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Naval Recruiting and Training Agency

Mr. David Martin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress has been made by the Naval Recruiting and Training Agency in developing a partnering arrangement; and if he will make a statement. [35833]

Mr. Soames: As part of the Government's competing for quality and private finance initiative, in December 1995 the Naval Recruiting and Training Agency--NRTA--selected Flagship Training, a consortium consisting of Vosper Thornycroft, GEC/Marconi and Procord, as its preferred partner in naval training.

Following a process of detailed negotiation between the NRTA and Flagship Training, I am pleased to announce that it has been decided to proceed with the implementation of the partnering arrangement. With the formal framework now in place, the NRTA and Flagship Training can begin to develop specific proposals in respect of NRTA shore training establishments. This process is expected to take around six months to complete and the proposals that emerge will be the subject of further consultation with Departmental trades unions.

Official Service Residences

Dr. David Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the names and locations of his Department's official service residences which are part of his proposed housing sale. [35237]

Mr. Arbuthnot: For security reasons, it would not be appropriate to provide this information in the form requested. When the information memorandum was issued--23 February 1996--the estate for sale included eight properties in Wiltshire, five in Middlesex, five in Buckinghamshire, two in Cambridgeshire, and one each in London, Somerset, Hampshire, Shropshire, Oxfordshire, Yorkshire, Bedfordshire, Gloucestershire and Lincolnshire, which, prior to the Cazalet review, qualified as official service residences by virtue of the posts held by their occupants. Following the Cazalet review, 14 of the properties now qualify as official service residences: four in Wiltshire, two in Middlesex, two in Buckinghamshire, and one each in Cambridgeshire, Somerset, Hampshire, Shropshire, Yorkshire, and Lincolnshire. The final size and composition of the estate for sale remains subject to possible changes during the continuing management of the estate.

3 Jul 1996 : Column: 467

Radiation Test Experiments

Mr. Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list each of the facilities currently or formerly operated by his Department since 1966 where radiation test experiments have been conducted on either service men or civilian volunteers; and if he will make a statement on follow-up monitoring conducted since these experiments. [34381]

Mr. Arbuthnot [holding answer 26 June 1996]: During the 1980s, atomic weapons establishment Aldermaston participated in a number of studies involving the use of radioactive material. Some were also conducted at Porton Down in the 1950s and 1960s, and are described in an answer I gave the hon. Member for South Shields (Dr. Clark) on 25 June 1996, Official Report, column 65. Follow-up radiological monitoring would have been irrelevant because only very short-lived radioisotopes were used in the experiments.

SOCIAL SECURITY

Housing Benefit Subsidy

Mr. Rooker: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will publish for 1994-95 the payments of housing benefit subsidy by his Department to each London borough and metropolitan district; and if he will list the financial penalties imposed as a result of non-compliance with regulations. [31562]

Mr. Roger Evans: The information is set out in the tables.

Metropolitan authorities

Authority	Subsidy paid for non-HRA rent rebate expenditure 1994-95(£)	Subsidy paid for rent allowance expenditure 1994-95(£)	Subsidy penalties incurred 1994-95(£)
Barking	0	9.032,943	0
Barnet	2,038,205	37,753,367	0
Bexley	184,080	17,370,921	0
Brent	1,870,444	73,428,160	0
Bromley	465,904	43,145,879	0
Camden	1,102,438	57,118,469	0
City of London	38,988	927,953	0
Croydon	694,814	45,719,522	0
Ealing	1,926,861	50,487,956	0
Enfield	3,305,858	28,924,000	0
Greenwich	2,344,595	23,520,217	0
Hackney	9,465,809	58,559,103	0
Hammersmith	2,473,370	38,851,775	0
Haringey	8,679,839	75,046,559	0
Harrow	235,476	23,722,130	0
Havering	0	11,185,974	0
Hillingdon	1,282,584	19,635,033	0
Hounslow	1,019,705	27,738,610	0
Islington	2,190,355	33,740,420	0
Kensington and Chelsea	897,085	49,036,668	0
Kingston upon Thames	2,866,704	9,622,988	0
Lambeth	2,459,649	62,820,132	0
Lewisham	532,435	38,555,441	0
Merton	69,541	20,053,791	0
Newham	4,517,984	72,851,754	0
Redbridge	168,049	33,422,563	0
Richmond-upon-Thames	928,189	14,755,024	0
Southwark	1,488,887	39,513,847	0
Sutton	264,343	12,845,855	0
Tower Hamlets	2,650,913	22,628,408	0
Waltham Forest	727,329	39,235,511	0
Wandsworth	1,142,664	51,617,175	0
Westminster	1,871,308	81,723,232	0
Barnsley	336,614	8,924,404	0
Birmingham	0	95,811,541	1,639,119
Bolton	251,882	15,101,121	0
Bradford	58,932	38,585,237	0
Bury	1,141,702	8,753,189	0
Calderdale	735,995	10,471,362	0
Coventry	812,483	25,353,232	0
Doncaster	12,817	12,243,300	0
Dudley	103,035	8,898,444	0
Gateshead	28,368	11,969,763	0
Kirklees	1,266,961	18,430,832	0
Knowsley	13,857	9,106,135	0
Leeds	165,168	50,917,991	0
Liverpool	148,951	71,766,629	0
Manchester	2,715,548	78,174,726	0
Newcastle upon tyne	357,859	25,291,420	0
North Tyneside	151,748	13,044,451	0
Oldham	524,153	13,384,001	0
Rochdale	754,099	13,691,094	0
Rotherham	275,975	9,327,466	0
Salford	851,086	18,245,357	0
Sandwell	108,268	13,025,643	0
Sefton	297,748	22,199,050	0
Sheffield	812,883	26,499,284	0
Solihull	43,144	5,206,823	0
South Tyneside	425,841	9,887,080	0
St. Helens	43,425	9,013,017	0
Stockport	135,563	16,061,267	0
Sunderland	402,511	17,104,442	0
Tameside	1,490,378	11,967,014	0
Trafford	251,678	12,999,886	0
Wakefield	350,298	10,424,339	0
Walsall	78,272	8,821,627	0
Wigan	1,697,773	10,548,961	0
Wirral	100,615	27,914,171	0
Wolverhampton	18,054	13,408,744	0

3 Jul 1996 : Column: 468

Disability Benefits

Mr. Alan Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many (a) people who have claimed incapacity benefit since April 1995, (b) former invalidity benefit claimants, (c) severe disablement allowance claimants, (d) people who have claimed income support with a disability premium since April 1995, (e) people who claimed income support with a disability premium before April 1995 and (f) people with credits only have been found capable of work following an assessment under the all-work test in the year ended April 1996. [34322]

Mr. Burt: The information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is in the table.

Found capable of work following the all-work test of incapacity	Number
Incapacity benefit claimants since April 1995 (5), (7)	24,620
Incapacity benefit claimants former in receipt of invalidity benefit(6), (7)	25,200
Severe disablement allowance claimants (5), (7
Credits only(5), (7

(5) Source: 5 per cent. sample from the incapacity benefit computer system. Excludes a small number of cases paid clerically.

(6) Source: 1 per cent. sample from the incapacity benefit computer system. Excludes a small number of cases paid clerically.

(7) It is not possible to identify separately those cases which are in receipt of income support.

(8) All figures are for Great Britain.

3 Jul 1996 : Column: 469

Mr. Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many appeals against a disallowance of (a) incapacity benefit, (b) severe disablement allowance, (c) income support with a disability premium and (d) credits (i) have been lodged, (ii) have been heard and (iii) are outstanding; and what was the success rate for claimants. [34269]

Mr. Burt: The information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is in the table.

	Incapacity benefit--all appeals including all-work test	Other all-work test appeals(10)
Appeals received 1 April 1995 to 31 March 1996	36,573	8,453
Appeals heard 1 April 1995 to 31 March 1996	6,976	1,354
Appeals outstanding as at 31 March 1996	24,525	6,205
Percentage decided in favour of appellant	47	38

(9) Does not include appeals withdrawn, superseded or struck out.

(10) It is not possible to provide a further breakdown of this category.

Mr. Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many people on incapacity benefits and credits have been (a) found capable of work following an assessment under the all-work test, (b) been disallowed benefit for failing to return the IB50 questionnaire without good cause and (c) been disallowed following failure to attend an examination without good cause, during the year ending April 1996. [34657]

Mr. Burt: The information is in the table.

	Number
Found capable of work following all-work test	89,882
Disallowed benefit for failing to return the IB50 questionnaire without good cause	7,710
Disallowed benefit for failing to attend an examination without good cause	2,416

Note:

All data for the year to 31 March 1996.

Source:

One hundred per cent. count of cases on the incapacity benefit computer system; excludes a small number of cases which are paid clerically.

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