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Worker Information and Consultation
Mr. Dunn: To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will report on the consultation exercise recently undertaken by his Department in relation to the European Commission's communication on worker information and consultation. [31803]
Mr. Lang: I have today placed a summary of the responses to the consultation in the Library of the House, together with a copy of the Government's response to the European Commission's communication.
National Weights and Measures Laboratory
Mr. Dunn: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what targets he has set his Department's National Weights and Measures Laboratory for 1996-97. [31800]
Mr. Lang: I have set National Weights and Measures Laboratory the following targets for 1996-97:
to ensure that external fee-earning activities remain self-financing;
to reduce the real cost of a programme hour by 1 per cent.;
to complete 85 per cent. of European type approvals within 10 weeks;
to complete 95 per cent. of all calibration jobs--including preparation of certificates--within 18 working days.
In addition, I expect the chief executive of NWML to continue to reply within 10 working days to all letters from Members of Parliament delegated to him for reply.
Yugoslavia
Mr. Wareing: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what plans he has to visit the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia; and if he will make a statement. [30259]
Mr. Lang [holding answer 22 May 1996]: Diary commitments preclude my visiting the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in the foreseeable future.
Information Society Initiative
Mrs. Roche: To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement on the operation of the two pilot schemes running in Manchester and Harlow under the information society initiative. [30728]
Mr. Ian Taylor [holding answer 4 June 1996]: The information society initiative pilot local support centres at Manchester and Harlow are both open. The Manchester centre, based at the national computing centre, was formally opened on 13 February and the Harlow centre, which is based at the Harlow information and technology training centre, ITEC, was opened on 19 March 1996.
Both have facilities for businesses to get "hand-on" experience of using the Internet, world wide web, etcetera for commercial purposes, to encourage electronic commerce, and provide advice sessions and training courses for small businesses. Both are working with local business link partnerships in the development of services. The Manchester centre has been running training course for business link advisers and counsellors.
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A countrywide network of local support centres will be established over the course of the information society initiative.
State Pensions
Ms Lynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what would be the gross annual cost of increasing the basic state pension by (a) £5, (b) £10 and (c) £20 a week; what would be (x) the annual savings in means-tested benefits and (y) increased Treasury receipts from income tax if the basic state pension was increased by (i) £5, (ii) £10 and (iii) £20 a week; and what increase in national insurance contributions would be needed to meet the net cost from increasing the basic state pension by (1) £5, (2) £10 and (3) £20 a week. [30165]
| Gross cost to national insurance fund | Saving in income related benefits | Increase in treasury income tax receipts | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic retirement pension increased by £5 | 2.7 | 0.7 | 0.2 |
| Basic retirement pension increased by £10 | 5.4 | 1.5 | 0.5 |
| Basic retirement pension increased by £20 | 10.8 | 2.9 | 1.1 |
1. Estimates of cost to the national insurance fund are supplied by the Government Actuary's department.
2. Calculations are based on increasing basic retirement pension only and assume that increases are applied to all recipients of any basic RP.
3. Savings in income-related benefits are calculated using the policy simulation model 1996-97, based on the family expenditure surveys 1991, 1992 and 1993.
4. Income tax effects have been calculated by the Inland Revenue using a projection of the 1994 family expenditure survey and are provisional.
5. All cost are rounded to the nearest £100 million, 1996-97 prices.
| Employee main rate | Employer main rate | |
|---|---|---|
| Current rates | 10.0 | 10.2 |
| Basic retirement pension increased by £5 | 10.8 | 10.7 |
| Basic retirement pension increased by £10 | 11.6 | 11.3 |
| Basic retirement pension increased by £20 | 13.4 | 12.4 |
1. Rates are rounded to the nearest 0.1 per cent.
2. The new contribution rates are derived by maintaining equity between the burden of extra contributions borne by the employee and the employer for an employee on average earnings.
5 Jun 1996 : Column: 459
Child Benefit
Mr. Pike: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list the types of non-advanced courses which are recognised for the purpose of claiming child benefit for a child aged between 16 and 19 years. [30240]
Mr. Andrew Mitchell: The administration of child benefit is a matter for Peter Mathison, the chief executive of the Benefits Agency. He will write to the hon. Member.
Letter from Peter Mathison to Mr. Peter L. Pike, dated 4 June 1996:
The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking if he will list the types of non-advanced courses which are recognised for the purpose of claiming child benefit for a child aged between 16 and 19 years.
There are nearly 90 courses of education which are classed as non-advanced. They include GCE "A" level, GCSE and SCE Higher Grade or equivalent, GNVQ/NVQ levels 1,2 and 3, B/TEC National Diploma, SCOTVEC National Certificate of 6th Year Studies, Foundation art course and secretarial course with GCSE entry. Others, such as Pathway, Horizon and Gateway, can be grouped together under "Special Needs" courses. The remainder can be grouped together as "Job Specific".
This would include courses such as Hotel and Catering, Travel and Tourism.
I hope you find this reply helpful.
Child Support Agency
Ms Lynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what monitoring the Child Support Agency undertakes (a) of the number of its clients who become insolvent following its intervention and (b) of the change in the number of clients becoming insolvent; and what procedures the agency adopts to avoid a client becoming insolvent following its intervention. [30692]
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 Miss Ann Chant to Ms Liz Lynne, dated 4 June 1996:
I am replying to your Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security about Child Support Agency clients.
No formal records are kept of the number of clients who report that they have become insolvent following contact with the Agency, nor does the Agency petition for bankruptcy.
Absent parents are always left with at least 70% of their income (67% if paying arrears) after a child maintenance assessment has been made. It should also be remembered that it could be the parent with care who has been made insolvent because legally due child maintenance has not been paid.
The Agency has a legal liability to enforce maintenance payments in suitable cases even if it reaches the stage of court proceedings, to protect the interest of the taxpayer and the parent with care.
Departmental Staff
Mr. Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list (a) the number of (i) male and (ii) female employees, (b) the number of officials employed at each of the principal grades and the numbers and percentages of women employed at each of these grades and (c) the number of staff employed at administrative grades and the numbers and percentage of these staff who are women in his Department on 1 April. [30555]
5 Jun 1996 : Column: 460
Mr. Burt: The information is set out in the tables:
| Number | |
|---|---|
| Male | 31,709 |
| Female | 65,797 |
| Grade | Total staff | Total women | Percentage women |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1-4 | 29 | 8 | 27.6 |
| 5 | 105 | 25 | 23.8 |
| 6 | 434 | 130 | 30.0 |
| 7 | 641 | 165 | 25.7 |
| Senior Executive Officer | 1,256 | 381 | 30.3 |
| Higher Executive Officer | 5,204 | 2,394 | 46.0 |
| Executive Officer | 26,314 | 16,513 | 62.8 |
| Total | 33,983 | 19,616 | 57.7 |
| Grade | Total staff | Total women | Percentage women |
|---|---|---|---|
| Administrative Officer | 48,982 | 36,409 | 74.3 |
| Administrative Assistant | 11,452 | 7,876 | 68.8 |
| Total | 60,434 | 44,285 | 73.2 |
| Total staff | Total women | Percentage women |
|---|---|---|
| 3,089 | 1,896 | 61.4 |
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