| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
Housing Policy
Mr. Barry Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement on his policy for housing in Wales. [68600]
Mr. Jon Owen Jones: The Government's objectives for housing in Wales are to offer everyone in Wales the opportunity of a decent home, to achieve clear improvements in all housing tenures and to do so in the context of the promotion of sustainable development. The 1999-2000 Government's Expenditure Plans: Departmental Report by the Welsh Office which will be published in April, and which takes into account the outcome of the public consultation on the Government's Comprehensive Spending Review: Spending Plans 1999-2002, will set out the mechanisms by which this objective will be met. Copies of the Departmental Report will be placed in the Library of the House.
In future this will become the responsibility of the National Assembly.
Alyn and Deeside (WDA Strategy)
Mr. Barry Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what guidance he has given to the North Wales region of the WDA with regards to a strategy for inward investment, job creation and infrastructure in Alyn and Deeside; and if he will make a statement. [68583]
Mr. Hain: My right hon. Friend announced on 26 January 1999, Official Report, column 172 that he had issued Strategic Guidance to the Welsh Development Agency for the period to March 2000.
This sets out the broad operational priorities which we want the Agency to follow, with the objectives of spreading economic success to every part of Wales including the North Wales region and the Alyn and Deeside area; and bringing each area's local economy nearer to the level of the best.
In future this will become the responsibility of the National Assembly.
Mr. Swayne:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many whole-time equivalent teachers are currently employed in Wales; and how many were employed in May 1997. [68519]
Mr. Hain
[holding answer 1 February 1999]: Information on employment of teachers is collected annually in January. At January 1997 and 1998 there were respectively 26,500 and 26,135 whole-time equivalent qualified teachers employed in Wales.
In future this will become the responsibility of the National Assembly.
2 Feb 1999 : Column: 560
Mr. Corbett:
To ask the Prime Minister if an official history of the Development of North Sea Oil and Gas is being commissioned. [69212]
The Prime Minister:
Yes. I have appointed Professor Alexander Kemp of Aberdeen University as an official historian to write the official history of the Development of North Sea Oil and Gas.
Office for the Supervision of Solicitors
Mr. Amess: To ask the Minister of State, Lord Chancellor's Department what steps he has taken to monitor the work of the Office for the Supervision of Solicitors; and if he will make a statement. [68320]
Mr. Hoon:
The Office for the Supervision of Solicitors is an independent body, and the Government do not have a role in monitoring the work of the Office. However, the Legal Services Ombudsman oversees the handling of complaints against members of the legal profession. She stated in her last annual report that, although the Office
2 Feb 1999 : Column: 560
had made some improvements since it started operating in September 1996, there was still a long way to go. When the Ombudsman publishes her next annual report this summer, I will consider whether any further action is necessary.
Mr. Kidney:
To ask the Minister of State, Lord Chancellor's Department what was, for personal injury litigation, (a) the cost of legal aid before cost recovery and retention of contributions, (b) the amount of costs recovered, (c) the amount of damages retained, (d) the amount of contributions retained and (e) the net cost after deduction of costs recovered, damages retained and contributions retained for (i) all personal injury litigation, (ii) medical negligence cases and (iii) personal injury cases excluding medical negligence in 1997-98. [68228]
Mr. Hoon:
Closed case data for 1997-98 are incomplete and will not include five months' data for Nottingham and six weeks for Chester. This is due to the implementation in these two area offices of the Legal Aid Board's new Corporate Information System, which is temporarily unable to access closed case information. A breakdown of the available legal aid expenditure and receipts in respect of personal injury litigation and medical negligence cases for cases closed in 1997-98 was as follows:
2 Feb 1999 : Column: 561
| Closed case 1997-98 | Gross payments | Costs received | Damages retained | Contributions retained | Net costs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All Personal Injury Litigation | 307.7 | 234.3 | 6.0 | 2.3 | 65.6 |
| Medical Negligence | 63.0 | 32.6 | 1.3 | 0.7 | 28.5 |
| Personal Injury (excl. medical negligence) | 224.7 | 201.7 | 4.7 | 1.5 | 37.1 |
2 Feb 1999 : Column: 561
Departmental Legislation
Mr. Maude: To ask the Minister of State, Lord Chancellor's Department what additional legislation, not currently before Parliament, was assumed in the production of his Department's spending allocation for 1999-2000 to 2001-02 in the Comprehensive Spending Review. [68419]
Mr. Hoon: There is a longstanding convention that legislative proposals for each year are not announced before the Queen's Speech at the start of the relevant Session. My Department's spending allocation does take account of the Access to Justice Bill.
Departmental Responsibilities
Mr. Maude: To ask the Minister of State, Lord Chancellor's Department what responsibilities which his Department had prior to the Comprehensive Spending Review are to be (a) discontinued by his Department, (b) transferred to another department, (c) transferred to an executive agency and (d) added to his Department over the period 1998-99 to 2001-02. [68403]
Mr. Hoon:
No responsibilities held by this Department prior to the Comprehensive Spending Review are to be discontinued or transferred, either to another department or to an executive agency. From October 2000, this Department will take over from the Home Office
2 Feb 1999 : Column: 562
responsibility for the enforcement of financial penalties. Responsibility for non-financial penalties could be transferred at the same time, or at a later date.
The Comprehensive Spending Review also provided an opportunity to reappraise spending plans and initiatives, and to reprioritise initiatives so as to provide properly for the needs of a modern and efficient justice system.
Mr. Ivan Henderson:
To ask the Minister of State, Lord Chancellor's Department on how many occasions in each of the last 10 years abuse of process was used by a judge to dismiss a case concerning child abuse. [68241]
Mr. Hoon:
This information is not collected.
State Pensions
Mr. Webb:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will estimate the effect of linking the basic state pension for those aged over 75 years to earnings rather than prices on (a) gross expenditure on NI benefits, (b) expenditure on means-tested benefits and (c) income tax revenues in (i) 2005 and (ii) 2010. [67976]
2 Feb 1999 : Column: 563
Mr. Timms
[holding answer 28 January 1999]: The information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is in the table.
| Expenditure | 2005-06 | 2010-11 |
|---|---|---|
| Basic Retirement Pension | 2.2 | 3.9 |
| Means-tested benefit offsets | -0.7 | -1.2 |
Notes:
1. Inland Revenue is not able to provide estimates for tax effects in the years in question.
2. Retirement Pension estimates have been provided by the Government Actuary's Department.
3. Increased rates are assumed payable to pensioners aged 75 and over at each of the given dates. Category BL rates were increased where the recipient is 75 or over, including cases where the spouse whose contribution record provides entitlement is under 75. Adult Dependency Increases paid in respect of women aged under 75 were not increased.
4. Estimates are rounded to the nearest £0.1 billion, but are not necessarily accurate to that degree.
5. Estimates of means-tested benefit offsets are illustrative and assume price uprating of Income Support. They are based on the 1995-96 Family Resources Survey and the Income Support Quarterly Statistical Enquiry. Possible future increases in income, other than the proposed increases in Basic Retirement Pension, have not been taken into account.
Mr. John Farren
Mr. Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security when he expects to update the National Insurance Contributions records of Mr. John Farren, a constituent. [68234]
Mr. Timms: The National Insurance account for the hon. Member's constituent, Mr. Farren, will be updated by the 15 March 1999.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |