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National Disability Council
Mr. Barry Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) when the membership of the National Disability Council will be announced; what consultations he is undertaking with which organisations in Wales; and if he will make a statement; [3855]
(2) how many people from Wales will be members of the new National Disability Council; and what will be the full complement of the Council. [3854]
Mr. Burt: We expect to announce membership of the National Disability Council in January 1996 and will be seeking to appoint between 10 and 20 members drawn
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from throughout Great Britain, including Wales. A number of organisations in Wales were invited to put forward nominations for membership.
Invalidity Benefit
Mr. Rowlands: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many of those in receipt of invalidity benefit on grounds of mental health problems have been subjected to review under the new incapacity benefit test within the Merthyr benefit area. [4116]
Mr. Burt: Information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Age Addition
Ms Lynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security when the additional age allowance for pensioners over 80 years of age was first introduced; when it was last increased; what would the value of the additional age allowance now be if it had been uprated by inflation in each year since its last increase; and if he will make a statement on the purpose of the age allowance. [4682]
Mr. Roger Evans: The age addition of 25p per week for pensioners over 80 was introduced in 1971 and has remained at that level since. If it had been increased in line with inflation it would now be worth £1.60 a week from April 1995.
We have no plans to uprate it. Our policy is to focus help on the most needy. We have allocated substantial additional resources to increasing the premiums for pensioners on income support and other income-related benefits--an extra £1.2 billion, over and above inflation, since 1988.
National Insurance
Mr. Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) if it is his intention to proceed with the one-year holiday from national insurance contributions for employers who take additional workers from among those unemployed for more than two years, as announced in his November 1994 Budget; and what is the start date for the holiday; [5406]
(2) if he will estimate the effect in terms of reducing the claimant count of unemployed people of a one-year holiday from national insurance contributions for employers who take additional workers from among those unemployed for more than two years; [5407]
(3) if he will estimate the cost to the Exchequer of a one year holiday from national insurance contributions for employers who take additional workers from among those unemployed for more than two years. [5408]
Mr. Heald: I refer the hon. Member to the reply my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Ribble Valley (Mr. Evans) on 28 November, Official Report, columns 643-45. This measure will cover lone parents, carers and certain trainees as well as the long-term unemployed. Based on the working assumption that employers of around 130,000 new employees will benefit from reduced national insurance payments, it is expected to cost around £50 million in a full year. This does not include the impact on
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the level of unemployment as we cannot estimate with certainty the response of employers and the size of any displacement effect.
Prince's Trust
Mr. David Nicholson: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will make a statement on the contacts his Department has with the Prince's Trust in respect of problems for young people with particular reference to homelessness; and if he will make a statement. [5686]
Mr. Burt: The disability unit in this Department is in regular contact with the Prince of Wales's advisory group on disability about the transition from school to further education, training or employment of young people with disabilities. Also, some Benefits Agency offices liaise with the trust in their areas. The Department of the Environment is the lead Department on homelessness issues.
Benefits Agency Medical Services
Mr. Brazier: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what his proposals are for the introduction of the private sector into Benefits Agency medical services under the competing for quality agenda. [6251]
Mr. Burt: We propose that the work of Benefits Agency medical services, with the exception of policy and adjudication functions is contracted out to the private sector. A competitive tendering process is to be undertaken which will lead to the award of a contract, or contracts, at the earliest opportunity and no later than April 1997.
Details of the successful bidders will be placed in the Library.
Income Support
Mr. Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what progress the Benefits Agency has made in checking live claims to income support where potential entitlement to the severe disability premium has not been considered; and what further action is being taken on those claims where income support is no longer in payment. [6300]
Mr. Roger Evans: The exercise carried out by the Benefits Agency to examine claims from customers currently in receipt of income support who may be entitled to the server disability premium is nearing completion. These investigations have resulted in approximately 24,000 customers receiving payment of arrears of benefit. Of these, around 18,000 have continuing awards of the premium.
I have also instructed the Benefits Agency to take all reasonable steps to identify and where possible, contact customers no longer in receipt of income support who during the period of their claim to income support, may have been entitled to the SDP. I have not however asked them to take any specific steps in respect of customers now deceased.
Benefit Expenditure
Mr. Marlow: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the average daily cost per person in work in terms of hours worked of (a) social security payments
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for recipients below pension age, (b) all social security payments, (c) contributory health services and (d) contributions to education services. [4594]
Mr. Burt [holding answer 7 December 1995]: The information is not available in the format requested.
However, the estimated equivalent cost per working person per working day for 1995-96 is as follows:
| Cost £ | |
|---|---|
| Social security payments for recipients below pension age | 9 |
| All social security payments | 15 |
| National health service | 6 |
| Education services | 5 |
The figures are rounded to the nearest £1.
TRANSPORT
Crossrail
Mr. Khabra: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects the construction of the Crossrail link through London to begin. [3866]
Mr. Norris: This will depend on the view the Government take on the project following their consideration of the latest crossrail study, on appropriate powers being obtained through the Transport and Works Act procedures, and on the necessary private sector financial contribution being secured.
Public Service Vehicles (Accessibility)
Mr. Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what is his timetable in respect of making regulation under section 40 of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995; and what criterion he will use to determine whether such regulations will be necessary; [5493]
(2) what public service vehicle accessibility regulations he has made under section 40 of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995; [5492]
(3) what assessment he has made of the extent to which he will need to make PSV accessibility regulations under section 40 of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995. [5491]
Mr. Norris: No PSV accessibility regulations have yet been made.
Discussions between officials and representatives of the bus and coach industry on the detail and shape of regulations have begun. The timescale for introduction will be confirmed in the light of those discussions and when viable technical solutions to achieving accessibility are identified. We expect that it will be necessary to introduce separate regulations for the various technical types over different timescales.
Road Safety
Mr. Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will ensure that transport policies and programme bids are considered with due regard to improved safety for pedestrians and road users. [5443]
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Mr. Norris: Safety for all road users is a primary concern in our assessment of TPP bids.
Mr. Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will review his Department's restrictions governing funding for local safety schemes. [5442]
Mr. Norris: I am not clear what restrictions the hon. Member is referring to. However, all aspects of my Department's system of funding local transport infrastructure are reviewed as a matter of course, in consultation with the local authority associations, before publication in spring of the annual circular setting out requirements for transport policies and programme submissions.
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