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Pension Schemes
Mr. Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many (a) men and (b) women individuals since 1988 have left their company pension scheme and opted to (a) a personal pension and (b) membership of the state earnings-related pension scheme. [22203]
Mr. Heald: Information is not available in the format requested. In the case of those moving from an occupational pension scheme to a personal pension, figures are available only where the appropriate personal pension was started in the same tax year as the termination of occupational pension scheme membership. The available information is given in the table:
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| Subsequent scheme | 1987-88 | 1988-89 | 1989-90 | 1990-91 | 1991-92 | 1992-93 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Men | ||||||
| Appropriate Personal Pension | 101 | 31 | 74 | 43 | 27 | 13 |
| SERPS | 309 | 332 | 329 | 264 | 246 | n/a |
| Women | ||||||
| Appropriate Personal Pension | 51 | 14 | 40 | 24 | 15 | 10 |
| SERPS | 219 | 236 | 236 | 176 | 168 | n/a |
Notes:
1. Figures relate to the United Kingdom.
2. Figures show changes in active membership. They do not show whether past rights have been transferred or not.
3. SERPS figures include people who moved to a contribution position where non-contracted-out contributions have been paid either exclusively or in conjunction with class 2 or class 3 contributions or credits.
4. Figures are rounded to the nearest thousand.
5. Includes people who have changed employment and pension scheme, and those who have remained in the same employment and changed pension scheme.
6. Moves from appropriate personal pensions and SERPS to occupational pension schemes are not reflected in the above figures.
7. Movements to SERPS are defined as those where the person moves into SERPS after termination of occupational scheme membership and remains only in SERPS in the following tax year. Therefore, to establish whether a 1992-93 termination resulted in a move to SERPS, it is necessary to know the person's status in 1993-94 and this information is not yet available.
Source:
1 per cent. sample of national insurance records taken in February 1994.
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Child Support Agency (Departures Scheme)
Mr. Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security for what reasons the Child Support Agency's departures scheme makes no allowance for the cost of maintaining step-children taken on after April 1993; and if he will make a statement on who is expected to pay the cost of maintaining such stepchildren where the absent natural parent of those stepchildren is (a) dead, (b) unemployed and (c) living overseas. [23329]
Mr. Andrew Mitchell: Parents taking responsibility for stepchildren after April 1993 have done so in the full knowledge that the standard child support maintenance
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assessment makes no provision for any costs involved in caring for those children. The fact that child support maintenance cannot exceed 30 per cent. of net income leaves absent parents sufficient resources to make such choices.
Where payment of child support at the rate determined under the standard maintenance assessment would reduce an absent parent's income to such a level that he would be unable to provide adequate support for his new family, the protected income provisions come into play. The protected income assessment makes full allowance for the basic living expenses of all children in the absent parent's household, including any step-children.
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Prescription Charges
Mr. Barry Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what has been the real terms increase in the price of NHS prescriptions since 1979 expressed as a cash figure and as a percentage. [21125]
Mr. Richards: The prescription charge per item has increased by 774 per cent. in real terms since 1979. Prescription charges in Wales in 1995-96 are expected to raise £18.3 million--money which would otherwise have to be found from within NHS resources.
Police Budgets
Mr. Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the annual budget for each of the Welsh police constabularies for each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement. [22373]
Mr. Gwilym Jones: The available information is given in the following table.
| Police authority | 1992-93 | 1993-94 | 1994-95 | 1995-96 | (10)1996-97 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dyfed-Powys | 40.0 | 42.7 | 46.2 | 45.9 | 48.6 |
| Gwent(11) | 39.6 | 42.1 | 43.7 | 49.8 | 62.4 |
| North Wales | 57.3 | 59.6 | 62.4 | 66.0 | 69.3 |
| South Wales | 131.3 | 134.1 | 133.9 | 150.7 | 151.1 |
Notes:
(10) Figures reflect the transfer of responsibility for policing the district area of Rhymney Valley from south Wales to Gwent.
(11) Figures for 1992-93 to 1994-95 are taken from Gwent county council returns and do not include repayment of debt or the receipt of other local income.
Source:
Revenue outturn returns for 1992-93 to 1994-95 and budget returns for 1995-96 and 1996-97.
Equal Opportunities
Mr. David Shaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what amounts of money have been paid out by (a) his Department and (b) executive agencies, non-departmental public bodies and other organisations for which he is accountable to Parliament, to how many staff or former staff in respect of (i) alleged equal opportunities breaches which do not proceed to tribunals or courts and (ii) equal opportunities breaches which proceeded to tribunals or courts in (1) the current year and (2) the two previous years. [22511]
Mr. Hague: No money has been paid out by my Department or its executive agency, CADW, in respect of breaches in equal opportunities.
Information on non-departmental public bodies is not held centrally.
Non-domestic Rates
Mr. Wigley: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the sum total of revenue arising from non-domestic rates in Wales in each of the past five years, together with his latest estimate for the present financial year. [22198]
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Mr. Hague: The information is as follows:
Total amounts received in respect of non-domestic rates
1990-91: £490,925,000
1991-92: £513,890,000
1992-93: £527,785,000
1993-94: £502,389,000
1994-95: £478,634,000
1995-96: £516,000,000 1 .
1 Estimate.
Child Abuse
Mr. Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) if he will (a) obtain and (b) evaluate a copy of John Jilling's report into child sex and physical abuse at north Wales children's homes commissioned by Clwyd county council; [23379]
- (2) what proposals he has to institute a judicial inquiry into the history of child sexual and physical abuse in north Wales children's homes, and if he will make a statement.[23147]
Mr. Hague: I have no plans at present to take any further action beyond the steps outlined in my statement of 11 December, columns 554-56. I understand that Clwyd county council has decided to refer Mr. Jilling's report to the Department. I shall consider what action, if any, to take on it once we have received it.
Private Finance Initiative
Mr. Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the numbers and grades of civil servants in the dedicated PFI department established in his Department. [23389]
Mr. Hague: Details of the officials in my Department's private finance unit are as follows: grade 5(1); grade 7(2); higher executive officer (1); administrative assistant (1). In addition, the unit has been strengthened recently by a secondee from the private finance panel executive.
Theatr Clwyd, Mold
Mr. Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will now make available his Department's one-of contribution to Theatr Clwyd, Mold for 1996-97. [23374]
Mr. Gwilym Jones: Flintshire county council has until the end of March to provide details of an adequate funding package for Theatr Clwyd for 1996-97 and beyond; my right hon. Friend and I will decide whether to release the funding offered to discharge Theatr Clwyd's capital debt in the light of Flintshire's response.
Cardiff Bay Development
Mr. Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, pursuant to his strategic guidance note of 13 March to the Cardiff Bay development corporation, what was the total estimated gross capital cost of the Gwent bird reserve on the assumption of a £5.7 million pubic sector contribution and private finance initiative scheme for the private capital investment. [23132]
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Mr. Hague: The Cardiff Bay development corporation is committed to providing £5.7 million to the Gwent bird reserve scheme. If the private finance initiative option is pursued, this will be used to maximise the value for money from the public sector contribution.
Mr. Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, pursuant to his strategic guidance note of 13 March to the Cardiff Bay development corporation, if he will list the later developments referred to as providing the justification alongside the corporation's 1995 corporate plan which led him to set the level of grant in aid for 1996-97 at £51.641 million. [23136]
Mr. Hague: Developments since August include the issue of a private finance initiative prospectus for the Bute avenue development; faster than expected progress on the £200 million NEG-Schott inward investment at Ocean park; and the prospect of a major private sector investment at Ely fields.
Mr. Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, pursuant to his strategic guidance note of 13 March to the Cardiff Bay development corporation, by what amount he expects the corporation to (a) reduce its consultancy expenditure and (b) increase its direct running cost expenditure. [23137]
Mr. Hague: Cardiff Bay development corporation's planned budget in 1996-97 for consultancies has been reduced by £1 million and the budget for running costs increased by £0.49 million. This will reduce total planned expenditure on consultancies and running costs by £0.51 million.
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