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Written Answers to Questions
Wednesday 23 June 1999
CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT
Tourism
Mrs. Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) what was the (a) volume and (b) value of tourism from (i) Northern Ireland and (ii) the Republic of Ireland to the north-west region for each of the last five years for which information is available; [87624]
- (2) what was the (a) volume and (b) value of tourism to Britain from (i) Northern Ireland and (ii) the Republic of Ireland for each of the last five years for which figures are available. [87625]
Janet Anderson: Information on tourism by residents of Northern Ireland is provided by the annual United Kingdom Tourism Survey, which is designed to monitor domestic tourism within the UK involving one or more nights away from home. The following table shows estimates for the underlying trend in the volume and value of tourism from Northern Ireland to (a) North West Tourist Board area of England and (b) Great Britain as a whole for the 5 most recent years for which data are available.
| To north-west England | To Great Britain as a whole | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Number of visitors | Expenditure (£ million) | Number of visitors | Expenditure (£ million) |
| 1994 | 83,420 | 18.9 | 658,800 | 215.9 |
| 1995 | 104,640 | 22.2 | 762,300 | 181.4 |
| 1996 | 110,240 | 27.8 | 635,000 | 202.9 |
| 1997 | 83,440 | 25.2 | 587,840 | 205.1 |
| 1998 | 79,540 | 25.9 | 561,120 | 215.9 |
Note:
Figures are 3-year moving averages: eg the 1998 figure shown is the average of the survey results for 1996 to 1998
Source:
UKTS (National Tourist Boards)
| Year | Number of visits (thousand) | Expenditure (£ million) |
|---|---|---|
| 1993 | 2,225 | 460 |
| 1994 | 2,491 | 545 |
| 1995 | 2,809 | 620 |
| 1996 | 3,169 | 705 |
| 1997 | 3,613 | 764 |
Source:
Travel Trends (Office for National Statistics)
Currently, no information is available from this source on the volume and value of tourism to specific areas within the UK from the Republic of Ireland. However, from April this year the International Passenger Survey
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has started to collect information on routes to and from the Republic of Ireland which will lead to more detailed information on the areas of the UK visited becoming available in the year 2000.
Mr. Fallon:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will list the applications since 1 May 1997 made by the BBC for his prior approval under (a) Article 3(b), (b) Article 3(c) and (c) Article 3(u), giving in each case the date of the applications; and if the application was approved or rejected. [87592]
Janet Anderson
[holding answer 18 June 1999]: The following applications have been made under these articles:
Article 3(b)
Carriage of the Parliamentary Channel on analogue cable. Application dated 14 April 1998; approval given by 18 May 1998.
Launch of the BBC Online service (phase one). Application dated 9 October 1997; approval given 10 November 1997.
BBC Online (on a permanent footing). Application dated 9 October 1998. Approval given 28 October 1998.
Article 3(c)
BBC Worldwide joint venture with Discovery Corporation (approval also granted under article 3(u)). Application dated 3 September 1997; approval given 6 March 1998.
Launch of BBC News 24 on analogue cable. Application dated 16 September 1997; approval given 9 October 1997.
Article 3(u)
BBC Worldwide joint venture with Tele Alliance Ltd. Application dated 22 October 1997; approval given 10 November 1997.
Establishment of BBC Resources Ltd. Application dated 30 January 1998; approval given 16 June 1998.
Incorporation of a new subsidiary company (Centre House Productions Ltd.) for the purposes of entering into sale and leaseback transactions. Application dated 11 September 1998; approval given 28 October 1998.
Establishment of the Pro-MPEG Forum. Application dated 16 September 1998, approval given 30 September 1998.
Setting up of a subsidiary company to enable BBC Knowledge to be launched on Digital Terrestrial Television Multiplex A. Application dated 7 April 1999; approval given 6 May 1999.
SOCIAL SECURITY
Income Support (Wandsworth)
Mr. Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many people living in the London Borough of Wandsworth were on income support on 1 June. [87451]
Angela Eagle: The administration of benefits is a matter for Peter Mathison, Chief Executive of the Benefits Agency. He will write to my hon. Friend.
Letter from Peter Mathison to Mr. Tom Cox, dated 22 June 1999:
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The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the number of people living in the London Borough of Wandsworth on Income Support (IS) on 1st June.
This information is not available in the format requested, the Benefits Agency does not hold collate information by local authority boundary. However, a figure can be obtained by identifying the postcode of customers living in the area.
The number of IS claims from within the London Borough of Wandsworth is approximately 18,000. This represents the number of IS claims, not the total number of beneficiaries of those claims. It is rounded to the nearest thousand cases, and is subject to a degree of sampling error. The sample size was 5% of the IS live load, taken from the IS Statistics Quarterly Enquiries, November 1998.
I hope this is helpful.
Invalid Care Allowance
Mr. Goggins: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many people claimed invalid care allowance in each of the last three years. [87612]
Mr. Bayley: The administration of benefits is a matter for Peter Mathison, Chief Executive of the Benefits Agency. I have therefore asked him to write to my hon. Friend.
Letter from Peter Mathison to Mr. Paul Goggins, dated 22 June 1999:
The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about how many people claimed Invalid Care Allowance (ICA) in each of the last three years.
The total numbers of claims for ICA received during each of the financial years 1996/97, 97/98 and 98/99 are as follows:
1996/97: 165,092
1997/98: 162,130
1998/99: 152,283.
I hope this is helpful.
Council Tax Benefit
Mr. Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many new claims for council tax benefit have been subject to the cap on properties above Band E since the new rules were introduced. [87813]
Angela Eagle [holding answer 22 June 1999]: Provisional data are expected to be available from late January 2000 on the number of cases affected by this restriction, based on information from the annual 1 per cent. sample of cases which were receiving Council Tax Benefit on 14 May 1999.
We are committed to monitoring the effects of these changes, in partnership with local authorities. Research is now under way, the findings of which will be published in due course.
Pensions
Mr. Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what proportion of the poorest 20 per cent. of pensioners receive (a) a full basic pension and (b) a partial basic pension. [87982]
Mr. Timms: Information is not available in the form requested as there is no data source that includes information on both the amount of basic pension received and total income which would enable the poorest 20 per cent. of pensioners to be identified. Such information as is available is in the table.
The table provides a similar analysis based on total amount of State Retirement Pension received including additions such as additional pension (SERPS), graduated retirement benefit and increments.
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| Gross weekly income from State Retirement Pension | Percentage | |
|---|---|---|
| Poorest 20 per cent. of single pensioners | ||
| None | 4 | |
| Less than £61.15 | 23 | |
| £61.15 or over | 74 | |
| All | 100 | |
| Poorest 20 per cent. of pensioner couples | ||
| None | 1 | |
| Less than £97.75 | 16 | |
| £97.75 or over | 83 | |
| All | 100 | |
Notes:
1. The State Retirement Pension consists of basic pension, graduated retirement benefit and additional pension (SERPS).
2. In 1996-97, £61.15 was equal to the level of the full basic pension for a single person; £97.75 was equal to the level of the full basic pension for one person plus adult dependant.
3. Gross weekly income from State Retirement Pension is measured in current (1996-97) prices.
4. Estimates should be treated with caution since results are based on survey respondents' identification of different elements of benefit income and therefore may be subject to misreporting.
5. The distribution of pensioners' incomes, used to identify the poorest 20 per cent. is calculated using unequivalised net income before housing costs. The distribution is calculated separately for single pensioners and pensioner couples.
6. Estimates are rounded to the nearest 1 per cent. although they are not necessarily accurate to that level. Columns may not sum to 100 per cent. due to rounding.
Source:
Family Resources Survey 1996-97
Mr. Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what proportion of those aged 80 years and over are in each quintile of the income distribution for the population as a whole. [87981]
Mr. Timms: The information is in the table.
| Percentage of people aged 80+ | ||
|---|---|---|
| Quintile (total population) | Before housing costs | After housing costs |
| 1 (Bottom) | 29 | 21 |
| 2 | 33 | 39 |
| 3 | 20 | 18 |
| 4 | 11 | 14 |
| 5 (Top) | 6 | 8 |
| All 80+ (percentage) | 100 | 100 |
| All 80+ (millions) | 1.8 | 1.8 |
Notes:
1. All figures are estimates and are taken from the Households Below Average Income (HBAI) data set which is 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.
2. The income measure used is weekly net (disposable) equivalised household income (that is to say 'actual' income that is adjusted to reflect the composition of the household).
3. Results may be sensitive to the choice of equivalence scale.
4. It is standard HBAI practice to give results for income both before and after housing costs, in order to allow for the effect of variations in housing costs between households.
5. Component percentages may not sum to one hundred due to rounding.
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Mr. Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will estimate the proportion of pensioners who will be receiving (a) a full basic pension, (b) a partial basic pension and (c) no basic pension in (i) 2010, (ii) 2020, (iii) 2030 and (iv) 2040. [87980]
Mr. Timms: The information is not available in the form requested. Such information as is available is in the tables.
| Percentage | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| With basic RP | Without basic RP | |||||
| Year | Men | Women | Total | Men | Women | Total |
| 2010 | 98.7 | 96.6 | 97.4 | 1.3 | 3.4 | 2.6 |
| 2020 | 98.7 | 98.5 | 98.6 | 1.3 | 1.5 | 1.4 |
| 2030 | 98.7 | 99.1 | 98.9 | 1.3 | 0.9 | 1.1 |
| 2040 | 98.8 | 99.2 | 99.0 | 1.2 | 0.8 | 1.0 |
| Year | Men | Women | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 97.4 | 81.8 | 87.6 |
| 2020 | 96.8 | 85.5 | 90.6 |
| 2030 | 96.6 | 89.4 | 92.7 |
| 2040 | 96.5 | 91.3 | 93.7 |
Notes:
1. Percentages are rounded to one decimal place.
2. Estimates have been provided by the Government Actuary's Department.
3. Figures relate to GB only--overseas cases are excluded.
4. In table 1, the percentage without RP includes those deferring retirement, who have entitlement to RP but who are not actually in receipt; and married women with no entitlement of their own but who will become entitled when their husband reaches State pension age.
Mr. Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many pensioners claiming a category A retirement pension are living with another pensioner claiming a category A retirement pension. [87978]
Mr. Timms: The pensions administrative computer system only collects information on individuals, it does not hold information on other household members. None of the household surveys available collect full information of the category of pension.
Mr. Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the estimated cost of raising (i) the level of income support paid to pensioners and (ii) the basic state pension and related benefits by (a) £5 per week, (b) £10 per week and (c) £20 per week. [87983]
Mr. Timms:
The information is in the tables.
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| Option | Income Support | Housing Benefit | Council Tax Benefit | Total cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| £5 per week | 390 | 110 | 50 | 550 |
| £10 per week | 820 | 210 | 100 | 1,120 |
| £20 per week | 1,800 | 370 | 170 | 2,350 |
Notes:
1. Costs are derived from the June 1999 PSM model based on the 1996-97 Family Resources Survey uprated to 1999-2000 prices with IS administrative adjustments and ASD4's pensioner forecasts.
2. All costs exclude RCNH cases.
3. Costs are rounded to the nearest £10 million and therefore may not sum.
| Amount of increase in category A rate | Net cost 1999-2000 |
|---|---|
| £5 per week | 2,110 |
| £10 per week | 4,240 |
| £20 per week | 8,570 |
Notes:
1. Estimates of costs are rounded to nearest £10 million and in 1999-2000 benefit rates. Costs include related benefits with a statutory link to Retirement Pension (for example, Incapacity Benefit and Widows Pension).
2. Contributory benefit effects have been provided by the Government Actuary's Department.
3. Means-tested benefit offsets were estimated using the 1996-97 Family Resources Survey and the May 1997 Income Support Quarterly Statistical Enquiry.
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