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BASIS

Mr. Duncan Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) how many arrests have been made in January by Benefits Agency Security Investigation Service Southern Command; [74345]

(2) what is the current budget for Benefits Agency Security Investigation Service; and of this, what proportion is allocated to the (a) Northern and (b) Southern Commands; [74347]

(3) how many arrests made by BASIS Southern Command have led to (a) prosecutions and (b) successful convictions since its establishment. [74346]

Mr. Timms: Questions on Benefits Agency operational matters are the responsibility of the Chief Executive, Peter Mathison. He will write to the hon. Member.

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Letter from Peter Mathison to Mr. Iain Duncan Smith, dated 3 March 1999:

The Secretary of State for Social Security has asked me to reply to your recent Parliamentary Questions asking how many arrests have been made in January by BASIS Southern Command; what is the budget for BASIS; and of this, what proportion is allocated to Northern and Southern Commands respectively; how many arrests made by BASIS Southern Command have led to (a) prosecutions and (b) successful convictions since its establishment.

During January 1999 the BASIS Southern Command made ten arrests.

The budget for BASIS is managed centrally and not split into two commands. It covers not only the Investigation Staff but also Support Staff and Goods and Services. The budget for this financial year is £8.2 million of which £6.34 million has been spent to date.

BASIS was formed in April 1998. Since that date the police have made 360 arrests based on information supplied by BASIS Command. One hundred and forty-eight of these have been submitted for prosecution of which ninety-four have to date been successful.

I hope that this is helpful.

Disability Living Allowance

Mr. Duncan Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) under the new system of periodic review of disability living allowance, how often recipients of the benefit will have their situation reviewed; [74749]

(2) what information will be required from the recipients of disability living allowance when their situation is reviewed under the new system of review. [74750]

Mr. Bayley: From April 1999, a new fairer system of periodic inquiry into benefit entitlement will commence for existing recipients of Disability Living Allowance (DLA). People selected for inquiry action will be asked to complete a detailed questionnaire, based on the current claim form for DLA. This will provide the Benefits Agency (BA) with an up to date picture of the need that the individual has help with personal care and mobility and allow the BA to determine whether a review of entitlement would be appropriate. This will enable awards to be increased or decreased in line with entitlement. Initially, cases will be selected on a proportional basis across the range of awards to be included in the inquiry process.

Some disabling conditions, and the needs that they generate, change very little over time, whilst others can be very variable in effect and/or degenerative in nature. The BA is working to establish the proper frequency with which individuals should be asked about their current needs, so that, in the future, inquiries can be made at the most appropriate time and new claimants can be advised from the outset when inquiries are likely to be made in their case. This action does not affect the responsibility of all claimants to tell the BA about changes that may affect benefit entitlement.

Child Benefit

Mr. Duncan Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the estimated expenditure for child benefit for the current tax year. [74746]

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Angela Eagle: The estimated expenditure figure for Child Benefit for 1998-99 is £7.252 billion.

Note:

Figure is consistent with that contained in Pre-Budget Report of November 1998.

Unemployment Statistics

Mr. Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what estimate he has made of the number of people under retirement age who are not working and are not in receipt of state benefits for each of the past four years. [74160]

Angela Eagle: The information requested for four years is not available. Estimates for the last three years are in the table:

Number of adults, under retirement age, not working and not in receipt of state benefits

	Not in receipt of any benefit	In receipt of Child Benefit or One Parent Benefit only
1994-95	2,240,000	5,320,000
1995-96	2,180,000	5,420,000
1996-97	2,180,000	5,240,000

Notes:

1. The analysis was undertaken on adults (aged between 16 and 64, inclusive, for men and 16 and 59, inclusive, for women).

2. Adults who were temporarily not working, on industrial action, were ILO unemployed, part time students, unoccupied, had temporary or long term sickness or undertaking unpaid family work were defined as not working.

3. Estimates are subject to sampling error and to variability in non response.

4. Estimates rounded to nearest 10,000.

Source:

Family Resources Survey (Great Britain).

Lobbyists

Mr. Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will make a statement on the role of professional lobbyists in formulating policy in his Department. [74364]

Mr. Timms: Any contacts with lobbyists by Ministers and civil servants in this Department are conducted in accordance with the "Ministerial Code" and "Guidance for Civil Servants: Contact with Lobbyists".

Social Fund

Mr. Hope: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security when the changes to the Social Fund Budgeting Loan Scheme will be introduced; and when details of the Discretionary Social Fund Budget for 1999-2000 will be announced. [75417]

Angela Eagle: The changes to the Social Fund Budgeting Loan Scheme will be introduced on 5 April 1999. Applications for Social Fund budgeting loans will be decided according to a few simple set factual criteria, rather than the discretion of the officer deciding the application. This will mean that those on the lowest incomes who apply for a loan will no longer be asked detailed questions on what they intend to do with the money before a decision can be made. In keeping with the Government's aims for an active modern Social Security service, these changes will make the applications

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process much simpler, and the decisions process quicker, fairer, less intrusive and easier to understand, while administration of the scheme will be more cost-effective. In connection with these changes, I am, today, placing in the House Library copies of the updated Social Fund Guide containing the revised Secretary of State Directions and Guidance to Social Fund officers on the new scheme.

We can also announce today that the total discretionary Social Fund budget for 1999-2000 will be £535.2 million, representing an increase of £34 million over the corresponding budget for 1998-99. Of this total, £98 million will be allocated to Community care Grants, £436.7 million to loans and £0.5 million will be set aside as a contingency reserve. To further improve the fairness of the Social Fund scheme we shall be allocating the loans budget to each Benefits Agency district with a view to achieving greater consistency in the level of successful applications across districts. Full details of budget allocations to individual Benefits Agency districts will be placed in the House Library on 24 March.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Asbestos

Mr. Clapham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what plans she has to promote the establishment of an international framework for asbestos control in Third World countries. [73964]

Clare Short: We have no plans to promote the establishment of an international framework as such but we support the European Council Regulation on the export and import of dangerous chemicals and the Basle Convention DFID has assisted partner countries on the use and handling of asbestos in specific cases. Further details of DFID's role is contained in the answer to the question from my hon. Friend the Member for Tooting (Mr. Cox) on 20 July 1998, Official Report, column 395.

Aid (Kenya)

Ms Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will make a statement on UK (a) bilateral and (b) multilateral aid to Kenya. [74031]

Clare Short: Britain's development assistance strategy for Kenya is set out in the Kenya Country Strategy Paper published by my Department last year, copies of which are publicly available and will be sent to my hon. Friend.

Task Forces

Dr. Tony Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will publish a list of (1) task forces and (2) policy reviews established by her Department since May 1997 which (a) had external members recruited by way of public advertisement, and details of any person so appointed and (b) engaged in public consultation exercises, and the form that these took. [74463]

Clare Short: Since 1 May 1997 the Department for International Development (DFID) has undertaken a review of international development policy, and a review

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of DFID's relationship with Civil Society. Neither of these initiatives involved the recruitment of external members by public advertisement. Both reviews involved consultation with a wide variety of interested groups and individuals, who were invited to input in order to add their wide experience and knowledge to our work. A report on the consultation which DFID conducted with Civil Society, North and South, will be published shortly.

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