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Single Gateway
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will make a statement on the administrative cost of the Single Gateway to benefits. [88030]
Angela Eagle: An additional £79.5 million has been allocated from the Invest to Save Budget to fund the ONE service (formerly Single Gateway) in the 12 Pilot areas.
The extra allocation is on top of the amount that would be required to administer benefits in the pilot areas under current arrangements. It also covers one-off start-up costs (for example, estates and training costs), and Information Technology and capital expenditure over the period of the pilots.
Pensions
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will estimate the potential liability for compensation incurred by his Department from advice from (a) Benefits Agency offices to widows on changes to their SERPS entitlement and (b) the new hotline to advise people on Stakeholder pensions and other pension schemes. [89707]
Mr. Timms: Existing widows are not affected by the change in inherited SERPS. We are aware of concern about the information given in response to inquiries about the change that is due to take place from April 2000. We are considering how best to resolve this matter and will make an announcement in due course.
The "Pensions Power for You" helpline is being organised by the TUC and this Department as a partnership initiative with the CBI, the Financial Services
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Agency and other supporting organisations and companies to provide general pensions information. Call handlers will not provide individual financial advice.
Mr. Miller:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what his Department is doing to help disabled people obtain jobs. [88025]
Mr. Bayley:
We have a comprehensive strategy for helping people with disabilities who want to work. We are providing active help and encouragement for people to move towards work; we are addressing barriers to work in the benefit system; we are taking steps to make work pay; and we are promoting radical change in the workplace to ensure equality and opportunity.
Serbia (Reconstruction)
Mr. Swayne: To ask the Prime Minister what measures he will take to prevent Governments providing Serbia with funds to repair bridges whilst President Milosevic remains in power. [88084]
The Prime Minister: We have no plans to provide reconstruction assistance as long as Milosevic remains in power; we do of course support the UNHCR programmes and others which offer humanitarian aid to the Serbian people. We believe that this approach is widely shared by our partners and allies. We are discouraging other countries from providing reconstruction assistance, but there are no legal means to stop them.
Danube (Destroyed Bridges)
Mr. Swayne: To ask the Prime Minister what assessment he has made of the impact of the destruction of bridges on the Danube in Serbia upon the economies of (i) Germany, (ii) Turkey, (iii) Austria, (iv) Romania and (v) Bulgaria. [88083]
The Prime Minister: All countries to which the hon. Member refers participated in, or gave wholehearted support to, the NATO action in the Balkans.
We are in close touch with all the countries of the region and with the international financial institutions, who are carrying out assessments of the reconstruction needs. We have already contributed to packages of support for those most directly affected, and will continue to do so.
EU Anti-fraud Office
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Prime Minister what amendments he supported to proposals for the formation of the EU Anti-Fraud Office; and if he will make a statement. [88466]
The Prime Minister:
The United Kingdom supported amendments which would serve to deliver a strong, effective, independent anti-fraud office with wide ranging powers and rights matched by responsibility and accountability including reporting to the European Parliament and the Council, in line with my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer's initiative at the
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January ECOFIN Council. Details of the original and amended proposals and the final Regulation which was supported by the Government are set out in explanatory memoranda dated 15 January 1999, 5 May 1999 and 10 June 1999.
Mr. Dalyell:
To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to his oral statement of 21 June 1999, Official Report, column 766, what the status is of the undertaking given by the KLA on demilitarisation; and what are the consequences of such demilitarisation for an unaccompanied tour obligation for British armed forces and their families. [88872]
The Prime Minister
[holding answer 29 June 1999]: The undertaking of 21 June 1999 commits the KLA to a cease-fire and to a process of disengagement from the zones of conflict, subsequent demilitarisation and reintegration into civil society. The Commander of KFOR, Lieutenant General Sir Mike Jackson, is the final authority regarding interpretation.
We will reduce our contribution to KFOR as soon as circumstances permit.
Mr. Gordon Prentice:
To ask the Prime Minister who chairs meetings of the JCCC in his absence. [89282]
The Prime Minister:
Such an occasion has not arisen.
Mr. Gordon Prentice:
To ask the Prime Minister (1) if he will list those hon. Members from the Liberal Democratic Party who have attended meetings of the JCCC; [89305]
The Prime Minister:
Like all Cabinet Committees, details of the proceedings of the Joint Consultative Committee are exempt from disclosure under the internal discussion and advice exemption of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.
Mr. Gordon Prentice:
To ask the Prime Minister if it is his policy that the JCCC should continue indefinitely. [89304]
The Prime Minister:
The Joint Consultative Committee exists to consider policy issues of joint interest to the Government and the Liberal Democratic Party. I would expect it to remain in existence while it continues to fulfil this remit satisfactorily.
Mr. Gordon Prentice:
To ask the Prime Minister what considerations led him to conclude that the subjects for discussion within the Joint Cabinet Consultative Committee should be exempt from the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information. [89837]
The Prime Minister:
Paragraph 2 of Part II of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information states that information is exempt from the commitments under the Code if its disclosure would harm the frankness and candour of internal discussion.
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Mr. Gordon Prentice:
To ask the Prime Minister if the 30 year rule applies to the Joint Cabinet Consultative Committee; and if he will make a statement. [89838]
Mr. Gordon Prentice:
To ask the Prime Minister if he will lift the exemption from disclosure under the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information of proceedings in the Joint Consultative Committee. [89815]
Mr. Yeo:
To ask the Prime Minister how many meetings (a) he has and (b) his staff have had with representatives of the American Government at which opportunities for inward investment by American companies in the British retail sector were discussed. [89338]
The Prime Minister
[holding answer 1 July 1999]: I, Ministers, advisers and other civil servants meet many people in the course of our work. This properly includes meetings with representatives from foreign governments. By convention it is not the practice of governments to make information on such meetings or their content publicly available.
It is the job of the British Prime Minister to promote this country as a place to invest, boosting British jobs and prosperity. I have done this on many occasions and will continue to do so.
Mr. Bercow:
To ask the Prime Minister if the EU Charter of Rights will include rights not presently accorded to citizens under EU law. [89813]
The Prime Minister:
It is too early to say what the final Charter will contain; the draft will be submitted to the European Council during the French Presidency in the second half of 2000. Most member states (including the UK) favour a document which sets out in a more accessible form the many rights which citizens already enjoy at European level.
Mr. Bercow:
To ask the Prime Minister on how many occasions the acting European Commissioners have represented the Commission (a) at Council of Ministers meetings, (b) at other internal Committee meetings, (c) at public events and (d) at international meetings, following the no-confidence motion at the European Parliament. [89828]
The Prime Minister:
The Commission resigned following the publication of the Committee of Independent Experts' Report into its activities. It was not dismissed and no motion of no-confidence was passed by the European Parliament. In accordance with the Treaty, Commissioners have since carried out their
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responsibilities in a caretaker capacity pending the appointment of a new College. We expect this to take place in September.
(2) how many meetings of the JCCC there have been since its inception. [89303]
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