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ENVIRONMENT
Council Tax
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what estimate he has made of how many local authorities will contract out the administration and enforcement of the council tax, community charge and non-domestic rates in the next two years; and what percentage this represents of the whole. [34857]
Sir Paul Beresford: None. Decisions as to whether to contract out council tax, community charge and non-domestic rates work are for individual local authorities.
Miss Patricia Eaton
Mr. Raynsford: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what has been the total cost since 1980 of (a) staff time, (b) legal advice and representation and (c) litigation to (i) the Inner London education authority, (ii) the London residuary body and (iii) the London
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Pension Fund Authority of responding to the complaints lodged by Miss Patricia Eaton of Kidbrooke Park road, London SE3, relating to her treatment by the ILEA when she was in its employment. [34890]
Sir Paul Beresford: This is a matter for the London Pensions Fund Authority and I suggest that the hon. Gentleman should contact the chief executive for the information that he requires.
Parliamentary Boundary Changes
Mr. Fabricant: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to his answer of 25 June, Official Report, column 79, what factors led Ordnance Survey not to produce (a) county maps and (b) maps on a larger scale showing the new parliamentary boundaries; what assessment he has made of the legibility of the boundary lines of the maps proposed for issue in respect of the United Kingdom; and if he will make a statement. [35100]
Sir Paul Beresford: Ordnance Survey is responsible for the official, definite mapping of Great Britain; Ordnance Survey Northern Ireland is responsible for the mapping of the Province.
Ordnance Survey maintains a definitive dataset of electoral boundaries which are offered for sale as a computer-readable digital map product called boundary-line. This product has been well received by the market and reduced the potential market for the traditional paper sheets.
In reviewing its series of administrative maps, all of which needed revising to take account of parliamentary and local government boundary reviews, Ordnance Survey weighed up the diminished market against the costs of revising and reprinting some 56 map sheets and took an economic decision to discontinue printing the county maps. Parliamentary boundaries are now shown on two sheets, and local authority boundaries on a further nine sheets.
More detailed versions of the new parliamentary boundaries are in the course of being produced. When complete they will be available as large-scale data.
Mr. Gordon Prentice:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what fiduciary duties are laid on local authorities in respect of decisions concerning the investment of sums paid into an authority's collection fund which are not immediately required for making payments or transfers. [35315]
Sir Paul Beresford:
Local authorities are under a general fiduciary duty to their taxpayers to act prudently in investing funds. They should also have regard to the capital finance regulations and professional treasury management codes, as appropriate. In addition, the investment of collection fund money is subject to specific regulations made under section 89(5) of the Local Government Finance Act 1988. The following regulations made under the section are still in force: the Local Authorities (Funds) (England) Regulations 1992 (SI 1992/2428).
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Mr. Steen:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to his answer of 1 April, Official Report, column 14, if he will undertake an immediate review of past EC directives with a view to removing all gold plating. [35046]
Sir Paul Beresford:
We take every opportunity to review the implementation of existing EC directives when regulations are updated as part of the normal process of regulatory reform. In doing so, we take account of the new "Implementing EC Law Checklist", the publication of which was announced to the House by the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster on 16 May. This checklist is designed to ensure that no unnecessary additional burdens are placed on business when EC directives are implemented in the UK.
Mr. Faber:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he intends to publish the United Kingdom national environmental health action plan. [36107]
Mr. Gummer:
Together with my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland and my right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for Health, for Scotland and for Wales, I shall publish the United Kingdom national environmental health action plan, and an overview of it, on Monday 8 July.
Copies of the documents will be placed in the Library.
Mr. Martyn Jones:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) if his Department will reassess its use of the family expenditure survey in the assessment of United Kingdom poverty, so that provision is made in a new survey for the inclusion of homeless people; and if he will make a statement. [33049]
Mr. Andrew Mitchell:
I refer the hon. Member to my reply of 21 June to the hon. Member for Bristol, East (Ms Corston), Official Report, column 635.
Mr. Ian McCartney:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what was the cost in each of the past five years of (a) sick pay and (b) compensation paid to employees of his Department or their families, or members of the public, as a result of (i) minor, (ii) major and (iii) fatal injuries related to the work of his Department, detailing incidents involving information technology and those involving expenditure of more than £5,000. [33514]
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Mr. Burt:
Such information as is available is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Mr. McCartney:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many (a) minor, (b) major and (c) fatal injuries have been suffered by staff in his Department and its agencies in work-related incidents in each of the past five years, showing in each year how many were related to information technology and giving details of all incidents involving fatalities. [33513]
Mr. Burt:
Such information as is available is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Mr. Austin Mitchell:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will make it his policy to ensure that (a) a higher proportion or (b) all funeral expenses of those receiving social security benefit are met by the state.[34404]
Mr. Roger Evans:
We have no plans to do so. However, all aspects of the benefits system are kept under review.
Mr. Mitchell:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what assessment he has made of the effect of the new system of social fund funeral payments on prices and costs in the funeral industry. [34421]
Mr. Evans:
It is estimated that the social fund funeral payments scheme accounted for 10 per cent. of all funerals in Great Britain in 1995. The restriction in the level of payment made is presumed to have had an effect upon the market.
Mr. Alan Howarth:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list the number and percentage of individuals in benefit units where at least one contributory benefit is being received, by net income of the household adjusted for family size, broken down into equivalised income bands before and after housing costs. [35512]
(2) if his Department will reassess its use of the family expenditure survey in the assessment of United Kingdom poverty, so that provision is made in a new survey for the inclusion of people living in institutions with special reference to hospitals, nursing homes, residential homes and prisons; and if he will make a statement. [33048]
| Before Housing Costs | After Housing Costs | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Decile of the whole UK income distribution | Number of individuals who are in benefit units where at least one contributory benefit is received (millions) | Percentage of individuals who are in benefit units where at least one contributory benefit is received | Number of individuals who are in benefit units where at least one contributory benefit is received (millions) | Percentage of individuals who are in benefit units where at least one contributory benefit is received |
| 1 | 1.5 | 26 | 1 | 18 |
| 2 | 2.2 | 38 | 2.1 | 37 |
| 3 | 2.4 | 42 | 2.6 | 46 |
| 4 | 2.1 | 37 | 1.9 | 33 |
| 5 | 1.6 | 28 | 1.7 | 29 |
| 6 | 1.4 | 24 | 1.3 | 23 |
| 7 | 1.1 | 20 | 1.2 | 21 |
| 8 | 0.9 | 16 | 1.0 | 17 |
| 9 | 0.8 | 13 | 0.9 | 16 |
| 10 | 0.7 | 11 | 0.8 | 15 |
| Total | 14.6 | 26 | 14.6 | 26 |
Notes:
1. Contributory benefits are unemployment benefit, contributory retirement pension, sickness benefit, invalidity benefit, maternity allowance and widow's benefit.
2. A benefit unit is defined as a single adult or a couple, together with any dependent children.
3. Individuals are grouped into deciles using the standard households below average income definition of income--weekly household disposable income adjusted for household size and composition (equivalised). Each decile of the income distribution consists of 5.7 million people.
4. Figures for number of individuals are shown to the nearest 100,000 people. Columns may therefore not sum due to rounding. Percentages are shown to the nearest whole per cent.
5. All estimates are subject to sampling error.
Source:
Information is derived from the 1992-93 households below average income dataset; 1992-93 is the latest period for which information is available. Figures for 1992-93 are for two calendar years' data combined.
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