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Belarus
Dr. Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assistance her Department is providing to the children of Belarus suffering from the after-effects of the Chernobyl disaster; and if she will make a statement. [15087]
Clare Short: The UK's Environmental Know How Fund has previously assisted post-Chernobyl programmes, including food screening for radioactive contamination. We are not presently providing direct assistance to Chernobyl victims in Belarus. We contribute through the EU and to international organisations such as the World Health Organisation who are supporting Chernobyl victims.
Investment
Mr. Love: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what are her Department's plans for encouraging ethical and socially responsible investment in developing countries. [14116]
Clare Short: I am very keen to encourage and reinforce the fair trade and ethical investment consumer movements in every way possible. My department has numerous and growing contacts with groups interested in fair trade and ethical investment in developing countries. The potential of these movements to improve labour standards and environmental protection for large numbers of people in developing countries is considerable. We are assisting British Companies and NGOs to work together towards these goals.
SOCIAL SECURITY
Press Releases
Mr. Kirkwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many press releases have been issued by her Department since May 1997; and how many press releases have been released under the heading "Minister for Women" since May 1997. [14064]
Mr. Denham:
The information is in the table.
12 Nov 1997 : Column: 594
| Total number of press releases | Minister for Women press releases only | |
|---|---|---|
| DSS Headquarters | 178 | 24 |
| Benefits Agency | 22 | 0 |
| Child Support Agency | 8 | 0 |
| Information Technology Services Agency | 2(21) | 0 |
| Contributions Agency | 16 | 0 |
| War Pension Agency | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 224 | 24 |
1. Issued on behalf of ITSA by DSS Headquarters and is included in the total for DSS HQ.
Mr. Kirkwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if she will place in the Library lists of those individuals and organisations to whom Departmental press releases are sent (a) by post, (b) by fax and (c) by electronic mail. [14065]
Mr. Field: The information has been placed in the Library.
Pensions
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if it is the policy of Her Majesty's Government that the state pension alone should provide pensioners with an adequate income. [14571]
Mr. Denham: The key objective of our review of pensions is to ensure that pensioners should have an adequate income in retirement; that they should share fairly in rising national prosperity and that public finances should be both sustainable and affordable. For most people, security in retirement will come from a combination of the basic State Pension and a second pension. One of the fundamental challenges of the review is to agree where the responsibility for funding pensions should lie and to establish the right balance between the public and private sectors.
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what plans she has to address the effects of changing jobs and taking breaks on women's pension arrangements. [14572]
Mr. Denham: A wide-ranging review of pensions was announced on 17 July. One of the Government's fundamental challenges in pensions is to narrow the pensions gap between men and women so as to give women more security in retirement. Many private pensions are simply not flexible enough to cope with working patterns of women. Women still earn less on average than men and are more likely to have caring responsibilities.
The Government recognise that carers--many of whom are women--who cannot contribute to second pensions because of caring responsibilities, make a valuable contribution to society but lack the opportunity to provide for their own future. That is why the Government are looking at ways to develop the administrative structure of SERPS so as to provide a citizenship pension for those who care for others.
We are also committed to developing secure, flexible and value for money stakeholder pensions. These will be aimed at those on modest incomes, working part time or with intermittent work patterns, who often do not have
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the opportunity to join a good occupational pension scheme, or for whom a personal pension is unsuitable. Stakeholder pensions should therefore be of particular help to women. The Government's National Childcare Strategy will also provide greater opportunities for women to participate in the wider economy so that they are able to contribute to their own pensions.
Mr. Jim Cunningham:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if she will ensure that the pensions structure takes account of the effects of divorce. [14573]
Mr. Denham:
We are modernising the welfare state to take account of social changes, such as a higher divorce rate, and to enable pensioners to have an adequate income in retirement. As a step towards this the Government is committed to introducing pension sharing for divorcing couples. We aim to do so from April 2000.
Mr. Jim Cunningham:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what plans she has to provide unbiased, accessible and affordable professional advice for those planning their pensions. [14574]
Mr. Denham:
Improving education and awareness of pensions is a key focus of the Pensions Review process. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State announced on 23 July the setting up of a Pensions Education Working Group to consider how pensions education and awareness issues might be co-ordinated, well targeted and effective. The Group has also been asked to advise the Secretary of State by the end of January 1998 what other actions are needed to improve knowledge of pensions.
The Department is reviewing the provision of pensions literature to reflect the Government's wish to empower ordinary people by giving them the information they need to make the right decisions about their pension provision, whatever it might be, now and in the future.
Mrs. Ewing:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what plans the Government have to contribute to the Heating or Eating Appeal organised by Help the Aged. [15653]
Mr. Denham:
We welcome and support the work of charities in complementing the welfare provision the Government make to vulnerable members of society. The Government are already tackling the problems associated with vulnerable people keeping warm during cold weather. We have already taken action to cut fuel costs and make homes easier to heat. We are committed to examining the means of delivering more automatic help to the poorest pensioners.
Social Fund Cold Weather Payments of £8.50 will again be issued automatically to those pensioners in receipt of Income Support, when the average temperature in their area is recorded as, or forecast to be 0°C or below, over seven consecutive days. Last winter, the Cold Weather Payments scheme triggered a total of 125 times, involving 55 of the 70 Meteorological Office weather stations used. Almost five million payments worth over £42 million were issued to an estimated 2.7 million people.
12 Nov 1997 : Column: 596
Mr. Collins:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health for what reasons his Department has decided not to proscribe the use of Myodil in myelography. [14603]
Ms Jowell:
Myodil was voluntarily withdrawn from the market for commercial reasons by the manufacturers in 1987. The product licence for Myodil expired on 2 June 1992 and was not renewed. Myodil is therefore no longer licensed.
Mr. Collins:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to institute an inquiry into adhesive arachnoiditis, with special reference to the alleged failure of several doctors to disclose to patients suffering from the condition that they have contracted it; and if he will make a statement. [14607]
Ms Jowell:
We have no plans to institute an inquiry into this issue. The Department has no knowledge of the alleged failure of disclosure by doctors.
Mr. Andrew George:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance his Department has given to health authorities on the assumptions to be used when calculating hospital bed occupancy rates. [15467]
Mr. Boateng:
The Department of Health collects information on bed occupancy from National Health Service trusts. Guidance on completion of these central returns is included in the NHS Data Manual, copies of which are available in the Library.
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