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Availability For Work
Mr. Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State Social Security if he will make it his policy to exempt Territorial Army reserve duties from eligibility for availability for work rules in consideration of unemployment benefit. [5248]
Mr. Roger Evans: Benefit rules already give specific help to members of the reserve forces. We have no plans to relax the current requirement to be available for work.
Motability
Mr. Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Social security (1) when his Department ceased to audit the accounts of Motability Finance Limited; and if he will make a statement about the subsequent arrangements to ensure full public accountability for the use of public funds; [5141]
(2) what assessment he has made of the level of profits made by Motability Finance Limited. [5093]
Mr. Burt: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Montgomery (Mr. Carlile) on 19 July 1995, Official Report column 1489.
Mr. Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what examination his Department has made of the level of contingency reserves in the Motability car hire and leasing schemes; and if he will make a statement. [5143]
18 Dec 1995 : Column: 888
Mr. Burt: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Montgomery (Mr. Carlile) on 19 June 1995, Official Report, column 99.
Mr. Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) what assessment he has made of possible conflicts of interests amongst the boards of the Motability group of companies and partnerships; [5139]
(2) when he was informed about the letter sent by the deputy chairman of Motability Finance Limited to the director of Motability, on 23 June 1993, setting out his concerns about the relationship between Motability, the charity and Motability Finance Limited; [5097]
(3) what assessment he has made of the Bircham report on Motability. [5140]
Mr. Burt: I am aware of the correspondence to which the hon. Gentleman refers. The governance of Motability is the responsibility of its governors. They must ensure there are no harmful conflicts of interest and that Motability acts in accordance with charity law and the article of its own association.
Mr. Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what requirements his Department has imposed for windfall profits in the Motability programme to be returned to those whose disability living allowance benefits were paying for the lease or hire purchase agreements. [5126]
18 Dec 1995 : Column: 889
Mr. Burt: None. Motability regularly reviews the level of contingency reserves held by Motability Finance Limited to ensure that they are set at the appropriate level. Those reserves held in excess of the scheme's requirements are transferred by way of gift aid into the Motability Tenth Anniversary trust. Payments from the tenth anniversary trust are transferred into Motability's charitable funds.
The Department receives reports from Motability on how these charitable funds are used.
National Insurance
Mr. Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what representations he has received with regard to reducing employers' national insurance contributions to stimulate employment; and if he will make a statement. [5108]
Mr. Heald: We occasionally receive representations from business about the level of national insurance contributions. To improve employment prospects, the Government have substantially reduced employers' contribution rates in recent years, particularly in respect of lower paid employees. The lowest rate for employers is now 3 per cent. compared with 13.5 per cent., including the national insurance surcharge, in 1979. We have already announced our intention to further reduce the main rate of employers' contributions by 0.2 per cent., some £500 million, from April 1997.
Britain's non-wage labour costs are amongst the lowest in Europe.
Ministerial Offices
Mr. Tony Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how much has been spent on furnishing and decorating ministerial offices in his Department in each of the last three years. [5563]
Mr. Burt: The Department's Ministers are housed in Richmond house where all facilities are provided by the Department of Health. Expenditure on furnishing and decorating DSS Ministers offices in each of the last three years is therefore included in the running cost expenditure of the Department of Health which is published in its annual report, a copy of which is in the Library.
Departmental Staff (Members' Letters)
Mr. Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many officials he employed (a) full-time and (b) part-time in his Department in each of the last three years to answer letters sent to him from hon. Members; and what was the estimated overall cost of replying to them in each of the last three years. [5616]
Mr. Burt: The information is not available in the format requested.
Departmental Ministers receive, on average, over 20,000 letters a year from hon. Members. Depending upon the subject matter, the responsibility for preparing the reply is spread across the Department and its agencies.
18 Dec 1995 : Column: 890
Mr. Corbyn:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what discussions have been held with the Department of the Environment on the local government cost implications of the Social Security (Persons from Abroad) Miscellaneous Amendments Regulations; and if he will make a statement. [6477]
Mr. Roger Evans:
Regular discussions about the proposed Social Security (Persons from Abroad) Miscellaneous Amendments Regulations have occurred between the Departments of Social Security and the Environment at both ministerial and official level in the normal course of business.
Mr. Chris Smith:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many recipients of housing benefit, were aged under 25 years, by region, in the latest available year. [6535]
| Region | Claimant aged less than 25 years | Total all cases |
|---|---|---|
| North | 30 | 318 |
| Yorks and Humberside | 44 | 429 |
| East Midlands | 32 | 281 |
| East Anglia | 14 | 136 |
| Greater London | 75 | 754 |
| Rest of South East | 68 | 638 |
| South West | 36 | 311 |
| West Midlands | 40 | 420 |
| North West | 61 | 579 |
| Wales | 26 | 233 |
| Scotland | 41 | 549 |
| Great Britain | 467 | 4,650 |
Although the figures are for 1994 analysis of the trends indicates that the claims figures for the current year will be at a similar level.
Housing Benefit Fraud
Mr. Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what resources have been allocated to each district, metropolitan and London borough authority for the detection and prevention of housing benefit fraud; what information his Department has on the number of fraud officers employed by each local authority responsible for housing benefit; and if he will list each local authority responsible for housing benefit according to the number of housing benefit fraud officers employed. [5843]
Mr. Heald: Information is not held centrally in the format requested.
Local authorities are responsible for the efficient payment of the benefits that they administer. It is for each of them to decide what resources to apply to the detection and prevention of housing benefit fraud, whether from the administration subsidy paid by this Department or from other sources. Local authorities can, however, earn additional subsidy for successful detection of fraud.
18 Dec 1995 : Column: 891
Information on the number of designated fraud officers employed by local authorities is currently being processed and should be available in January 1996 in the form of an estimate for total numbers for Great Britain as a whole. I will write to the hon. Member when the information becomes available.
Mr. Keith Bradley:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will provide information for all other tribunals in Britain along the lines referred to in his answer of 8 November, Official Report, column 1018, on the number of appeals against the disallowance of income support under the habitual residence test which were heard in the most recent period of a month or more for which information can be obtained; and how many succeeded, failed, were adjourned or were withdrawn. [7017]
Mr. Roger Evans:
The information requested is not collected centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Ms Lynne:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many Child Support Agency cases have been referred to the independent tribunal service since April 1993; and if he will list for each month (a) the number of appeals against assessments by absent parents, (b) the number of appeals against assessments by persons with care and (c) the number of appeals against reduced benefit directives. [4171]
Mr. Andrew Mitchell:
The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the chief executive, Miss Ann Chant. She will write to the hon. Member.
18 Dec 1995 : Column: 892
Letter from Ann Chant to Ms Liz Lynne, dated 14 December 1995:
I am replying to your Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security about appeals against assessments.
Mr. Andrew Mitchell:
The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the chief executive, Miss Ann Chant. She will write to the hon. Member.
Letter from Ann Chant to Ms Liz Lynne, dated 14 December 1995:
18 Dec 1995 : Column: 891
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Mr. Andrew Mitchell:
The administration of the Child Supoort Agency is a matter for the chief executive, Miss Ann Chant. She will write to the hon. Member. Letter from Ann Chant to Ms Liz Lynne, dated 14 December 1995:
18 Dec 1995 : Column: 894
Ms Lynne:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will update the monthly breakdown of requirement to co-operate decisions as set out in his answers of 22 November, Official Report, column 232, and 26 October, Official Report, column 805 for each month since April 1995 for each Child Support Agency centre. [4195]
Between April 1993 and September 1995, 11,862 appeals have been received by the Independent Tribunal Service (ITS). ITS do not collect the more detailed information you requested. However, we estimate that of the appeals ITS subsequently sent to the Agency for completion of a submission to the Tribunal, around 70 per cent were made by absent parents and 30 per cent by parents with care. Of those made by parents with care 9 per cent were made against reduced benefit directions.
I hope this is helpful.
I am replying to your Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security about Child Support Agency requirement to co-operate decisions.
You asked for an update of the monthly breakdown of requirement to co-operate decisions, as set out in Answers of 22 November, Official Report 232, and 26 October, Official Report, column 805 for each Child Support Agency Centre for 1995-96. This information is shown in the tables attached,.
I hope this is helpful.
Dudley Good cause accepted Absent parent named Good cause not accepted Reduced benefit direction implemented Investigations completed
April 335 63 580 311 978
May 503 98 617 306 1,218
June 450 243 820 389 1,513
July 493 354 548 265 1,395
August 576 371 749 531 1,696
September 541 370 599 464 1,510
Total 2,898 1,499 3,913 1,649 8,310
Hastings Good cause accepted Absent parent named Good cause not accepted Reduced benefit direction implemented Investigations completed
April 321 n/a 522 721 843
May 460 111 790 785 1,361
June 469 222 723 631 1,414
July 544 219 679 466 1,442
August 472 207 687 361 1,366
September 495 273 582 532 1,350
Total 2,761 1,032 3,983 1,990 7,776
Falkirk Good cause accepted Absent parent named Good cause not accepted Reduced benefit direction implemented Investigations completed
April 369 94 471 283 934 May 534 161 833 335 1,528 June 626 345 944 242 1,915 July 589 331 645 219 1,565 August 642 408 939 276 1,989 September 633 448 862 306 1,943 Total 3,393 1,787 4,694 1,043 9,874
Plymouth Good cause accepted Absent parent named Good cause not accepted Reduced benefit direction implemented Investigations completed
April 340 100 452 276 892 May 467 112 617 458 1,196 June 508 216 684 389 1,408 July 494 294 680 392 1,468 August 438 259 575 373 1,272 September 508 267 490 274 1,265 Total 2,755 1,248 3,498 1,428 7,501
Birkenhead Good cause accepted Absent parent named Good cause not accepted Reduced benefit direction implemented Investigation completed
April 389 96 470 510 955 May 556 185 615 511 1,356 June 592 287 713 445 1,592 July 625 361 786 278 1,772 August 582 334 637 430 1,553 September 678 428 686 455 1,792 Total 3,422 1,691 3,907 1,608 9,020
Belfast Good cause accepted Absent parent named Good cause not accepted Reduced benefit direction implemented Investigation completed
April 418 137 540 260 1,095 May 599 195 740 473 1,534 June 488 271 689 250 1,448 July 544 427 680 393 1,651 August 631 425 744 392 1,800 September 668 526 805 336 1,999 Total 3,348 1,981 4,198 1,371 9,527
Ms Lynne:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security in how many cases a deduction from earnings order has been made when at the time of its making (a) a review under section 18 of the Child Support Act 1991 had been requested and not determined and (b) an appeal to a child support appeal tribunal was pending.[4687]
I am replying to your Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security about deduction from earning orders.
The Agency does not keep information on the number of deductions from earnings orders (DEOs) issued before a section 18 (second tier) review (STR) request has been determined, or an appeal heard by a tribunal. There is no business requirement for the Agency to collect information on the number of cases affected.
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