled people who work for 16 hours or more a week. From October 1996 we are piloting in eight areas earnings top-up, a new in-work benefit for people without dependant children. This will also help people working 16 hours a week or more to be better off in work.
In October 1996 we are introducing a back-to-work bonus whereby those on income support or jobseeker's allowance who undertake small amounts of work of less than 16 hours a week can accumulate a lump sum of up to £1,000 based on their part-time earnings. This will be paid when either the claimant or partner moves into work which takes them off benefit.
From October 1996 the partner of a claimant receiving jobseeker's allowance or income support will be able to take work of up to 24 hours a week without removing entitlement to benefit. There will also be a £10 disregard in respect of both of these benefits.
Job sharing is a matter which is best left to employers and employees to arrange, but the measures already taken should facilitate it.
Mr. Bradley:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list the benefits which were subsequently claimed by the 18,895 people who were found capable of work following the all work test referred to in his answer of 23 October 1995, Official Report, column 485. [1840]
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Mr. Burt
[holding answer 24 November 1995]: Of incapacity benefit claimants found capable of work following the application of the all work test between April and September, 8,974 have claimed unemployment benefit. Information for other benefits claimed is not available.
Mr. Bradley:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) how many people who have been found capable of work between April and October 1995 were undertaking exempt work under regulation 17(a) of the Incapacity for Work (General Regulations); [1752]
(3) how many people in receipt of (a) severe disablement allowance and (b) incapacity benefit, are also undertaking work which is exempt under regulation 17(a)(i), (ii) and (iii) of the Incapacity for Work (General) Regulations; and what is the average amount of their earnings. [1831]
Mr. Burt
[holding answer 24 November 1995]: The information requested is not available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Mr. Bradley:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many claimants of incapacity benefit are currently exempt from the all-work test by virtue of (a) receipt of the highest rate of the disability living allowance care component, (b) in receipt of invalidity benefit and aged over 58 years on 13 April, (c) with a serious medical condition and (d) a serious mental illness. [1832]
Mr. Burt
[holding answer 24 November 1995]: Such information as is available is in the table.
(2) how many people in receipt of (a) severe disablement allowance, and (b) incapacity benefit, undertaking exempt work under regulation 17(a) of the Incapacity for Work (General) Regulations, have subsequently lost benefit because they have earned above the earnings limit; [1830]
| Reason for exemption from all work test | Number exempt |
|---|---|
| Receipt of the Disability Living Allowance highest rate care component | 20,976 |
| Receipt of Invalidity Benefit between 1 December 1993 and 12 April 1995 and aged 58 or over on 13 April 1995 | 480,000 |
| Severe medical condition, including severe mental illness | 138,828 |
1. Figures for severe mental illness are not separately available. 2. Figures for exempt incapacity benefit claimants who are also in receipt of Widow's Benefit are not held on the computer system and are not included above. 3. Information available to end of October 1995.
Mr. Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many claimants of incapacity benefit between April and October 1995 have had their benefit suspended for undertaking work which is not exempt. [1833]
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Mr. Burt [holding answer 24 November 1995]: Claimants are treated as capable of work for any week in which they do work which is not in one of the permitted categories.
Information is not available on the number of people who leave incapacity benefit for work, and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Mr. Bradley:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many claimants of invalidity benefit failed to attend a medical examination to assess their incapacity for work in each of the quarters ending December 1994 and March 1995. [1747]
Mr. Burt:
This is a matter for Peter Mathison, the chief executive of the Benefits Agency. He will write to the hon. Member with such information as is available.
Letter from Peter Mathison to Mr. Keith Bradley dated 24 November 1995:
Mr. Bradley:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is his estimate of the cost of raising the £15 earnings disregard to £44 per week for people entitled to the disability premium in each of the benefits (a) income support, (b) housing benefit and (c) council tax benefit. [1754]
Mr. Roger Evans
[holding answer 24 November 1995]: The information is set out in the table.
The Secretary of State for Social Security has asked me to reply to your Parliamentary Question about how many claimants of Invalidity Benefit failed to attend a medical examination to assess their incapacity for work in each of the quarters ending December 1994 and March 1995.
Information is not available in the format requested. This is because separate statistics for each benefit were not kept on the numbers failing to attend a medical examination.
The total number of customers who failed to attend a medical examination, in respect of Invalidity Benefit and Sickness Benefit, to assess their incapacity for work in the quarter ending December 1994 was 17,750 and for the quarter ending March 1995, the figure was 20,066.
I hope you find this reply helpful.-
| Cost | |
|---|---|
| Benefit | £ million |
| Income support | 10 |
| Council tax benefit | 10 |
| Housing benefit | 20 |
| Total | 35 |
1. Based on data taken from the 1994 Annual Statistical Enquiry and from the 1991-92-93 Family Expenditure Surveys uprated to 1995-96 prices, benefits and earnings levels. 2. For HB/CTB cases the estimate of the proportion of disability premium cases with earnings is based on data taken from the 1994 HBMIS data. 3. As it is not possible to model changes in hours worked due to the suggested increase in the earnings disregard, any costs/savings arising from changes in hours worked have not been included. 4. Lone parents in receipt of the disability premium are assumed to benefit from the change. Disabled pensioners have not been included as they are in receipt of a Pensioner rather a disability premium. 5. Figures have been rounded to the nearest £5 million.
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HEALTH
Nurse Resignations
Mr. Steinberg: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many nurses have resigned from their positions within the national health service in the last 12 months. [179]
Mr. Sackville: This information is not available in the form requested.
Nurses who resign from their posts, for whatever reason, are not necessarily lost from the national health service as many are likely to resume an NHS post after a career break. As nursing is a predominantly female profession this is to be expected. People take career breaks for a wide variety of reasons ranging from having a family to extending their skills and experience by exploring other fields of employment. Naturally the Government are keen to harness this invaluable body of training, skills and experience and bring them back into the NHS.
Ministerial Transport, London
Mr. MacShane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many times in the last year he used (a) London Buses and (b) the London Underground while on official business. [416]
Mr. Dorrell: I have not travelled on London Buses or the London Underground in an official capacity in the last year.
Mental Hospitals
Dr. Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to commission another survey of English mental hospitals to monitor their closure, comparable to those commissioned by the mental health task force in 1993 and 1994. [1920]
Residential Places and Hospital Beds
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) local authority residential places, (b) independent sector residential places, (c) national health service long-stay geriatric and psycho-geriatric beds and (d) independent sector nursing home places there were in (i) 1970 and (ii) 1990. [1127]
Mr. Bowis: The information available centrally is shown in the table. The figures for 1970 are not strictly comparable with those for 1990 due to a variety of changes in recording practices.
| 1970(22) | 1990(22) | |
|---|---|---|
| Local authority residential places(23) | n/a(24) | 105,400 |
| Independent sector residential places(23) | 54,900 | 180,500 |
| NHS geriatric hospital beds (annual average available)(25)(26) | 39,591(27) | 48,734 |
| NHS psycho-geriatric long-stay hospitals beds (annual average available)(26) | n/a(28) | 18,879 |
| Independent sector nursing home places(29) | n/a(30) | 94,313 |
Notes:
(22) Figures for 1970 relate to 31 December; those for 1990 relate to 31 March.
(23) Places in homes for elderly people and people with physical and/or sensory disabilities.
(24) Information on places was not collected in 1970; there were 99,700 elderly residents in local authority residential homes at 31 December 1970.
(25) Figures are for long and short stay beds.
(26) 1970 classification based on clinical specialty; 1990 based on ward classification.
(27) Figure is for England and Wales.
(28) Figures for geriatric and long-stay not separately identified in 1970.
(29) Beds for elderly people and elderly people with mental health problems.
(30) Information not collected centrally.
Source: Department of Health statistical returns RAC5, KO36.
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