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Written Answers to Questions
Tuesday 28 October 1997
SOCIAL SECURITY
Family Credit
Mr. Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if she will estimate the effect on the number of recipients of family credit of cutting the taper to (a) 65 per cent., (b) 55 per cent. and (c) 50 per cent. [12814]
Mr. Keith Bradley: The information is in the table:
| Level of taper (per cent.) | Increase in number of family credit recipients (000s) |
|---|---|
| 65 | 35 |
| 55 | 175 |
| 50 | 285 |
1. Results are derived from the Policy Simulation Model based on the 1995-96 Family Resources Survey, uprated to 1997-98 caseload levels.
2. Caseload effects are rounded to the nearest 5,000 claimants.
Backdating
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if she will amend the rules for backdating of disability living allowance and attendance allowance to ensure that arrears from an any grounds or any time review can backdate the claim from the time of the claim. [12847]
Mr. Keith Bradley: The changes introduced in April 1997 inadvertently limited payment of arrears as a result of an "any grounds review" (requested within three months of a decision) on disability living allowance, disability working allowance and attendance allowance. Extra-statutory payments were made until amending regulations came into force on 13 October 1997.
Social Fund
Mr. Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what plans she has for changing the regulations relating to social fund payments following the Social Security Commissioner's decision in the case of Mr. O'Flynn. [13299]
Mr. Denham: Amending regulations were laid yesterday. Earlier this year, the Social Security Commissioner decided that the provision, which restricted entitlement to a funeral payment provided the funeral took place within the United Kingdom, infringed European Community law.
The changes bring the legislation into line with European Community law. Where someone is living in this country, but originally came from another EEA country, they may be able to claim help with funeral expenses if they satisfy the existing eligibility criteria which apply to all other claimants. They may be able to
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get help if, and only if, the deceased person also lived here. Under the changes they will be able to claim if the funeral takes place in another EEA country. However, the amount paid will be limited to the amount which would have been paid had the funeral taken place where the deceased had lived in the United Kingdom.
A further change has been made to bring the provision into line with European Community law. The person arranging the funeral may also get help with travel costs to arrange or attend the funeral, but the amount allowable would not exceed the amount which would have been paid if the funeral had taken place locally.
A number of other minor changes have been made to restore, or clarify, the original policy intention.
Dr. Gibson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what is his Department's policy on the provision of standing areas at those football grounds where it is currently prohibited; with which bodies he has consulted; and if he will make a statement. [12955]
Mr. Fisher
[holding answer 27 October 1997]: There has been a great deal of debate recently about the re-introduction of standing accommodation for spectators at premier league and first division grounds. As my hon. Friend the Minister for Sport made clear in a statement last week, the Government have no plans to review the policy which requires clubs in the premier league and the first division to be all-seater, but which allows clubs in the second and third divisions of the Football League to retain some standing accommodation subject to stringent safety requirements.
The Taylor report identified all-seating as the factor which contributed most to spectator safety. We are, of course, prepared to listen to comments made about the provision of spectator accommodation, consulting relevant bodies such as the Football Licensing Authority as necessary, but we should be very careful before considering any change of policy.
Special Secure Units
Mr. McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for what reason there was a delay from June 1996 to May 1997 in implementing a system of three-monthly health reviews of prisoners detained in special secure units; what is the agreed format and content of these reviews; how many prisoners have been examined to date; and what percentage of the total special secure unit population this represents. [12605]
Ms Quin:
The special secure unit operating standards were amended in January 1997 to provide that the health of prisoners detained in SSUs should be formally reviewed at three-monthly intervals. Detailed discussion about the content and format of health reviews and related
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disclosure issues were not concluded until April 1997. Instructions were issued to prison medical officers and the first reviews took place in May 1997.
The process of formal review does not replace the existing arrangements for the health care of prisoners in SSUs which is comparable to that elsewhere in the prison service. The three-monthly reviews are designed to collate information gathered over the review period, assess the health of each prisoner, identity any areas of concern and initiate any necessary remedial action. Reports from outside specialists may be commissioned where necessary. A summary of the three-monthly review report along with any health care recommendations is given to each prisoner.
In May 1997 there were 23 exceptional risk prisoners held in SSUs. Reviews were carried out on all of these prisoners. There are now only six exceptional risk prisoners in England and Wales, all of whom are held in the Whitemoor SSU. Subsequent reviews have been carried out on these prisoners.
Mr. McNamara:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the average total cost per year of maintaining a prisoner in a special secure unit. [12606]
Ms Quin:
The average total cost 1 per prisoner place in a special secure unit is estimated to be approximately £61,000 per annum for the year ending 31 March 1997, the period for which the last detailed analysis was carried out.
1 Average total cost represents the cost per SSU accommodation place certified to hold prisoners in an establishment.
Mr. McNamara:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners are currently held in special secure units; for how long each prisoner has been held in such units; and what is the nationality of each such prisoner. [12607]
Ms Quin:
The table shows the six prisoners held in the special secure unit at Whitemoor. There are currently no other prisoners held in SSUs.
| Nationality | Offence | Time spent in SSU |
|---|---|---|
| American | Conspiracy to murder | 2 years 7 months |
| Colombian | Customs evasion | 4 months |
| British | Armed robbery | 9 years 3 months |
| Cypriot | Customs evasion | 4 years 2 months |
| Irish Republic | Importation of drugs | 1 year 11 months |
| British | Importation of drugs | 1 year 11 months |
Parole Board
Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he has made provision for those detained during Her Majesty's pleasure to have their cases considered by the Parole Board at oral hearings. [13297]
Mr. Straw: The Parole Board Rules 1997, which were made on 6 October 1997 under section 32(5) of the Criminal Justice Act 1991, came into force on 6 October. A copy of the rules has been placed in the Library.
The rules apply to those detained during Her Majesty's pleasure and to all discretionary lifers, including those sentenced under section 2 of the Crime (Sentences) Act 1997.
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Apart from minor changes to statutory references and interpretation, the rules are identical to their predecessors, the Parole Board Rules 1992.
Mrs. Brinton:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whom he intends to appoint to the vacant post of commissioner at the Parliamentary Boundary Commission for England. [13300]
Mr. George Howarth:
I am very pleased to announce that we have appointed Mr. Michael Lewer QC to serve as a Commissioner at the commission. His appointment is effective until 31 December 2000.
Mr. Fitzpatrick:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will publish the business plan for the Prison Service for 1997-98. [13301]
Mr. Straw:
I am publishing today the Prison Service's business plan for 1997-98, including the key performance targets I have set.
I recognise the pressure under which the service is now operating. The audit of resources which I published on 25 July made it clear that the key assumptions on which the service had been planning for the current year, particularly the size of the prison population, have already been overtaken. I announced on 24 July an increase in Prison Service funding this year and next year to help meet these pressures. At the same time, work underway as part of the comprehensive spending review, the study of ways of closer working between the Probation and Prison Services--which I announced on 16 July--and other policy developments in the criminal justice field will all have long-term implications for the service, which makes long-term planning difficult.
For these reasons, I have decided not to publish a three- year corporate plan this year. Instead I am publishing a business plan which sets out clear targets and priorities for this year but does not significantly change the longer- term objectives previously set for the service and focuses on the need to accommodate the prison population safely while maintaining balanced, positive regimes so far as possible. I will shortly discuss with the Director General the priorities and direction for the service for the next three years, which will be reflected in the corporate plan for 1998-2001.
The plan includes the performance targets against which the service has been operating so far this year. The majority will require some improvement on last year's performance, but I recognise that the further rapid rise in prisoner numbers so far this year, well ahead of the assumptions made when the plan was drafted, will have an impact on performance.
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The targets are:
Escapes
To ensure no category A prisoners escape.
To ensure that the number of escapes from prisons and from escorts, expressed as a proportion of the prison population, is lower than in 1996-97.
Assaults
To ensure that the number of assaults on staff, prisoners and others, expressed as a proportion of the average population, is lower than 9 per cent.
Drugs
To ensure that the rate of positive testing for drugs (the number of random drug tests that prove positive expressed as a proportion of the total number of random tests carried out) is lower than in 1996-97.
Overcrowding
To ensure that the percentage of the prison population above the uncrowded capacity of the estate is no more than 13 per cent.
Time unlocked
To ensure that by 31 March 1998 at least 60 per cent. of prisoners are held in establishments which normally unlock all prisoners on the standard or enhanced regime for at least 10 hours per week day.
Offending behaviour programmes
To ensure that there are at least 2,200 completions by prisoners of programmes accredited as being effective in reducing re-offending, of which 670 should be completions of the sex offender treatment programmes.
Cost per place
To achieve at least a 1.3 per cent. reduction in real terms in cost per place compared to 1996-97, ensuring that the average cost of a prison place does not exceed £24,610.
Staff training
To ensure that, on average, staff spend at least six days in training.
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