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Bereavement Benefits
Mr. Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will estimate the (a) number and (b) proportion of widows in each region and nation who are in receipt of occupational pension payments. [76106]
Angela Eagle: The information is in the table.
Notes:
1. The estimates are for all widows including those over pension age.
2. All figures are estimates and are taken from the Households Below Average Income (HBAI) data set based on the Family Resources Survey (FRS). The FRS does not include Northern Ireland. 1996-97 is the latest year for which information is available.
3. Numbers are given in thousands and are rounded to the nearest 10,000.
4. Due to rounding, components may not sum to totals.
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Housing Benefit
Mr. Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will estimate the cost of including entitlement to extended payments of housing benefit to those moving into work who had been in receipt of incapacity benefit alone. [77239]
Angela Eagle: The cost of including entitlement to extended payments of Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit to all those moving into work who had been receiving Incapacity Benefit is estimated at £3.4 million. Of this £2.3 million is in respect of claimants on Income Support and Incapacity Benefit and £1.1 million in respect of those on Incapacity Benefit without Income Support.
Private Pensions
Mr. Fearn: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what interest rate has been paid to persons who opted out of SERPS and who normally receive a lump sum for investment in their private pension scheme, during the delay in issuing payments by his Department's computer systems. [77658]
Mr. Timms: I refer the hon. Member to the written answer I gave to the hon. Member for Chingford and Woodford Green (Mr. Duncan Smith) on 2 March 1999, Official Report, columns 710-11.
Select Committee Reports
Mr. Duncan Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) pursuant to his answer of 10 March 1999, Official Report, columns 250-51, on Select Committee reports, if he will list the occasions on which Ministers discussed the contents of Social Security Committee reports or draft reports of the deliberations of the Committee with members of the Social Security Committee prior to their publications; [77810]
- (2) pursuant to his answer of 10 March 1999, Official Report, columns 250-51, on Select Committee reports, if he will conduct an investigation into whether special advisers or civil servants reviewed or discussed Social Security Committee reports, drafts or parts of reports or their conclusions, prior to their publication. [77811]
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Mr. Darling: There have been no occasions on which I, or my ministerial colleagues, have discussed reports or draft reports with members of the Social Security Committee prior to their publication.
Also, other than embargoed copies of Social Security Committee reports, issued under House of Commons Standing Orders, neither civil servants nor the special adviser have discussed reports or draft reports prior to their publication. I see no reason or basis for an investigation.
SCOTLAND
Meat Imports
Mr. Alan Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what plans he has to stop the import of meat grown abroad in conditions not allowed in the UK. [76737]
Mr. Macdonald: All consignments of fresh meat imported into the UK, whether from other EU member States or third countries, must have been produced in accordance with the harmonised Community rules laid down in Council Directive 64/433/EEC. Products not subject to Community rules may be imported only if they comply with our national rules. Food which fails to meet food safety requirements can be refused entry into the UK or it can be seized under the Food Safety Act 1990.
Trade implications of any suspension of imports are a matter for the EU Commission. Any action taken or imposed must be in accordance with the sanitary and phytosanitary agreement of the World Trade organisation.
From 1 July 1999, this will be a matter for the Scottish Parliament.
Mr. Gorrie:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the average full time pay without overtime of (a) teachers, (b) local authority manual workers, (c) council APT and C staff and (d) council chief officers in (i) 1998-99, (ii) 1993-94, (iii) 1988-89, (iv) 1983-84 and (v) 1978-79, in 1998-99 prices. [76620]
Mr. McLeish:
The information requested is not available centrally, nor is it readily available from the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities.
From 1 July 1999, this will be a matter for the Scottish Parliament.
Mr. Gorrie:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what resources he is providing to enable councils to fund pay increases for (a) teachers and (b) other local government employees. [76750]
Mr. McLeish:
Over the next three years the Government are to provide an extra £530 million in support of Scottish local authorities' revenue expenditure. This represents real terms increases in each of the next three years. It is the responsibility of local authorities to decide how to allocate the money available to them and to meet the cost of pay increases from within their overall resources.
From 1 July 1999, this will be a matter for the Scottish Parliament.
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Mr. Gorrie:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what were the percentage pay increases agreed in Scotland for (a) teachers, (b) local authority manual workers, (c) council APT and C staff and (d) council chief officers in each year since 1993-94. [76624]
| percentage | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Teachers | Local authority manual workers | APT and C | Chief officers |
| 1993 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 |
| 1994 | 2.3 | 2.3 | 2.3 | 2.0 |
| 1995 | 2.0 | 2.2 | 2.2 | 2.3 |
| 1996 | 3.0 | 2.9 | 2.9 | 2.9 |
| 1997 | 2.5 | (10)2.5 | (10)2.5 | 2.5 |
| 1998 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 |
(10) Or £4 per hour minimum if greater
From 1 July 1999, this will be a matter for the Scottish Parliament.
Sentencing Policy
Ms Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the members of the committee established under Lord MacLean to review the sentencing and treatment of serious violent and sexual offenders. [78296]
Mr. McLeish: The following have accepted my invitation to serve on Lord MacLean's Committee:
Mr. Andrew Brown, Chief Constable, Grampian Police
Mr. David Burns QC, Advocate
Dr. Derek Chiswick, Consultant Psychiatrist, Edinburgh Healthcare NHS Trust
Professor David Cooke, Professor of Forensic Psychology, Glasgow Caledonian University
Mr. Douglas Crawford, Depute Director of Social Work, Renfrewshire Council
Ms Jeane Freeman, Parole Board member, Chief Executive, APEX
Professor Christopher Gane, Professor of Scots Law, University of Aberdeen
Mr. William Gilchrist, Regional Procurator Fiscal, North Strathclyde
Mr. Roger Houchin, Governor, Barlinnie Prison
Mr. Murray Macara, Solicitor Advocate, Beltrami and Co.
Mr. Jamie Malcolm, Nursing Officer, Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland
Dr. Linda Treliving, Consultant Psychotherapist, Dundee Healthcare NHS Trust
Arrangements for taking evidence will be announced later.
Sheriff Charles Stoddart, Director of Judicial Studies.
PRIME MINISTER
Select Committee Reports
Sir Brian Mawhinney:
To ask the Prime Minister (1) if he will issue instructions to Ministers on the actions
19 Mar 1999 : Column: 842
to be taken following unauthorised receipt of (a) drafts and (b) final unpublished versions of Select Committee reports; [77846]
(3) if he will make a statement on the Government's policy when Ministers receive leaked copies of a Select Committee report in (a) draft and (b) unpublished form. [77845]
The Prime Minister:
I refer the right hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Spelthorne (Mr. Wilshire) on 1 March 1999, Official Report, column 531.
(2) pursuant to the answer to the right hon. Member for Penrith and The Border, 16 March 1999, Official Report, columns 641-42, if he will require the Chancellor to return the leaked Select Committee report to the Chairman of the Social Security Committee; [77844]
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