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Health Service Car Leasing Schemes

Mr. Ainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what guidance his Department has issued to health authorities and health trusts on car leasing schemes for executive staff; and if he will make a statement. [11837]

Mr. Gwilym Jones: Guidance was issued in March 1996 in circular DGM(96)59 and repeated in DGM(96)125 issued in June 1996. Copies will be placed in the Library as soon as possible.

Mr. Ainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many representations he has received on the car leasing scheme of Dyfed-Powys health authority which was amended in 1996; and if he will make a statement on that scheme. [11836]

Mr. Jones: None. The scheme is a matter for the health authority.

Mr. Ainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what monitoring his Department has made of health authorities and health trusts, car leasing schemes for executive staff. [11838]

Mr. Jones: Statutory auditors examine schemes, and Welsh Office officials do not undertake any specific monitoring.

20 Jan 1997 : Column: 504

North Wales Cancer Treatment Centre

Mr. Richards: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement on progress in the negotiations between his Department and the North Wales health authority regarding the operational running costs of the proposed cancer treatment centre at Glan Clwyd national health service trust. [11720]

Mr. Gwilym Jones: Welsh Office officials are discussing revenue funding with the North Wales health authority and an announcement will be made shortly.

Sea Fisheries Committees

Mr. Ainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will undertake to meet any future funding deficit of the South Wales Sea Fisheries Committee. [11782]

Mr. Jonathan Evans: No. Provision for the funding of sea fisheries committees is included in the annual local government revenue settlement. The funding of committees is a matter for the participating authorities.

Mr. Ainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what plans he has to support the South Wales Sea Fisheries Committee to allow it to fulfil its increased statutory responsibilities as manager of the marine environment. [11783]

Mr. Evans: Sea fisheries committees are one of a large number of fisheries and conservation groups which have been granted relevant authority status under EU conservative directives. It will be some time before the committees can assess what, if any, specific role they will agree to accept under these directives, and they have been advised that any resource implications will be discussed with them at the appropriate time.

Mr. Ainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what assessment he has made of the effects of the reorganisation of local authorities in Wales on the funding and effectiveness of sea fisheries committees. [11784]

Mr. Evans: Ministers and officials have met sea fisheries committees on several occasions to discuss this matter, and a further meeting is planned for this week. We have also written, on a number of occasions, to all the local authorities concerned, inviting them to advise us of any proposals they have for the future of sea fisheries committees. No proposals have come forward which have the support of all the authorities involved.

Mr. Ainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what additional resources will be made available if sea fisheries committees are given additional powers to develop regional management of fisheries as part of a review of the common fisheries policy. [11785]

Mr. Evans: There are no plans for sea fisheries committees to develop regional management of fisheries as part of a review of the common fisheries policy.

SOCIAL SECURITY

Staff

Mr. Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list for his Department (a) how many people in total are employed, (b) how many of the total

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number of staff are (i) male and (ii) female and (c) how many (I) men and (II) women are employed on a (1) full- time and (2) part-time basis. [9491]

Mr. Burt: The information is in the table.

	Male		Female
Total	Full time	Part time	Full time	Part time
97,966	30,948	855	49,335	16,828

Figures as at 1 October 1996.

Disability Living Allowance

Mr. Alan Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many claimants of incapacity benefit also receive disability living allowance. [10215]

Mr. Andrew Mitchell: As at 31 May 1996, 641,000 ¹ claimants of incapacity benefit were also in receipt of disability living allowance.

¹


Five per cent. scan of the incapacity benefit and disability living allowance computer systems. Excludes a small number of cases paid clerically.

Benefit Fraud Hotline

Sir Irvine Patnick: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many calls received by the benefit fraud hotline can be related to the Sheffield area; and if he will make a statement. [10303]

Mr. Heald: The numbers of calls for each individual area are not recorded separately. However, for the Sheffield area, the number of referrals for fraud investigation, generated by calls to the hotline, is 1,169 as at 22 November 1996.

Invalid Care Allowance

Ms Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) what guidance was issued in respect of new arrangements affecting maximum earnings and allowed expenses for those in receipt of invalid care allowance; and on what date; [10332]

(2) when the new arrangements for invalid care allowance come into effect. [10333]

Mr. Burt: The Social Security Benefit (Computation of Earnings) Regulations 1996 and Social Security (Invalid Care Allowance) Amendment Regulations 1996 came into force on 25 November 1996.

For those claiming invalid care allowance for the first time after this date, a leaflet explaining the changes has been inserted in the claim pack. After the regulations had been laid before the House, but before the changes came into force, the Benefits Agency issued a loose-leaf notice in copies of the autumn edition of "Touchbase" magazine. "Touchbase" goes to approximately 90,000 organisations and bodies including libraries, citizens advice bureaux and associations representing carers. Additionally, when a case is due for review, and it appears that the customer will be affected, the customer is notified of the changes.

National Insurance

Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many employers sought to avoid

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the payment of national insurance contributions by using shares and share options in ways which the Social Security (Contributions) Amendment (No. 6) Regulations 1996 will prohibit in the last year. [10415]

Mr. Heald: The information is not available in the format requested. However, these provisions are expected to increase contributions revenue by about £30 million a year.

Centenarians

Mr. Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many (a) men and (b) women who are over 100 years of age living in the United Kingdom are in receipt of a state retirement pension. [10883]

Mr. Heald: The information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is as follows.

As at 31 March 1996, there were 1,440 men and 7,960 women who were over 100 years of age living in Great Britain and in receipt of a state retirement pension.

For the numbers of men and women who are over 100 years of age living in Northern Ireland I refer the hon. Member to my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.

Notes:


1. Figures are based on a 5 per cent. sample.

2. State retirement pension comprises contributory retirement pension, non-contributory retirement pension and graduated retirement benefit.


Source:

"The Retirement Pension Bi-Annual Enquiry" at 31 March 1996.

Benefits Agency Medical Services

Mr. Alan Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security when he expects to publish the results of the survey of service standards in the Benefits Agency medical services. [10992]

Mr. Burt: A copy has been placed in the Library.

Mr. Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the annual running cost of the Benefits Agency medical services. [10995]

Mr. Burt: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by Peter Mathison, the chief executive of the Benefits Agency, to the hon. Member for Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley (Mr. Foulkes) on 5 November 1996, Official Report, column 555.

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