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New Businesses
Ms Mowlam: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many new businesses were started up in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years. [36149]
Mr. Ancram [holding answer 8 July 1996]: There is no comprehensive count of new business start-ups. However, information on VAT registrations can provide a useful indication of the number of businesses created and estimates for the years 1990 to 1994 are given in the table. Figures for 1995 are not yet available. It should be noted that many start-up businesses are below the VAT threshold in their initial months.
VAT registrations in Northern Ireland
1990: 3,300
1991: 3,700
1992: 3,700
1993: 4,000
1994: 3,900
9 Jul 1996 : Column: 136
SOCIAL SECURITY
Statutory Pay
Mr. Chris Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list for 1994-95, the number of employees for whom a recovery of statutory maternity pay was claimed by employers from the national insurance fund. [35656]
Mr. Heald: The Government Actuary's Department has estimated that the number of employees for whom a recovery of statutory maternity pay was claimed by employers in 1994-95 was 370,000. Notes:
1. Figure rounded to the nearest 10,000.
2. Figures do not assume that all women will receive SMP for 18 weeks.
Mr. Heald: The estimated extra benefit cost in 1996-97 is £880 million. Note:
1. Government Actuary's Department estimate, rounded to the nearest £5 million.
Mr. Heald: The information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is given in the table and relates to 1993-94, the latest year for which information is available.
| 1993-94 | |
|---|---|
| Estimated number of statutory maternity pay (SMP) recipients | (10)370,000 |
| Maternity allowance awards to women excluded from SMP as earnings less than Lower Earnings Limit | (11)3,300 |
| Maternity allowance awards to women excluded from SMP as outside the European Economic Area | (11)Nil |
| Maternity allowance awards to women excluded from SMP as in legal custody | (11)200 |
(10) Government Actuary's Department estimate rounded to nearest 10,000, it does not assume that all women receive 18 weeks SMP.
(11) Figures taken from 1 per cent. sample of maternity allowance claims made in Great Britain.
Mr. Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what estimate he has made of the number of employees who received statutory sick pay, giving a
9 Jul 1996 : Column: 137
breakdown by sex and age, for the most recent available year. [35644]
Mr. Heald: The information is not available in the format requested. Data on the number of payments made by employers in 1992-93 are shown in the table. These include figures for people who have received more than one payment.
| Age | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|
| Under 20 | 30,000 | 29,000 |
| 20 and up to 24 | 247,000 | 293,000 |
| 25 and up to 29 | 337,000 | 394,000 |
| 30 and up to 34 | 337,000 | 348,000 |
| 35 and up to 39 | 298,000 | 301,000 |
| 40 and up to 44 | 271,000 | 305,000 |
| 45 and up to 49 | 276,000 | 333,000 |
| 50 and up to 54 | 231,000 | 271,000 |
| 55 and up to 59 | 212,000 | 214,000 |
| 60 and up to 64 | 167,000 | 58,000 |
| 65 and over | 40,000 | 2,000 |
| Total | (12)2,448,000 | (12)2,547,000 |
1. Totals do not sum due to rounding.
2. Figures are taken from a 1 per cent. sample of statutory sick pay payments made by employers in UK and rounded to the nearest 1,000.
Mr. Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will estimate for the most recent available year (a) the amount of statutory sick pay paid to all employees, (b) the number of employees receiving statutory sick pay, (c) the number of employees who are not entitled to statutory sick pay because of low earnings, and who received incapacity benefit instead and (d) the number of employees who are not entitled to statutory sick pay because of low earnings who receive no other benefits during their period of illness. [35654]
Mr. Heald: The information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is for 1992-93 and is as follows:
The total value of statutory sick pay payments by employers was £814 million 1 .
The number of SSP payments made by employers was 4.8 million 1 . This figure includes people who may have received more than one payment in the year.
The number of people who claimed sickness benefit because their earnings were below the lower earnings limit for the payment of national insurance contributions was 38,000 2 .
Mr. Heald:
The available information is in the table.
9 Jul 1996 : Column: 138
Mr. Smith:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list the amounts recovered by employers for (a) statutory sick pay and (b) statutory maternity benefit; and what were amounts paid in (i) sickness benefit and (ii) maternity allowance in each year since 1980. [35645]
Notes:
1 Figures taken from a 1 per cent. sample of all payments made by employers in Great Britain.
2 Figure taken from a 1 per cent. sample of all claims to sickness benefit in Great Britain.
| Year | Statutory sick pay | Statutory maternity pay | Sickness benefit(12) | Maternity allowance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980-81 | -- | -- | 654 | 149 |
| 1981-82 | -- | -- | 680 | 158 |
| 1982-83 | -- | -- | 554 | 152 |
| 1983-84 | 500 | -- | 265 | 141 |
| 1984-85 | 508 | -- | 279 | 161 |
| 1985-86 | 545 | -- | 276 | 164 |
| 1986-87 | 757 | -- | 179 | 168 |
| 1987-88 | 840 | 193 | 193 | 51 |
| 1988-89 | 898 | 250 | 192 | 27 |
| 1989-90 | 949 | 286 | 204 | 30 |
| 1990-91 | 941 | 314 | 216 | 34 |
| 1991-92 | 781 | 408 | 274 | 31 |
| 1992-93 | 688 | 434 | 364 | 32 |
| 1993-94 | 659 | 416 | 365 | 33 |
| 1994-95 | 25 | 443 | 342 | 27 |
| 1995-96 | 25 | 453 | -- | 32 |
(12) Sickness benefit and invalidity benefit were replaced by incapacity benefit in April 1995.
Outturn figures from 1980-81 to 1994-95, and estimated outturn figure for 1995-96.
Asylum Seekers
Mr. Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, pursuant to his oral statement of 24 June, Official Report, columns 37 and 38, if he will place in the Library the evidence from which he calculated the percentage of asylum seekers who are found to be genuine refugees. [35635]
Mr. Roger Evans: The most recent summary of Home Office asylum decisions can be found in the Home Office statistical bulletin, issue 9/96, a copy of which is in the Library.
Mr. Alan Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what assessment he has made of the Refugee Council report, "Welcome to the UK". [35686]
Mr. Evans: The report highlights the fact that asylum seekers who are not entitled to benefits can rely on a network of support and assistance. The report does not show the kind of destitution that many critics suggested would come about as a consequence of our determination to tackle the problem of bogus asylum seekers.
Mr. Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what monitoring he has undertaken into the impact of the Social Security (Persons From Abroad) Miscellaneous Amendment Regulations 1996. [35685]
Mr. Evans: I refer the hon. Member to the reply my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State, gave the hon. Member for Walthamstow (Mr. Gerrard) on 25 June, Official Report, columns 142-44.
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