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Family Credit, Southampton

Mr. Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what was the total number of households claiming family credit in each year since 1989, in the area covered by Benefits Agency offices serving Southampton; and what was the expenditure in each year in current prices. [18843]

Mr. Roger Evans: The administration of family credit 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. John Denham, dated 5 March 1996:

The Secretary of State for Social Security has asked me to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking what was the total number of households claiming Family Credit (FC) in each year since 1989, in the area covered by Benefits Agency (BA) offices serving Southampton; and what was the expenditure in each year in current prices.
The information is not available in the format requested. This is because the FC computer system holds records of the total number of claims received, awarded and disallowed on a national basis. Details are not broken down into individual towns or areas. The information is only available from 1993 as details relating to FC claims are normally destroyed after 18 months.
However, statistics are available which indicate the number of families in receipt of FC within a BA office area at a particular date. Unfortunately, the scan does not identify at what stage of the 26 weeks entitlement the awards are at that date. The statistics available for the Southampton Branch Office are as follows. They are provisional and subject to change.

Date of scan	Families in receipt of family credit at that date
20 August 1993	1,966
15 April 1994	2,051
10 November 1994	2,224
13 April 1995	2,292
10 November 1995	2,462
16 February 1996	2,534




Details of benefit expenditure is only available on a national basis.

I hope you find this reply useful.

Benefits, Southampton

Mr. Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what estimate he has made of the number of households in receipt of benefits in the area covered by Benefits Agency offices serving Southampton in each year since 1989. [18845]

Mr. Roger Evans: The administration of income support is a matter for Peter Mathison, the chief executive of the Benefits Agency. He will write to the hon. Member.

6 Mar 1996 : Column: 285

Letter from Peter Mathison to Mr. John Denham, dated 5 March 1996:

The Secretary of State for Social Security has asked me to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking what estimate he has made of the number of households in receipt of benefits in the area covered by Benefits Agency (BA) offices serving Southampton in each year since 1989.
The information is not available in the format requested. This is because statistics are collected on the number of benefit recipients and not by household. Information relating to centrally administered benefits such as Attendance Allowance, Disability Living Allowance, Disability Working Allowance, Family Credit, Invalid Care Allowance and Retirement Pension are only collated on a National basis.
Annex A gives details of the number of benefit recipients whose claims are administered by the BA Solent and New Forest District. The District consists of the Southampton, Fareham and New Forest Branch Offices. It should be noted that customers may receive more than one benefit. The information is only available from 1991 when the BA was formed.
I hope you find this reply helpful.
Solent and New Forest DistrictNumber and types of benefit recipients from November 1991 to November 1995 November

	1991	1992	1993	1994	1995
Income Support	44,283	51,394	52,053	50,322	49,577
Sickness Benefit	3,515	3,853	3,609	4,385	--
Short term Incapacity Benefit	--	--	--	--	1,750
Invalidity Benefit	8,253	9,329	10,342	11,011	--
Long term Incapacity Benefit	--	--	--	--	10,651
Maternity Allowance	205	210	154	167	180
Severe Disability Allowance	2,729	2,795	2,897	3,057	3,065




Sickness Benefit figures include customers who claimed but were not awarded Sickness Benefit as they had paid insufficient National Insurance contributions, but were awarded National Insurance credits only.

Sickness Benefit was replaced by short term Incapacity Benefit from April 1995.

Invalidity Benefit was replaced by long term Incapacity Benefit from April 1995.

Information has been provided by the BA's Central Data Unit, the data is provisional and may be subject to change.

Disability Discrimination Act

Mr. Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what plans he has for further consultations on the implementation of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995. [19625]

Mr. Burt: I am pleased to announce a joint consultation exercise that begins today on the Disability Discrimination Act 1995.

The Government will phase in the access rights in part III of the Act. Around the end of 1996, we will make it unlawful to refuse service, or offer it to a lower standard, or on less favourable terms, simply because someone is disabled. At the same time, we will prohibit discrimination against disabled people by those selling or renting property.

We are consulting on proposals to regulate how these initial rights will operate in certain areas--insurance, services ancillary to education, and agents appointed to act on behalf of those unable to give an informed consent.

6 Mar 1996 : Column: 286

At the same time the National Disability Council is consulting on its proposals for a code of practice on these initial rights.

The remaining rights in part III require service providers to make reasonable adjustments to allow or facilitate access for disabled people. The Government are also consulting on the timetable for bringing these duties into force.

Copies of the consultation package are available in the Library.

HEALTH

Casualty Departments

Ms Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the number of casualty departments by region in each of the five years up to 1993-94. [18072]

Mr. Horam: The latest available figures are shown in the table. Information is collected on the basis of trusts and directly managed units with accident and emergency services. Some trusts include more than one hospital each with its own accident and emergency department.

Figures for 1989-90 and 1990-91 are not available centrally.

Trusts and directly managed units(6) with accident and emergency department(7) by region in England

Region	1991-92	1992-93	1993-94
Northern	20	19	16
Yorkshire	18	17	17
Trent	15	18	14
East Anglian	10	9	10
North-west Thames	17	13	15
North-east Thames	17	16	16
South-east Thames	17	15	16
South-west Thames	15	14	15
Wessex	15	14	12
Oxford	11	8	10
South Western	15	12	15
West Midlands	26	27	27
Mersey	12	11	12
North Western	26	29	20
SHAs	4	4	3
Total	238	226	228

Notes:

(6) A trust or directly managed unit may consist of a number of hospitals each with its own accident and emergency department.

(7) With medical staff on site and where the intention is to open 168 hours per week.

Source:

KHO3 returns.

Private Finance Initiative

Mr. Redmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what time limits have been placed on the period of service contracts entered into with those providing hospital buildings under the private finance initiative. [18825]

Mr. Horam: The period of service contracts entered into with those providing hospital buildings under the private finance initiative is a subject for negotiation between national health service trusts and their potential private sector partners, and will vary from contract to

6 Mar 1996 : Column: 287

contract and from service to service. The two criteria for approval of NHS private finance initiative contracts are that they should offer best value for money and that they should reduce risks for the NHS by transferring risks to the private sector.

Ms Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many hospitals are currently seeking PFI contracts in England; what estimate he has made of the number of contracts which will have been signed by 30 March (a) 1996 and (b) 1997; and if he will make a statement. [19230]

Mr. Horam: The information is not available centrally.

Ms Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on PFI contracts in (a) Amersham and High Wycombe, South Buckinghamshire NHS trust, (b) Swindon and (c) North Durham. [19229]

Mr. Horam: No. Contracts are currently being negotiated between the trusts and their private sector partners. These are commercially sensitive and confidential.

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