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Housing Benefit
Mr. Fraser: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will reconsider his decision to prevent local authorities from paying housing benefit in advance to housing associations. [9925]
Mr. Roger Evans: Proposals for changing the rules for paying housing benefit from payment wholly or partly in advance to payment in arrears were put to the Social Security Advisory Committee and the local authority associations in December 1995. The committee decided
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to consult more widely on the proposals with interested bodies. Its report and the views of the local authority associations are due in February and will be taken fully into account when deciding what changes, if any, should be made to the housing benefit rules.
Mr. Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security when he intends to place in the Library the report of research undertaken by the Benefits Agency Security, benefit review team, into housing benefit fraud. [10495]
Mr. Roger Evans: I refer the hon. Member to the answer my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State gave to the hon. Member for Ayr (Mr. Gallie) on 19 January 1996, Official Report, Column 834.
Compensation Recovery Unit
Mr. Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the total amount of state benefits recouped by the compensation recovery unit in each of the last three years. [10133]
Mr. Heald: This is a matter for Peter Mathison, 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 19 January 1996:
Figures are provisional and subject to amendment.
The figure for the current financial year to 31 December 1995 is £96 million.
I hope you find this reply helpful.
Mr. Roger Evans:
I wrote to the Chairman of the Select Committee on 10 January. My letter explained that a compliance cost assessment of the Select Committee's proposals for reform of the compensation recovery scheme would be published shortly. A consultation exercise on the Select Committee's proposals was conducted in late 1995. I shall publish a summary of the results of the consultation shortly.
Mr. Steen:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what new systems he has put in place to ensure that European directives are not gold plated in domestic regulations. [10068]
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Mr. Roger Evans:
This Department's policy is not to gold plate EC directives by the addition of unnecessary burdens when implementing them in the UK. We keep existing legislation under review in the light of this policy. Official guidance on gold plating is currently being reviewed by all Departments.
Mr. Steen:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will place in the Library copies of the guidance notes, office notes and other relevant documents which relate to his efforts in (a) removing gold plating from existing domestic regulation and (b) ensuring new European directives are not gold plated. [10052]
Mr. Roger Evans:
The largest block of EC legislation on social security is in the form of Council regulations, which are directly effective. There is relatively little other EC legislation on social security. This has been implemented on a case-by-case basis in line with overall policy of not gold plating directives, the guidance on which is currently under review. In addition, the Department has its own action plan on deregulation and EC law which is designed to ensure that there is no over-implementation of EC directives.
Mr. Denham:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list (a) the number of people awarded national insurance contribution credits in 1994-95, (b) the average number of credits awarded and (c) the cost of funding these national insurance credits; and if he will indicate the different groups being credited with national insurance contributions. [10770]
Mr. Heald:
Some 10.5 million people in the United Kingdom in one or more of the categories listed were awarded an average of 39.4 national insurance credits in the tax year 1994-95. 1 Estimates of the costs arising from these credits are not available.
Categories of people awarded national insurance credits:
Mr. Bradley:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the total annual expenditure on income support to cover mortgage interest payments in each financial year between 1989-90 and 1994-95. [10710]
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Dr. Godman:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what responses, in addition to his formal one, he has made to the report of the Social Security Committee of 1994-95 (HC 196) concerning the compensation recovery unit; and if he is conducting a consultation exercise with interested parties regarding the work of the compensation recovery unit and its future operations; and if he will make a statement. [9470]
The Secretary of State for Social Security has asked me to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking what is the total amount of state benefits recouped by the Compensation Recovery Unit in each of the last three years.
The information requested is given in the table below
Financial year Amount
£ million
1992-93 51.3
1993-94 81.9
1994-95 110.1
Young people, for the tax years containing their 16th, 17th and 18th birthdays.
People over age 18 undergoing courses of approved training.
People entitled to invalid care allowance.
People who are unemployed or incapable of work.
Men age 60-64 who are not liable to pay class 1 or class 2 contributions.
People on jury service.
Women receiving statutory maternity pay.
People whose course of full-time education, training or apprenticeship has terminated.
Widows on termination of widowed mother's allowance.
Source: 1 1 per cent sample of national insurance records.
| Total number of cases with mortgage interest included in the assessment | Total amount of estimated annual expenditure | |
|---|---|---|
| £ million | ||
| 1989-90 | 281,000 | 353 |
| 1990-91 | 310,000 | 553 |
| 1991-92 | 411,000 | 949 |
| 1992-93 | 499,000 | 1,143 |
| 1993-94 | 529,000 | 1,145 |
| 1994-95 | 511,000 | 1,001 |
Notes:
1. Figures are rounded to the nearest thousand and expenditure to the nearest million.
2. Caseload figures are for May each year, except for 1994-95 where February 1995 figures have been used.
3. Expenditure estimated for 1989-90 to 1992-93 is derived by multiplying the number of cases by the average weekly amount then multiplying by 52. Figures for 1993-94 and 1994-95 are based on an average of four quarters.
Source:
Income Support Statistics Annual Enquiries 1989-92.
Income Support Statistics Quarterly Enquiries May 1993 to February 1995.
Disability Living Allowance
Mrs. Ann Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) what plans he has to review his policy in respect of the award to children under five years of age of the mobility component of disability living allowance; and if he will make a statement; [10842]
- (2) how many applications have been made on behalf of children under five years of age for the mobility component of disability living allowance in each of the years since 1993; [10843]
(3) how many children under five years of age were exceptionally allowed to claim the mobility component of disability living allowance in each year since 1993. [10984]
Mr. Andrew Mitchell: The information is not available in the format requested. Claims for disability living allowance are for the benefit as a whole and not for an individual component. The Contributions and Benefits Act 1992 specifies that a person must be aged over five to be entitled to the mobility component of DLA. There are currently no plans to review this policy.
Private Finance Initiative
Mr. Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how much has been spent on external consultants in the tendering process of the private finance initiative in each year since its introduction (a) in real terms and (b) in cash terms disaggregated by (i) legal fees, (ii) publicity costs, (iii) accountancy fees and (iv) management consultancy fees. [10967]
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Mr. Roger Evans: In 1994-95 this Department's private finance initiative projects spent £1.044 million on external consultants in the PFI tendering process on the areas of consultancy identified. This figure comprises (i) legal fees of £420,000; (ii) publicity costs of nil; (iii) accountancy fees of £167,000 and (iv) management consultancy fees of £457,000. In 1995-96 prices these costs would be £1.073 million in total and (i) £431,000; (ii) nil; (iii) £172,000 and (iv) £470,000 respectively.
The Department's PFI projects forecast that in 1995-96 we will spend £2.774 million on external consultants in the PFI tendering process on the areas of consultancy identified. this figure comprises (i) legal fees of £359,000; (ii) publicity costs of nil; (iii) accountancy fees of £95,000 and (iv) management consultancy fees of £2.32 million.
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Mr. Andrew Smith:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what have been the running costs relating to the tendering process of the private finance initiative in each year since its introduction (a) in real terms and (b) in cash terms disaggregated by (i) staff costs, (ii) information technology and (iii) other costs. [10968]
Mr. Roger Evans:
In 1994-95 this Department's private finance initiative projects incurred total running costs relating to the PFI tendering process of around £1.5 million, rounded either as a cash figure or at 1995-96 prices. In 1995-96 the Department's PFI projects forecast that they will have incurred total running costs of around £2.5 million relating to the PFI tendering process. A breakdown of the costs is not available in the format requested.