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National Insurance Contributions
Mr. Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the estimated contribution income of the national insurance fund in each year from 1996-97 to 2001-01 and in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2020-21, and (c) 2030-31, assuming that in 1998 and subsequent years the lower and upper earnings limits rise (i) in line with prices, (ii) in line with earnings and (iii) the lower limit in line with prices and the upper limit in line with earnings; and what would be the additional income in each case if the upper limit were raised in April 1998 to the same proportion of average earnings as in April 1979. [7691]
Mr. Heald: The information is not available in the format requested and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Such information as is available is in the table.
| Year | Lower and upper earnings limits both increased in line with prices |
|---|---|
| 1996-97 | (15)38.20 |
| 1997-98 | (15)39.10 |
| 1998-99 | (15)40.10 |
| 1999-00 | (15)41.15 |
| 2000-01 | (16)45.63 |
| 2010-11 | (16)55.36 |
| 2020-21 | (16)63.95 |
| 2030-31 | (16)70.07 |
Source:
Government Actuary's Department.
Notes:
(15) Calculations are based on the 1996 Budget PES assumptions.
(16) Calculations are based on assumptions adopted for the report by the Government Actuary on the third quinquennial review under section 137 of the Social Security Act 1975, HC 160.
SCOTLAND
Recycling
Mr. Kirkwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what plans he has to legislate to require companies in Scotland to include a minimum level of recycled content within packaging for products on sale. [6824]
Mr. Kynoch: The Government will introduce regulations on producer responsibility for packaging early next year. These will oblige companies in the packaging chain to recover and recycle specific percentages of packaging waste. This will provide an incentive to create markets for recycled materials, including materials for use in packaging, because industry will share the costs of the proposals.
Mr. Kirkwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) what plans he has to introduce a temporary grant scheme to assist waste collection authorities in setting up and running recycling programmes over the next five years; [6813]
- (2) what resources will be allocated to waste collection authorities for 1997-98 to enable them to develop waste recycling schemes to meet Government targets. [6823]
Mr. Kynoch: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State announced the local government finance settlement for 1997-98 on Budget day; details of its distribution should be with individual councils before Christmas. It will be for individual authorities to determine local priorities and how to allocate their resources across the range of services they provide. We have no plans to introduce a temporary grant for the development of recycling projects.
Mr. Kirkwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will assess the advantages of exempting local authorities as waste collection authorities in Scotland from liability for landfill tax when the price for recycled materials they have collected falls to zero. [6828]
Mr. Kynoch: There are no plans to make this assessment. The scope of the tax is a matter for consideration by my right hon. and learned Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer.
Mr. Kirkwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) what advice his Department issues to waste collection authorities about variations in price available for waste materials collected for recycling by waste collection authorities; [6826]
- (2) what research his Department has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated into the fluctuation in price of waste materials collected for recycling by waste collection authorities. [6825]
Mr. Kynoch: It is for individual authorities to consider possible price variations when making a commercial judgment on whether recycling of a specific type of material is sustainable in both environmental and economic terms. As a consequence, the Scottish Office has offered no specific advice to authorities on this matter, nor has it commissioned or evaluated any research into price levels. The Government's recycling advisory unit
5 Dec 1996 : Column: 775
has, however, published a series of reports identifying barriers and opportunities which exist for the recycling of various materials.
Mr. Kirkwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) what representations he has received from waste collection authorities about waste recycling targets and the setting up of schemes to meet those targets; [6822]
- (2) what targets his Department has set for waste collection authorities recycling by 2000; and if he will make a statement. [6821]
Mr. Kynoch: The representations received by my right hon. Friend have focused generally on price fluctuations for recycled material, the implications this has for recycling targets and on the general issue of resources.
In the White Paper, "This Common Inheritance", Cm 1200, published in 1990, the Government set a target of recycling half the recyclable element of all household waste by 2000. This is a general target, not binding on individual authorities. It equates broadly to the target of 25 per cent. of all household waste.
Mr. Kirkwood:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the grants made available through the environmental action fund to the voluntary sector running recycling projects by amounts awarded in each local authority area in Scotland. [6812]
Mr. Kynoch:
The environmental action fund does not support projects in Scotland. The fund's Scottish equivalent is the special grants (environmental) programme.
| Organisation | Financial years | Amount £ | Local authority area(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Environment Centre, Edinburgh | 1992-93 | 4,500 | Not applicable |
| Recycling Advisory Group, Scotland | 1996-97 | 8,000 | Not applicable |
| (17)1997-98 | 7,000 | ||
| (17)1998-99 | 6,000 | ||
| Community Service Volunteers | 1992-93 | 3,700 | All |
| Age Concern Orkney | 1992-93 | 3,225 | Orkney |
| Mid Craigie Community Business | 1992-93 | 1,000 | Dundee |
| Lothian and Edinburgh Environmental Partnership | 1993-94 | 3,000 | Edinburgh, Midlothian and East Lothian |
| Scottish Conservation Projects Trust | 1993-94 | 15,000 | Stirling and Falkirk |
| 1994-95 | 15,000 | ||
| 1995-96 | 15,000 | ||
| Tayside Scrapstore | 1993-94 | 1,425 | Dundee |
| Lothian and Edinburgh Environmental Partnership | 1995-96 | 5,000 | Edinburgh, Midlothian and East Lothian |
1 The table includes a future commitment to fund the Recycling Advisory Group Scotland in 1997-98 and 1998-99.
Mr. Kirkwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he expects the Scottish Environment Protection Agency to publish its strategy for waste recycling in Scotland. [6829]
Mr. Kynoch: The Scottish Environment Protection Agency intends to publish early next year for consultation a draft strategy covering its policies in relation to the recovery and disposal of waste in Scotland, including recycling.
Air Passenger Duty
Mrs. Ray Michie: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what plans he has to exempt the Glasgow--Tiree air service from air passenger duty. [6756]
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton: Taxation issues, including the level of air passenger duty, are matters for my right hon. and learned Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer.
Mrs. Michie: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland which air routes in Scotland are currently not exempt from the air passenger duty in the highlands and islands. [6754]
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton: All routes operated by aircraft of 10 tonnes or more maximum take-off weight or seating 20 or more passengers are not exempt from air passenger duty.
Mrs. Michie: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many representations he has received in the past year in favour of lifting the air passenger duty on the Glasgow--Tiree route. [6755]
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton: One representation has been received.
GP Fundholding
Mr. Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much his Department has spent in each of the last five financial years promoting the development of GP fundholding; and what initiatives have been undertaken to do this. [7165]
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton: Expenditure incurred by the Department in developing fundholding is largely indirect costs, and cannot be separately identified. A specific initiative has however been undertaken to develop models of total purchasing in which a budget is devolved to groups of practices to purchase all community and hospital health care for their patients. Six total purchasing pilots were established in 1995-96 in Scotland and a further site was added in 1996-97. The total cost of the initiative was £1.4 million in 1995-96 and £1.5 million in 1996-97.
Mr. Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland on what basis the management allowances payable to GP fundholders are calculated; and what are the maximum and minimum amounts a fundholding practice can receive. [7166]
5 Dec 1996 : Column: 777
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton: Within the limits set down, the management allowance payable is for health boards to determine on the basis of information provided by GP fundholders in their practice plans. Before agreeing the amount for each practice, the health board must be satisfied that it represents value for money. From 1 April 1996, the maximum allowances available are calculated as follows:
| £ | |
|---|---|
| Standard fundholding practices | |
| Fixed standard fundholding allowance (per fund) | 28,008 |
| List size allowance per patient: | |
| for the first 0-6,999 | 1.93 |
| then 7,000-10,999 | 1.65 |
| then 11,000-14,999 | 1.56 |
| then 15,000-20,999 | 1.20 |
| then 20,000+ | 1.05 |
| Site allowance (for each major branch surgery) | 668 |
| Standard fundholding group allowance (for each practice in excess of one in a single fund) | 1,439 |
| Primary care purchasing practices | |
| Fixed primary care purchasing allowance (per fund) | 14,135 |
| Site allowance (for each major branch surgery) | 650 |
| Standard primary care purchasing group allowance (for each practice in excess of one in a single fund) | 1,250 |
There is no minimum management allowance. The allowances listed are the maximum which fundholding practices are permitted to spend for fund management purposes.
5 Dec 1996 : Column: 778
Mr. Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what was (a) for each health board area in Scotland and (b) for the whole of Scotland (i) the amount spent on management allowances for GP fundholders and (ii) the number of GP fundholding practices in each year since 1990-91. [7167]
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton: Expenditure on management allowances for general practitioner fundholding practices in the period 1990-91 to 1995-96 is set out in table 1. The number of general practitioner fundholding practices from 1990-91 is set out in table 2.
5 Dec 1996 : Column: 777
| Health Board | 1990-91 | 1991-92 | 1992-93 | 1993-94 | 1994-95 | (17)1995-96 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Argyll and Clyde | 5 | 17 | 134 | 170 | 211 | 830 |
| Aryshire and Arran | -- | -- | 77 | 132 | 133 | 194 |
| Borders | -- | -- | 26 | 55 | 71 | 169 |
| Dumfries and Galloway | -- | -- | -- | 33 | 92 | 218 |
| Fife | -- | -- | 36 | 85 | 125 | 322 |
| Forth Valley | -- | 32 | 86 | 127 | 165 | 306 |
| Grampian | -- | 85 | 539 | 1,006 | 1,310 | 2,027 |
| Greater Glasgow | -- | 35 | 90 | 275 | 552 | 1,214 |
| Highland | -- | -- | 34 | 101 | 105 | 439 |
| Lanarkshire | -- | -- | 178 | 418 | 535 | 1,251 |
| Lothian | 16 | 33 | 168 | 429 | 697 | 1,098 |
| Orkney | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Shetland | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Tayside | 4 | 50 | 186 | 283 | 337 | 688 |
| Western Isle | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Scotland | 25 | 252 | 1,554 | 3,114 | 4,333 | 8,756 |
(17) Provisional.
| Health board | 1 April 1991 | 1 April 1992 | 1 April 1993 | 1 April 1994 | 1 April 1995 | 1 April 1996 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Argyll and Clyde | 1 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 18 | 33 |
| Ayrshire and Arran | -- | 2 | 6 | 5 | 7 | 8 |
| Borders | -- | -- | 3 | 3 | 7 | 10 |
| Dumfries and Galloway | -- | -- | 1 | 3 | 9 | 11 |
| Fife | -- | 1 | 3 | 5 | 16 | 17 |
| Forth Valley | -- | 2 | 3 | 5 | 12 | 17 |
| Grampian | 6 | 26 | 38 | 39 | 42 | 47 |
| Greater Glasgow | -- | 2 | 14 | 30 | 60 | 101 |
| Highland | -- | 1 | 4 | 7 | 18 | 21 |
| Lanarkshire | -- | 2 | 11 | 16 | 17 | 32 |
| Lothian | 2 | 3 | 14 | 25 | 36 | 54 |
| Orkney | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Shetland | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Tayside | 4 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 20 | 31 |
| Western Isles | -- | -- | -- | -- | 2 | 3 |
| Scotland | 13 | 52 | 112 | 155 | 264 | 385 |
5 Dec 1996 : Column: 779
5 Dec 1996 : Column: 779
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