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Cattle Slaughter Scheme
Mr. Home Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the progress of his Department's search for cattle associated with BSE cases to be culled under the terms of the Florence agreement; how many cattle have been identified so far; what is his latest estimate of the likely total; how many farms are involved; and what is his estimate of the time scale for completing this search and concluding the accelerated cull. [16319]
Mr. Ancram: At 7 February 1997 Department of Agriculture veterinary service staff had visited 121 natal herds, in which a confirmed case of BSE was born, and identified 721 animals to be culled. A further two natal herds remain to be visited. Approximately 700 animals born in the same cohort groups have moved out of the natal herds and at 10 February, 507 of these animals in 410 herds had been traced. It is anticipated that tracing and valuation of all such animals will be completed in four to six weeks. In total approximately 1,400 Northern Ireland cattle on 670 farms will be traced and identified under the selective cull. Slaughtering is expected to start at the beginning of March and it should take around six to eight weeks to complete the cull of home-bred cattle.
There are about 5,400 cattle imported from Great Britain, some of which may have to be slaughtered under the cull. While these animals are separately identified on the Northern Ireland animal health computer, and their herds of origin known, manual tracing of their movements in Great Britain will be necessary.
18 Feb 1997 : Column: 503
Social Security Appeals
Mr. Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the statutory basis of the statement in leaflet NI 246 that an appellant who has not opted for an oral hearing of a social security appeal within 10 days of being asked to decide has a right to change his or her mind at any time. [11088]
Mr. Roger Evans: Regulation 22(1) of the adjudication regulations provides for the clerk to direct an appellant to notify him if he wishes an oral hearing of that appeal to be held. Regulation 22(1A) requires the appellant to provide his reply to this direction in writing within 10 days or such other period as the clerk or tribunal chairman may decide. Regulation 22(1B) requires an oral hearing to be held if the appellant has replied in accordance with Regulation 22(1A). Regulation 22(1C) allows the chairman to hold an oral hearing, whether the appellant or any other party to the appeal has so requested or not, if he is satisfied that an oral hearing is necessary to enable the tribunal to reach a decision.
Regulation 22(1A) and 22(1B) therefore provide for an oral hearing in all cases where the appellant has requested one within 10 days. The clerk or the chairman may allow longer than 10 days. No end date is specified by the regulations and I am advised that this period may extend up to the point that the decision on the appeal is issued by the tribunal. Therefore, if an appellant has not elected in the first instance for an oral hearing, or opted to have his appeal heard on the papers, he may still request an oral hearing at any time up to the point that the decision is issued. In those circumstances, the chairman may order an oral hearing.
Departmental leaflets, including the NI 246, are not a complete and authoritative statement of the law. They are written in plain English and are intended to provide sufficient information and advice in language that will be understood by the majority of the population. Some representations have been received about the content and format of the new NI 246, and these will be taken into account before the leaflet is next reprinted. Current plans are for a reprint during April 1997.
Sir Andrew Bowden:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list (a) the mean and (b) the median income for (i) single men aged 65 to 74, (ii) single men aged 75 and over, (iii) single women aged 65 to 74, (iv) single women aged 75 and over, (v) pensioner couples aged 65 to 74 and (vi) pensioner couples aged 75 years and over, (1) for 1979 in 1994-95 prices and (2) for 1994-95. [12991]
Notes:
1. All figures are given in 1994-95 prices and rounded to the nearest 10p.
2. A pensioner couple is defined as a couple where the man, defined as the head, is over the state pension age. The age ranges quoted for pensioner couples are for the age of the head of the couple.
Source:
Pensioners' Incomes Series 1979 and 1994-95.
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Benefit Upratings
Sir Andrew Bowden: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) if he will estimate the cost in 1997-98 of uprating (1) the £3,000 lower capital limit for income support for (a) pensioners and (b) all recipients of income support to (i) £8,000 and (ii) £16,000 and (2) the £8,000 upper capital limit for income support for (A) pensioners, (B) all recipients of income support to (x) £16,000 and (y) £20,000; [14288]
- (2) if he will estimate the number of pensioners who would become eligible for income support if (a) the £3,000 capital limit was increased to (i) £8,000, (ii) £16,000 and (iii) £10,000 and (b) the £8,000 upper capital limit was increased to (i) £16,000 and (ii) £20,000.[14290]
Mr. Roger Evans: The information is set out in the table. The table also shows the number of pensioners who would become eligible for income support if these changes were made.
1. Estimated using the 1994-95 family resources survey, uprated to 1997-98 case loads and benefit levels.
2. Estimates assume that the combinations will include an upper and lower capital limit.
3. Estimates exclude cases in residential care and nursing homes.
4. Estimates include consequential costs in housing benefit and council tax benefit from new income support claimants being "passported" onto these benefits.
5. Estimates for all claimants include the costs of introducing the same capital limits in jobseeker's allowance.
6. Adjustments to these estimates are made using the May 1995 income support quarterly statistical inquiry and the May 1995 housing benefit-council tax benefit management information system.
7. Cost estimates are rounded to the nearest £10 million, claimants to the nearest 5,000.
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Sir Andrew Bowden: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will estimate the cost in 1997-98 of reducing the assumed income from savings for (a) pensioners and (b) all recipients of income support, with savings between £3,000 and £8,000, to (i) £1 a week for every £500 over £3,000 and (ii) £1 a week for every £1,000 over £3,000. [14289]
Mr. Evans: The information is set out in the table:
| Cost in income support and jobseeker's allowance in 1997-98 (£ million) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Tariff income rule | Pensioners | All claimants |
| £1 for every £500 above the lower capital limit | 20 | 30 |
| £1 for every £1,000 above the lower capital limit | 40 | 50 |
1. Estimated using the 1994-95 family resources survey, uprated to 1997-98 case loads and benefit levels.
2. Estimates exclude cases in residential care and nursing homes.
3. Estimates include consequential costs in housing benefit and council tax benefit from new income support claimants being "passported" onto these benefits.
4. Estimates for all claimants include the costs of introducing the same capital limits in jobseeker's allowance.
5. Adjustments to these estimates are made using the May 1995 income support quarterly statistical inquiry and the May 1995 housing benefit-council tax benefit management information system.
6. Estimates are rounded to the nearest £10 million.
Sir Andrew Bowden: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will estimate the cost in 1997-98 of increasing all capital limits for income-related benefits for pensioner couples to one and a half times their current limits. [14291]
Mr. Evans:
The estimated cost if all capital limits for income-related benefits for pensioner couples are
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increased to one and a half times their current limits is £30 million in 1997-98.
Notes:
1. This is estimated using the 1994-95 family resources survey, uprated to 1997-98 case loads and benefit levels.
2. The estimate excludes cases in residential care and nursing homes.
3. The estimate covers income support, housing benefit, council tax benefit and family credit.
4. Adjustments to this estimate are made using the May 1995 income support quarterly statistical inquiry and the May 1995 housing benefit--council tax benefit management information system.
5. The estimate is rounded to the nearest £10 million.
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