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Disability Living Allowance

Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is his estimate of the savings which will accrue to his Department as a result of the Social Security (Disability Living Allowance and Claims and Payments) Amendment Regulations 1996 (S.I. 1996 No. 1436); and if he will make a statement. [7039]

Mr. Andrew Mitchell: Savings are estimated to be in the region of between £40 and £45 million for 1997-98 and 1998-99. Actual savings are kept under review and revised as necessary as new data become available.

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Mrs. Mahon: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the average cost of dealing with an application for disability living allowance which goes to (a) review and (b) appeal. [6737]

Mr. Andrew Mitchell: The administration of disability living allowance 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 Mrs. Alice Mahon, dated 9 December 1996:

The Secretary of State for Social Security has asked me to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking what is the average cost of dealing with an application for Disability Living Allowance (DLA) which to (a) review and (b) appeal.
The following information reflects the average operational staffing costs involved in the processing of both reviews and appeals relating to DLA.
Cost of processing a DLA claim: £50 ¹
Cost of processing a Review for DLA: £22
Cost of processing an appeal for DLA: £59 ^2
1 This figure incorporates the new measures for administrative tightening.
² This figure incorporates an element from fielding a presenting Officer at the tribunal hearing.
The above figures reflect the cost of processing to the implementation of a decision. Costs relating to the arrangement of Disability Appeals Tribunal (DAT) hearings is held by the Independent Tribunal Service. The average cost of an appeal session, from April to October 1996, for DLA is £343 with on average, 3.37 cases heard per session. This figure reflects the cost for the appellant and the DAT members only.
The costs are rounded to the nearest pound.
I hope you find this reply helpful.

EU Payroll Costs

Mr. MacShane: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list those countries in Europe where social, welfare or pension charges on the payroll costs of employers have been changed following the imposition of a directive from the European Union. [7013]

Mr. Burt: The information is not available.

Compensation Recovery Scheme

Mr. Rogers: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what changes he is proposing to introduce to the compensation recovery scheme; when the changes will be introduced; and if repayments will be made to those people who have already paid. [7987]

Mr. Roger Evans: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave the hon. Member for Wakefield (Mr. Hinchcliffe) on 7 November, Official Report, columns 681-82.

Disability Discrimination Act

Ms Lynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if his Department will monitor the car insurance industry, following the implementation of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995, to ascertain whether insurers charge higher premiums on vehicles that have been modified for the disabled. [7808]

Mr. Burt: The Government will monitor the Disability Discrimination Act in order to assess its effectiveness in combatting discrimination. The National Disability

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Council will also provide advice to the Government on matters relevant to the elimination of discrimination and the operation of the Act.

CSA Chief Executive

Mr. Pawsey: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security on what date he was informed that the chief executive of the Child Support Agency intended to take up her new post with Business in the Community. [8110]

Mr. Andrew Mitchell: My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State, has known since February 1996 that Miss Chant would not be undertaking a further extension of her contract beyond March 1997.

Mr. Pawsey: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what plans there are to give preference to non-civil service candidates in filling the post of chief executive of the Child Support Agency. [8112]

Mr. Mitchell: None. All candidates will be treated equally.

Mr. Pawsey: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what plans there are to advertise the post of chief executive of the Child Support Agency (a) within the civil service and (b) outside it. [8111]

Mr. Mitchell: Permanent secretaries in other Government Departments have been asked to circulate details of the post to prospective candidates;

The post was also advertised in the national press on 8 December 1996 and will be again on 12 December 1996. Executive search is also being carried out on the Department's behalf by recruitment consultants.

Mr. Pawsey: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what initial period of contract will be offered to the next chief executive of the Child Support Agency. [8113]

Mr. Mitchell: Five years.

Changes

Mr. Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list each social security change since 1979 and for each the net gain or loss to public expenditure (a) for each year since the change took effect and (b) cumulatively for each change to date; and what has been the net change to public expenditure totals of the changes to date. [8128]

Mr. Burt: The main developments in Social Security since the second world war--together with details of expenditure by benefit since 1979--are set out in "The Growth of Social Security", which was published in 1993.

Further information is provided in public expenditure White Papers from 1979 to 1990 and--from 1991 to date--departmental reports of the Department of Social Security. Copies of all documents are in the Library.

Housebuilding Industry

Sir Michael Grylls: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what consultations he undertook with the housebuilding industry prior to the publication of the booklet entitled, "Are Your Workers Employed or

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Self-Employed"; what representations he has received from housebuilders since the publication of that booklet; and if he will make a statement. [8553]

Mr. Heald: A wide range of representative bodies from the construction industry, including the housebuilding industry, were involved in joint consultations with officials from the Department and the Inland Revenue before the publication of the booklet.

Since October 1995 we have had numerous representations and meetings at official and ministerial level from the industry. Details of the help provided for the construction industry on employment status are set out in a joint Inland Revenue and Contributions Agency press release issued on 19 November 1996, copies of which are available in the Library.

Sir Michael Grylls: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will make it his policy to consult (a) the Housebuilders Federation, (b) the Manufacturing and Construction Industries Alliance and (c) other bodies representing the interests of housebuilders and their workers, before making any changes to the convention that construction operatives in the housebuilding sector are considered as self-employed for national insurance purposes. [8556]

Mr. Heald: We have already developed contacts with a wide range of representatives bodies from the construction industry, including groups representing members of the housebuilding industry. We will continue to work closely with these contacts on the issue of employment status in the industry.

Sir Michael Grylls: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what assessment he has made of the costs for employers in the housebuilding sector of the recent ending of self-employed status for construction operatives, in terms of (a) employers' national insurance, (b) employees' national insurance, (c) other taxes; and (d) administrative and payroll costs. [8554]

Mr. Heald: It is incorrect to say that self-employed status has been ended for construction workers. As in other industries, contractors will continue to be free to take on workers as self-employed where the terms and conditions of engagement reflect genuine self-employment.

Sir Michael Grylls: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security for how many years construction operatives in the housebuilding sector have been considered to be self-employed for national insurance purposes; when, by whom and for what reasons the decision was taken to change that status; and if he will make a statement. [8555]

Mr. Heald: Since 1980, the administrative practice of the Department has been to accept that the issue by the Inland Revenue of a 714 certificate or deduction from payments under the SC60 scheme were evidence of self employment. Following representations from the construction industry claiming that many workers treated as self-employed were really employees, the Inland Revenue and Department of Social Security prepared new guidance for the industry about employment status. This made it clear that whether someone is employed or self-employed depends on the terms of engagement not the issue of a 714 certificate.

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