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Cold Weather Payments
Mr. Redmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) how many people claimed cold weather payments in the area covered by his benefits offices in (a) Doncaster and (b) Mexborough from mid-December 1995 to the end of February 1996; on which dates they qualified; and what was the total amount paid to those whose claims were met; [19742]
- (2) how many times since 1 November 1995 have the (a) Leeds and (b) Warrington monitoring stations triggered the system of cold weather payments; and if he will make a statement. [19766]
Mr. Roger Evans: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to him by Mr. Peter Mathison, the chief executive of the Benefits Agency on 6 March, Official Report, column 349.
Income Support (Administration Costs)
Mr. Foulkes: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what percentage of the total spending on income support is spent on administration costs for (a) pensioner recipients, (b) non-pensioner recipients and (c) all recipients of income support. [20264]
Mr. Roger Evans: The total expenditure on income support that is spent on administration is about 10 per cent. Administrative expenditure is not broken down into costs arising from pensioner and non-pensioner claims.
Asylum Seekers
Mr. Chris Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what estimate he has made of the impact of the cost of meeting 80 per cent. of local authority expenditure incurred in assisting asylum seekers following benefit withdrawal from Exchequer funds, on the savings he has projected for the benefit changes. [20276]
Mr. Roger Evans: Grants will be paid on unavoidable additional expenditure above a certain threshold and will be assessed in arrears on the basis of claims. Threshold levels are still to be determined. The level of grant will depend on the actual claims made by local authorities.
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State Retirement Pension
Mr. Redmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will uprate the state pension to one-third of average earnings for each pensioner; and if he will make a statement. [20657]
Mr. Heald: I have no such plans. Retirement pension will rise by 3.9 per cent. next month, in line with the annual increase in the retail prices index to September 1995.
SERPS Rebate
Mr. John Greenway: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security when he proposes to announce the new levels of contracted-out rebate to apply from April 1997. [20976]
Mr. Heald: The relevant reports by the Government Actuary and my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Social Security, have been laid today together with draft amending orders to establish the level of the rebates for the period beginning in April 1997 in accordance with the Pension Schemes Act of 1993 as amended by the Pensions Act of 1995.
Contracted-out occupational pension schemes and appropriate personal pension schemes provide an alternative to SERPS and thereby relieve the state of part of the liability to provide income in retirement; this is recognised by a rebate on class 1 national insurance contributions. Since April 1993 this has been set at 4.8 per cent. of earnings between the lower and upper earnings limits.
Since the rebate was last set the Pensions Act 1995 has been passed. Amongst other measures designed to restore confidence in the security of pension funds following Maxwell and implement the main recommendations of the subsequent Pension Law Review Committee report, the Act simplified the future arrangements for contracting out of SERPS and introduced a new system of age-related rebates for those contracting out of SERPS into money purchase contracted-out schemes and appropriate personal pensions.
In his report to Parliament, the Government Actuary indicated his view that the contracted-out rebate for salary-related schemes should be set at 4.6 per cent. This figure reflects the fact that, under the new arrangements, individuals will forgo entitlement to the benefits which would otherwise accrue under SERPS; the Government Actuary as required by the new legislation has therefore provided an assessment on the basis of the actuarial value of the SERPS forgone rather than, as at present, the cost of providing guaranteed minimum pensions. We agree with his report and with the figures set out therein, which we propose to split between a 1.6 per cent. rebate for employees and a 3 per cent. rebate for employers.
The Government Actuary's report also discusses the levels of age-related rebate needed in the case of both money purchase and appropriate personal pensions which are required to provide equivalent levels of funded pensions as a replacement for SERPS. His figures include estimates of the expenses of both typical and the more efficient commercial pension providers. We have decided to set the rebates which include an allowance for the reasonable costs and charges of the more efficient
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providers of appropriate personal pensions and contracted-out money purchase pensions. The new rebates will therefore vary by age from 3.1 per cent. for the youngest member of a money purchase scheme and from 3.4 per cent. for those with personal pensions to a maximum of 9 per cent. We have set the maximum age-related rebates at 9 per cent. to restraint the costs to public finances.
These proposals underline our firm and continuing commitment to the partnership between private and public sector in the provision of pensions. Coupled with our policy of maintaining the value of the basic state retirement pension in line with prices, we believe they will help build on our success in creating a strong pensions structure for the 21st century.
Mr. Hinchliffe:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what was the value of benefit recovered from persons receiving compensation for personal injury and disability in the last year for which figures are available; how many individual compensation cases were involved; and, as a global figure, what was the proportion of the amount recovered by his Department compared with the total awarded to those seeking compensation and in receipt of reclaimable benefits. [19371]
Mr. Roger Evans:
This is a matter for Peter Mathison, the chief executive of the Benefits Agency. He will write to the hon. Member.
Letter from Mr. Peter Mathison to Mr. David Hinchliffe, dated 12 March 1996:
Figures are provisional and subject to change.
(11) This figure includes monies recovered from both final and interim payments.
I hope you find this reply helpful.
Mr. Mans:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent discussions have been held between Ministers in his Department and their French and German counterparts; and if he will make a statement. [21081]
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Mr. Arbuthnot:
I met State Secretary Simon and Delegue General pour l'Armement Conze on Monday 11 March. I told them that the Government have decided that, subject to amendment of the tender documents to reflect UK requirements, we will join the current competition which is planned to lead to a collaborative programme for an armoured utility vehicle. This decision was welcomed by France and Germany, who have agreed that the industries of all three nations should take part in the project on an equal basis.
I also confirmed that the UK wished to join the armaments agency, which France and Germany announced last year that they would be establishing. We agreed that, once work has been completed on amendments to the tender documents for the armoured utility vehicle, the UK will participate with France and Germany in their current work on the setting up of this agency.
Mr. Wilson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what plans he has for replacing the anti-oil pollution functions currently carried out from the RMAS depot at Fairlie; [19597]
(3) if he will make a statement on the implications of the RMAS market-testing exercise for the British underwater test and evaluation centre and associated civilian employment at Kyle at Lochalsh; [19586]
(4) what estimate he has made of the time which would be taken for personnel and equipment from Pembroke to arrive at the Clyde nuclear base in the event of an incident; [19587]
(5) on what grounds the lowest tender for the RMAS ports contract was rejected; and if he will make a statement; [19588]
(6) if the privatised parts of the RMAS functions will continue to be subject to royal charter; [19589]
(7) what estimate he has made of (a) the number of (b) the location of job losses resulting from the RMAS market-testing exercise; [19590]
(8) what was the value of investment by RMAS at (a) Pembroke and (b) Fairlie in each of the past five years; [19591]
(9) if he will postpone a final decision on the future of RMAS Fairlie pending an examination of the strategic implications of transferring the buoys task from it to Pembroke; [19592]
(10) if the will list the locations of moorings and navigation buoys currently serviced from the RMAS depot at Fairlie; [19593]
(11) if the bids from Denholm-Serco and Ocean Group in respect of the moorings and navigation buoys functions of the RMAS were predicted on the retention of north and south bases; and if he will make a statement; [19594]
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(12) what consultations he has had with NATO concerning the proposed closure of the RMAS depot at Fairlie; [19595]
(13) when his Department was first informed of the proposal to close the RMAS depot at Fairlie, as part of the in-house bid for the moorings and navigation buoys functions of the RMAS. [19596]
Mr. Soames:
The results of the market test of marine services announced on 28 February 1996, Official Report, columns 553-54, will involve the transfer of the upkeep and maintenance of moorings and navigation buoys from the NATO mooring and support depot--NMSD--Fairlie to the depot at Pembroke. There are no strategic grounds for postponing implementation of this decision and no discussions have been held with the in-house bid team on any such strategic implications.
The invitation to tender--ITT--did not oblige any bidders to use any of the existing MOD mooring maintenance facilities. The commercial bidders and the in-house bid team all elected to operate from one prime depot. The in-house bid team did not select to use NMSD Fairlie as a centre for its moorings and buoys bid. The Department was first made aware of this formally when bids were submitted in May 1995.
The relevant NATO authorities were informed of the market test's potential to affect the MOD's future involvement in NMSD Fairlie. Their long-term intentions in the light of the decision not to use the depot for moorings and navigation buoys work will now be sought. The provision of marine service support to the British underwater test and evaluation centre--BUTEC--at the Kyle of Lochalsh was not included in the ITT and the impact of the market test on this service is a matter for the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency, which operates the establishment.
The following 15 general locations of moorings and buoys are currently serviced from NMSD Fairlie:
No special mooring equipment or personnel are retained at NMSD Fairlie to respond to incidents at HM naval base Clyde. Should mooring materials be required
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to support an incident at the base after the task has been transferred to Pembroke dock, the timing would very much depend on the size and amount of equipment involved and whether it could be shipped by road, rail or sea.
Investment at Pembroke and Fairlie over the past five years is as follows:
The relatively minor cost advantage of the in-house team's bid for the ports contract was outweighed by the much greater potential cost to the MOD associated with the high risk nature of its non-complaint management proposals. The bid failed to achieve a single point of responsibility and accountability at each naval base. Furthermore, no acceptable system for tasking and prioritising marine services resources at each base had been developed.
It is estimated that approximately 500 posts will be surplus to requirements as a result of the market test. The precise details of the reductions have yet to be worked out, but their regional implications are expected to be in the order of 160 at Devonport, 120 at Portsmouth, 200 at Clyde plus 45 at the Bath HQ. Trade Union consultation has now commenced.
Dr. Godman:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) when he was first informed of the proposal to transfer functions and activities at present performed by vessels, their crews and other personnel located at RMAS Greenock; and if he will make a statement; [19844]
(3) if he will postpone a final decision on the future of RMAS Greenock until the completion of an analysis of the strategic and financial consequences of the transfer of functions and employment away from RMAS Greenock;[19846]
(4) which (a) marine services and (b) other activities will continue to be performed by vessels and personnel based at RMAS Greenock, following his decision concerning the marine services market test; and if he will make a statement; [19847]
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(5) what guarantees he has sought concerning the continuity of employment and utilisation of (a) vessels, (b) personnel and (c) physical facilities at RMAS Greenock; [19848]
(6) what estimates he has made of the number of jobs which will be lost at RMAS Greenock as a result of his decision concerning the marine services market test; and if he will make a statement; [19849]
(7) if he will list the functions undertaken by RMAS vessels operating out of Greenock in relation to the operations of nuclear submarines in and close to the firth of Clyde; and if he will make a statement; [19850]
(8) on how many occasions RMAS vessels operating out of Greenock have been called to the collisions, near-collisions and other incidents involving (a) nuclear submarines and fishing vessels, (b) conventional submarines and fishing vessels and (c) nuclear and conventional submarines and other vessels in and close to the firth of Clyde in each of the past 10 years. [19851]
Mr. Soames:
Ministers gave careful consideration to the results of the marine services market test in the weeks leading up to the announcement on 28 February 1996, Official Report, columns 553-54, that the contract for the provision of ports services have been awarded to the private sector consortium, Denholm-SERCO, and the remaining moorings/buoys and armament freighting contracts had been awarded to the in-house team.
The impact of this decision on RMAS Greenock will involve the transfer of moorings/buoys and associated diving activities currently performed there to Pembroke dock, which the in-house team proposes to use as the centre of this task in future. Two vessels, Salmoor and Salmaster, currently based at RMAS Greenock will be affected by this transfer.
Under the management of Denholm-SERCO, RMAS Greenock will continue to provide the full range of marine services under the ports contract to the Clyde area. This will include support to the operations of nuclear submarines in and close to the firth of Clyde, full details of which are classified. No strategic or financial reason is seem to postpone the implementation of the market test at RMAS Greenock, which is expected to lead to significant savings.
The Secretary of State for Social Security has asked me to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking what was the value of benefit recovered from persons receiving compensation for personal injury and disability in the last year for which figures are available; how many individual compensation cases were involved; and, as a global figure, what was the proportion of the amount recovered by his Department compared to the total awarded to those seeking compensation and in receipt of reclaimable benefits.
There is no legal requirement for the compensator to notify the Compensation Recovery Unit about the size of settlements. Therefore, the information about the proportion of the award recouped is not available. The rest of the information you requested is given below:
Period Number of cases Total amount recovered
11/4/94--31/3/95 39,915 £110.1M(11)
(2) if he will list the dates on which the RMAS in-house team had discussions with his officials on the strategic implications of concentrating the buoys task at Pembroke and closing Fairlie; [19585]
No oil pollution control--OPC--equipment is held at NMSD Fairlie, but the depot has a contingency role in the Clyde port authority emergency plan as a mobilisation point and as a waterfront loading facility. This role will not be directly affected by the market test decision.
Firth of Clyde
Isle of Skye
Hebrides
Kyle of Lochalsh
Rona and Raasay
Loch Ewe
Loch Eriboll
Cape Wrath
Carlingford loch
Luce bay
Firth of Forth
Ocean met buoys
Moray Firth and Aberdeen
Humber and the Wash
North sea met buoys.
Of this sum £1.370 million was attributable to the closure of the central salvage depot, Swanmore.
Pembroke
Financial Year 1993-94: £1.165 million
Financial Year 1994-95: £0.106 million
Financial Year 1995-96: £0.339 million
No part of the marine services is being privatised. The ports element will be Government owned and contractor operated--GOCO. The vessels required by the contractor will continue to be MOD-owned assets and will be operated under bareboat charter conditions, one of which requires the contractor to retain the same livery for the vessels and to fly the RMAS ensign.
Fairlie
Financial Year 1991-92: £0.031 million.
(2) how many (a) men and (b) women were employed at RMAS Greenock in each of the past 10 years; [19845]
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