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Ballet and Opera

Mr. Mackinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what initiatives he proposes to increase access for young people and those on low pay to ballet and opera. [17982]

Mr. Chris Smith: Access is a central theme of my Department's policies for the arts. The public has a right to expect a return for the substantial public funding which the arts receive. The Government are considering proposals for a number of initiatives to enhance access, such as an artscard scheme for young people and open theatre nights. More recently, we have asked Sir Richard Eyre to look at the future of the Royal Opera House companies and English National Opera, to see how the future of all the companies can best be secured, and how the work of each company can become more accessible to all of us--whether through more touring activity, through education work or broadcast opportunities.

8 Dec 1997 : Column: 471

SOCIAL SECURITY

Benefit Upratings

Ms Corston: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) what would have been the extra cost to the National Insurance Fund that would have arisen from uprating contributory invalidity benefit or incapacity benefit by the higher of average earnings or prices in each year since 1980-81; [15452]

(2) what the basic rate of invalidity benefit or incapacity benefit would have been in each year since 1980-81 if it had been uprated by the higher of average earnings or prices; and what was the actual rate for each of these years. [15453]

Mr. Denham: The information is in the table.

Year	Actual rate of basic invalidity benefit (incapacity benefit from April 1995) (£s per week)	Rate if uprated by the higher of earnings of prices	Estimated additional annual costs £s million
1980-81	26,00	26.45	5
1981-82	28.35	29.60	40
1982-83	31.45	32.10	60
1983-84	32.60	34.90	75
1984-85	34.25	36.70	160
1985-86	38.30	41.60	190
1986-87	38.70	43.45	325
1987-88	39.50	45.90	490
1988-89	41.15	49.50	650
1989-90	43.60	53.90	795
1990-91	46.90	59.15	925
1991-92	52.00	65.60	1,065
1992-93	54.15	70.80	1,335
1993-94	56.10	74.25	1,530
1994-95	57.60	76.40	1,645
1995-96	58.85	79.45	1,620
1996-97	61.15	82.55	1,575
1997-98	62.45	86.00	1,560

Notes:

1. In April 1995 invalidity benefit was replaced by incapacity benefit. The amounts shown are those for the long term rate of incapacity benefit.

2. Uprating indices used are the Retail Prices Index (all items) and the Average Earnings Index (whole economy) as supplied by the Office of National Statistics.

3. The uprated figures have been rounded to the nearest five pence.

4. Estimates of additional costs are:

(i) rounded to the nearest £5 million,

(ii) cover invalidity pension-basic incapacity benefit and adult dependency additions and invalidity allowance only (IVA was replaced by age additions in April 1995),

(iii) converted to 1997-98 prices using the GDP deflator and take account of offsetting costs in the income related benefits using family expenditure survey data.

Source:

Analytical Services Division.

Website for Women

Mrs. Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what was the cost of the new Website for Women and how many visits have been made since the site went on-line. [17272]

Ms Ruddock: The new website of the Ministers for Women was set up at a total cost of £2,450 (£2,200 staff time, plus £250 for registration of the domain and IP address http://www.womens-unit.gov.uk).

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The number of unique hosts accessing the site in the weeks since the site has been on-line are as follows:

Weeks-ending	Number
8 November	508
15 November	332
22 November	175

Child Support

Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many parents without care and control have been assessed by the CSA as having arrears in excess of £15,000. [16917]

Mr. Keith Bradley: We expect the Child Support Agency to provide an efficient and effective service to all its clients throughout the child support assessment process. We are looking for substantial and sustained operational improvements from the Agency, in particular on getting more maintenance paid, reducing the backlog and improving customer service.

The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive, Mrs. Faith Boardman. She will write to the hon. Member.

Letter from Faith Boardman to Mr. Gordon Prentice, dated 5 December 1997:

I am replying to your Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security about the number of parents without care (normally known as absent parents) that have maintenance outstanding in excess of £15,000.

The number of maintenance assessments completed and recorded on the Child Support Computer System currently stands at approximately 679,000; at 19 November 1997, the total number of cases with more than £15,000 of maintenance arrears outstanding was 18,890.

In 90% of these cases (16,912), the arrears recorded as outstanding are the result of a Category A interim maintenance assessment. This measure, which sets maintenance at a punitive rate for absent parents who fail to co-operate, is imposed until the Agency is provided with the information needed to complete a full maintenance assessment. The Agency issued many interim maintenance assessments in its first two years--73,303 in 93/94. The emphasis now is to encourage absent parents to co-operate early and therefore avoid building up excessive maintenance arrears; the number of interim maintenance assessments has now greatly reduced to 11,718 in 1996/97.

From April 1995 regulations were changed, so that the liability under an interim maintenance assessment reverts to the level of the full maintenance assessment once the absent parent co-operates; once sufficient information is provided to complete a full maintenance assessment in the interim maintenance cases the amount of arrears actually owed will be considerably reduced.

I hope this is helpful.

Weather Stations

Mr. Godman: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security pursuant to her answer of 17 November 1997, Official Report, column 79, if she will indicate the location of the two new weather stations; and if she will make a statement. [17528]

Mr. Denham: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave my hon. Friend the member for Streatham (Mr. Hill) on 30 October 1997, Official Report, columns 855-56.

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The Government are determined that pensioners will stay warm in their homes this winter. In his pre-budget report on 25 November, my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced additional help for pensioners, to help with winter fuel bills for this winter and next. A payment of £50 will be made to pensioners receiving Income Support and £20 to other pensioners. This is in addition to any Cold Weather Payments they may also receive.

Housing Benefit (Young People)

Mr. Hesford: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security when she expects the review of the operation of the changes in eligibility for housing benefit for under-25s to be completed. [17315]

Mr. Keith Bradley: We want to build up a national picture of the effects of this change. In order to enable us to do that, we are gathering evidence from a variety of sources and, in addition, we have commissioned research jointly with Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions to ascertain the effects of this change on Housing Benefit and the private rented sector. We will consider fully all the available evidence which will be coming on stream over the next few months. We will then decide on the way forward.

Lone Parents

Mr. Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many parents in the London, south-east and eastern regions, receive the lone parent element of (a) income support (b) child benefit. [19359]

Mr. Keith Bradley: The administration of Income Support and Child Benefit is a matter for Peter Mathison, Chief Executive of the Benefits Agency. He will write to the hon. Member.

Letter from Peter Mathison to Mr. Harry Cohen, dated 5 December 1997:

The Secretary of State for Social Security has asked me to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking how many parents in the London, south-east and eastern regions, receive the lone parent element of (a) Income Support (IS) and (b) Child Benefit (CHB).

The information is not available in the format requested. The Benefits Agency (BA) collates statistics by BA District Offices. These Districts do not correspond to constituency boundaries or specific geographical areas.

From April this year, the lone parent premium was replaced by a higher rate of family premium for lone parents. Information relating to parents in receipt of the lone parent rate of family premium is shown in the attached Annex.

Information relating to parents in receipt of the lone parent element of CHB could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

I hope you find this reply helpful.

Annex: Income support customers in receipt of the lone parent rate of family premium as at 31 August 1997

	Number of lone parent rate of family premium recipients
Benefits Agency Area Directorates
AD1--East London and Anglia(51)	108,666
AD2--Chilterns(52)	104,289
SD3--London South(53)	147,945
London(54)	193,948

The BA collates statistics by Distric Offices. These Districts do not correspond to constituency boundaries or this specific geographical area. The 125 Districts are grouped together into 13 Area Directorates.

(51) Includes the BA Districts of Barking and Havering, Cambridgeshire, City East, Essex South East, Essex South West, Hackney and Islington, Lea Roding, Leaside, Newham, North Essex, Norwich and Suffolk.

(52) Includes the BA Districts of Barnet, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Ealing, Euston, Harrow and Hillingdon, Neasden, North and East Hertfordshire, Northamptonshire, Oxfordshire, Thames Valley and West Hertfordshire.

(53) Includes the BA Districts of Bankside, East Kent, East Sussex, Hampshire North, London Central, North and West Kent, Palace, Solent and New Forest, South Circular, Central Sussex, South East Hampshire and Isle of Wight, South West Thames, Surrey Unit, Thameside and West Sussex.

(54) Includes the BA Districts of City East, Hackney and Islington, Lea Roding, Leaside, Newham, Barnet, Ealing, Euston, Neasden, Harrow and Hillingdon, Bankside, London Central, Surrey Unit, Palace, South Circular, South West Thames, Thameside and North and West Kent.

The information has been provided by the BA's Central Data Unit, it is provisional and maybe subject to change. The figures provided relate to the number of income support customers in receipt of the lone parent rate of family premium as at 31 August 1997. It does not include those lone parents customers who are pensioners nor those registered sick who would qualify for a higher rate premium such as a pensioner or disability premium.

8 Dec 1997 : Column: 474

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