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Motor Cyclists
Mr. William Ross: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on changes to driver licensing for motor cyclists in Northern Ireland. [8686]
Mr. Moss: Revised licensing arrangements for motor cyclists are being introduced under the second EC directive on the driving licence. The directive, which applies in Northern Ireland on the same basis as in the rest of the United Kingdom, except where required by existing differences in the two licensing systems, requires member states to have two motor cycle driving licence categories and associated tests. These will come into effect on 1 January 1997 by virtue of regulations made by the Department on 21 November 1996.
The category A test will require a rider to take the driving test on a motor cycle over 120cc but not more than 125cc and capable of a speed of 100 km per hour. On passing the test, a rider will be restricted for two years to motor cycles with a power output of up to 25kW or a power to weight ratio not exceeding 0.16 kW-kg. Thereafter the rider will have access to any size of machine. The existing category A test, which allows a person to take a test on a motor cycle up to 250cc, will continue until 30 June 1997. A rider passing his test on such a machine in this period will have immediate access to any size of machine.
The sub-category A1 test will permit a driving test to be taken on a motorcycle of at least 75cc but not more than 120cc and passing this test will confer entitlement to drive a motorcycle of up to 125cc with a power output not exceeding 11kW.
A motor cyclist who passes the driving test on an automatic or semi-automatic machine will be restricted to similar machines. The minimum age for driving motorcycles will remain 17.
Mr. Connarty:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many patients are on the waiting lists for elective surgery at the Royal Victoria hospital in Belfast. [7322]
Mr. Moss:
At 30 September 1996, which is the latest date for which information is available, 7,036 patients were waiting for elective surgery at the Royal Victoria hospital. Of this number, only 226 or 3.2 per cent. had been waiting more than 18 months.
12 Dec 1996 : Column: 354
Mr. Donohoe:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how much his Department has spent on promotional or public information campaigns in each of the last five years; and how much he estimates will be spent on these campaigns during the (i) current and (ii) next financial year. [7533]
| Year | Total spent £ |
|---|---|
| 1991-92 | 17,546,566 |
| 1992-93 | 19,510,968 |
| 1993-94 | 18,333,603 |
| 1994-95 | 20,054,914 |
| 1995-96 | 20,085,672 |
| 1996-97 | 20,209,043 |
(18) Estimate.
Child Support Agency
Mrs. Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what was the cost to public funds of his Department's nationwide radio advertisement about the Child Support Agency. [7645]
Mr. Andrew Mitchell: The only nationwide radio advertisements about the Child Support Agency took place around the time of the agency's launch in April 1993. The cost was £107,746 in 1992-93 and £197,268 in 1993-94.
Reduced Earnings Allowance
Mr. Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many representations he has received on the subject of the reduced earnings allowance; how many of these were in support of the allowance; and if he will make a statement. [7904]
Mr. Roger Evans: As at 30 November, the Department had received 263 letters from 155 hon. Members and approximately 300 from individual members of the public and organisations.
The letters generally have expressed concern or sought clarification.
National Insurance
Ms Corston: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is his estimate of the yield of an additional (a) 0.5 per cent. and (b) 1 per cent. on the top rates of national insurance contributions paid by (i) employees, (ii) employers and (iii) the self-employed, at 1995-96 prices and contribution rates, in the years (1) 2000-01, (2) 2010-11, (3) 2020-21 and (4) 2030-31. [8250]
Mr. Heald: The information is in the table:
| 2000-01 | 2010-11 | 2010-21 | 2030-31 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (a) 0.5 per cent NIC increase | ||||
| Employees | 1.20 | 1.40 | 1.50 | 1.55 |
| Employers(19) | 1.55 | 1.95 | 2.35 | 2.65 |
| Self-employed(20) | 0.10 | 0.10 | 0.10 | 0.10 |
| (b) 1 per cent. NIC increase | ||||
| Employees | 2.45 | 2.80 | 3.05 | 3.10 |
| Employers(19) | 3.15 | 3.95 | 4.70 | 5.30 |
| Self-employed(20) | 0.15 | 0.20 | 0.20 | 0.20 |
Notes:
(19) Includes class 1A contributions paid by employers on cars and car fuel.
(20) Increase applies to self-employed class 4 national insurance contributions.
Class 1 earnings limits and class 4 profits limits assumed to rise in line with prices.
Source:
Government Actuary's Department.
12 Dec 1996 : Column: 355
Ms Corston: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is his estimate of additional national insurance contribution revenue from employees and employers by 1995-96 if both the lower and upper earnings limits for contribution had been increased annually in relation to earnings since 1979-80. [7897]
Mr. Heald: The information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is in the table.
| £ billions | |
|---|---|
| Loss in revenue | |
| 1990-91 | -0.85 |
| 1991-92 | -1.15 |
| 1992-93 | -1.45 |
| 1993-94 | -1.55 |
| 1994-95 | -1.90 |
| 1995-96 | -2.35 |
Notes:
1. Assumes that contracted-out rebates in respect of occupational pension schemes apply between the revised lower and upper earnings limits.
2. Assumes that the three brackets for employers contributions increase in line with the rise in the revised lower earnings limits.
3. The overall effect would have been a loss of revenue.
Source:
Government Actuary's Department
Disability Discrimination Act
Ms Lynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what plans his Department has to monitor the implementation of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 in relation to indirect discrimination in the provision of goods and services. [7891]
Mr. Burt: The Disability Discrimination Act addresses indirect discrimination in two ways. First, the Act states that discrimination occurs when a service provider, for a reason which relates to a disabled person's disability, treats him less favourably than he treats or would treat others to whom that reason does not or would not apply, and that treatment cannot justified.
Secondly, the Act requires service providers to make reasonable adjustments to make their services more accessible to disabled customers.
12 Dec 1996 : Column: 356
The Government will monitor the Disability Discrimination Act in order to assess its effectiveness in combating discrimination. The National Disability Council will also advise the Government on matters relevant to the elimination of discrimination and the operation of the Act.
Ms Harman:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) if he will make a statement on his future plans for rent allowances for war widows; [8660]
Mr. Heald:
The abolition of war widow's rent allowance for future claims has been proposed in a package of simplification measures. On 26 November 1996 a letter giving full details of the proposals was sent to all members of the Central Advisory Committee on War Pensions who have until 17 January 1997 to respond. No decision will be taken on this proposal, or any other, until the views of the committee have been fully considered. Existing recipients of rent allowance will be unaffected by the proposal. At the end of September 1996, 1,060 war widows were receiving the allowance.
Ms Harman:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many war pensioners have been affected by the changes in war pension entitlement to pensioners with less than 20 per cent. hearing impairment since 1993.[8664]
Mr. Heald:
From April 1993, the date from which figures are first available, to the end of September 1996, a total of 57,176 claims have been received in which the assessment of disablement due to noise induced sensorineural hearing loss was assessed at less than 20 per cent.
Mr. Alfred Morris:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what assessment he has made of reports from the War Pensions Agency on the success rate of the Royal British Legion in its dealings with war pensioners; and what action he has taken on the basis of his assessment. [8731]
Mr Heald:
The War Pensions Agency does not maintain records on the success rate of the Royal British Legion in its dealings with war pensioners.
Mr. Morris:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will now publish in full the revised medical opinion that determined the Government's proposals to alter in future the rules governing hearing loss deterioration in respect of war pension entitlement. [8732]
Mr. Heald:
A copy of the texts of the medical advisor's address to the Central Advisory Committee on War Pensions and the medical references on which the change in medical opinion is based have been placed in the Library.
Mr. Churchill:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security when the changes he announced on 5 December to war disability pensions will be implemented. [8848]
12 Dec 1996 : Column: 357
Mr. Heald:
There are two entirely separate and unconnected war pensions changes. The first is a package of measures to simplify the administration of war pensions which, subject to consultation with the Central Advisory Committee on War Pensions, will be introduced from 1 April 1997. The second is a change in medical opinion on the effect that noise induced sensorineural hearing loss has on a subsequent hearing loss due to other causes such as aging.
Assessments made from 16 December 1996 will be based on the new medical opinion. Awards made prior to that date on the basis of the old medical advice will continue. The Secretary of State and my right hon. Friend the Chief Secretary have decided to use the powers in the dispensing instruments to make awards on the old basis, where claims had been made before 1 March 1996, the date by which the departmental medical adviser considers medical opinion had conclusively changed.
Mr. Morris:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what medical peer review procedures were applied to proposed changes to the rules for war disablement claims for deafness. [8729]
Mr. Heald:
The previous war pensions approach to noise induced sensorineural hearing loss was exceptional in recognising the possibility of an increase in service-related hearing loss after removal from the service noise. To confirm or refute that approach, the scientific and medical basis of noise-induced sensorineural hearing loss was investigated first by studying the scientific literature and then by consultation and discussion with some of the UK's leading clinicians and audiological scientists.
Experts included departmental regional consultants appointed by the Department's chief medical adviser on the basis of their authority, and senior academics of the Medical Research Council Institutes of Hearing at Nottingham and Glasgow, and audiological scientists at the Institute of Sound and Vibration Research, Southampton.
Mr. Morris:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will make it his policy not to introduce the new rules for war disablement claims until the peer review of the new medical opinion for deafness has been published. [8730]
Mr. Heald:
Where medical matters need to be determined on a claim for, or application for review of, an award of a war disablement pension, the law requires that part of the claim to be determined by a medical officer appointed by the Secretary of State. The medical officer certifies whether the disablement is due to or aggravated by service in the armed forces, and the degree of disablement due to service. The Secretary of State is required to make payments of war disablement pension in accordance with the certified level of disablement.
It was previously thought that a service-related noise-induced hearing loss could increase the effect of a subsequent hearing loss due to other causes such as aging. Authoritative medical opinion is now that such interaction does not occur and that the maximum effect of service-related hearing loss is at release from service. Medical officers must apply current medical opinion. For them to do otherwise would be unlawful.
12 Dec 1996 : Column: 358
Mr. Churchill:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will place in the Library a copy of the medical evidence on which he has based his decision no longer to grant higher rates of the disability pension in respect of deafness to those already in receipt of war benefit. [8875]
Mr. Heald:
A copy of the texts of the medical advisor's address to the Central Advisory Committee on War Pensions and the medical references on which the change in medical opinion is based have been placed in the Library.
(2) how many war widows currently receive rent allowances. [8661]
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