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Sky Glow
Mr. Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what plans he has to reduce sky glow from street lighting in rural areas. [67612]
Ms Glenda Jackson: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on the 12 November 1998, Official Report, column 276.
CHURCH COMMISSIONERS
Theological Training (Ordinands)
37. Mr. Hunter: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners, if he will make a statement on the funding of theological training for ordinands. [65650]
Mr. Stuart Bell: There are 1,381 Anglican ordinands in training, whose costs are met primarily by money raised each year from the dioceses. The dioceses also provide financial support for the dependents of married ordinands in full-time training. Some support is also provided by the Church Times Train-a-Priest Fund, and other charities and trusts.
None of the training institutions receive direct support from public funds, although a small minority of ordinands attract LEA mandatory awards.
SOCIAL SECURITY
Pensions
Mr. Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, pursuant to paragraph 20, on page 4 of "Partnership in Pensions", Cm 4179, what proportion of people currently work throughout their working life. [65578]
Mr. Timms: The information is not available in the form requested.
The available information drawn from an analysis of National Insurance records shows that nearly 20 per cent. of the 800,000 people aged 54, who had computer records on the system in 1995-96, were employees throughout their working lives. This is based on a working life to 1995-96 of 34 years and men and women have been treated equally. (To qualify for the full rate of basic State
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pension a person has to pay or have credited National Insurance contributions for nine-tenths of their working life).
The Government's new State Second Pension will boost the second pension entitlement of those on low income, carers and long-term disabled people with broken work records. The combination of basic State pension and a second pension will cut the number of people who need to rely on income-related benefits in retirement.
Mr. Webb:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what will be the incremental value to (a) the basic state pension and (b) the state second pension, of a year spent caring for a disabled person under his proposed pension reforms. [65577]
Mr. Timms:
The incremental value of a year of caring will depend upon a number of factors, including the year in which care is given, the total number of years spent caring and the total number of years worked.
An individual who has a single year of caring upon introduction of the State Second Pension, who has 43 other qualifying years before retirement and no further years of caring, would receive £0.80 per week Basic State Pension and £0.90 per week State Second Pension more than if they had no years of caring.
Miss Geraldine Smith:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what are the target time scales for family credit appeals to be decided. [66823]
Angela Eagle:
The Independent Tribunal Service (ITS) is responsible for the administration of Social Security Appeals. ITS is independent of the Department of Social Security and is not, therefore, subject to targets set by the Secretary of State.
However, his Honour Judge Harris, the ITS President, has an objective to clear all Social Security Appeals in 26 weeks from the date of lodgement to the date of hearing.
The Government are committed to speeding up the arrangements for handling appeals. The Social Security Act 1998 introduced measures to modernise and streamline the appeals process. One of the changes will be the launch of The Appeals Service, an executive agency responsible to the Secretary of State which will administer Social Security Appeals. Once The Appeals Service Agency has been launched, the Secretary of State will set demanding targets and will publish and report on the results.
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Mr. Webb:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will update his estimates, based on the Family Resources Survey 1996-97 of non-take-ups of income support by persons in each age, sex and marital status group, consistent with his answer of 19 October 1998, Official Report, columns 957-58. [66876]
Angela Eagle:
The information requested is not available. Following the discovery of the error in the published take-up statistics, work continues towards the publication of revised statistics relating to 1996-97. Publication is likely in the Spring.
Mr. Rendel:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what percentage of current CSA clients are in shared care arrangements above two nights per week or equivalent. [67140]
Angela Eagle:
As at 31 August 1998, the latest date for which figures are available, around 5 per cent. of non-resident parents with a full maintenance assessment shared the care of one or more qualifying children for the equivalent of two nights a week and 2 per cent. shared care for longer periods.
Mr. Oaten:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he plans to allow recipents of severe disablement allowance the right to have a home interview to satisfy the requirement to attend an interview for the Single Gateway to Work. [67367]
Angela Eagle:
Home visits will be arranged in any cases where circumstances make it impractical for the claimant to attend the office.
Mr. Oaten:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what plans he has to allow a claimant the right (a) to object to attending a personal adviser interview under the Single Gateway to Work and (b) to appeal against a decision requiring him to attend such an interview. [67394]
Angela Eagle:
Under the Single Work-focused Gateway pilots, payment of benefit to people of working age will be conditional upon attendance at an interview with a personal adviser. Claimants who are refused benefit or who are paid at a reduced rate as a result of their failure to take part in a personal interview without good reason will be able to take their case to an independent appeal tribunal.
Ms Rosie Winterton:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many families in Doncaster Central, will receive the increase in child benefit, effective from April 1999. [66564]
Angela Eagle:
The administration of Child Benefit is a matter for the Chief Executive of the Benefits Agency, Peter Mathison. He will write to my hon. Friend.
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Letter from Peter Mathison to Ms Rosie Winterton, dated 21 January 1999:
Mr. Rowlands:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what performance targets have been set for the disability living allowance administration, Norcross, Blackpool, in respect of the length of time to reply to inquiries by hon. Members. [66673]
Mr. Bayley:
The administration of Disability Living Allowance is a matter for Peter Mathison, the Chief Executive of the Benefits Agency. He will write to my hon. Friend.
Notes:
1. A cohort of 54 year old people was chosen as this is the only age group for which a full 1 per cent. sample is available at present.
2. Before 1975 a full working year has been taken as one in which a person paid Class 1 contributions for 50 weeks in that year; and, after 1975, contributions on earnings equivalent to 50 times the lower earnings limit. Periods of employment outside Class 1 employment have not been included. For example, self-employment and, prior to the raising of school leaving age in 1972, periods in employment under the age of 16 years.
Notes:
Figures are given in constant 1998 earnings terms.
Figures are rounded to the nearest £0.10.
Source:
CSA Quarterly Summary of Statistics August 1998.
I am replying to your recent Parliamentary Question asking how many families in Doncaster Central will benefit from the increase in child benefit, effective from April 1999.
Unfortunately the information is not readily available to identify families, by region, who are receiving Child Benefit. These figures could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
I can however explain the new rates of Child Benefit from April 1999. They will be £14.40 for the eldest child and £9.60 for each subsequent child. The increase for the eldest child includes the extra £2.50 a week announced in the March Budget, plus uprating. This is an overall increase of £3.25 for a family with two children.
I am sorry on this occasion I could not be of more help but I am pleased to have the opportunity to comment.
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