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Disability Living Allowance

Mr. O'Hara: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will estimate the cost of (a) removing the upper age limit for disability living allowance, (b) increasing the upper age limit for disability living allowance to age 70 years and (c) increasing the upper age limit for disability living allowance to age 75 years. [90706]

Mr. Bayley: The information requested is in the table.

Estimated costs for 2000-01 of extending the age limit for disability living allowance£

Change to the upper age limit	Estimated programme costs	Estimated administrative costs
No upper age limit	2.7 billion	75 million
Age 70 years	300 million	8.5 million
Age 75 years	850 million	25 million

Incapacity and Disablement Benefit

Mr. Clapham: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what are the total numbers of (a) incapacity benefit claimants and (b) disablement benefit claimants in (i) Barnsley, (ii) Rotherham, (iii) Sheffield and (iv) Doncaster; and what is the age profile of the claimants in each case. [91940]

Mr. Bayley: The administration of incapacity and disablement benefit claims is a matter for Peter Mathison, the Chief Executive of the Benefits Agency. He will write to my hon. Friend.

Letter from Peter Mathison to Mr. Michael Clapham, dated 19 July 1999:

The Secretary of State for Social Security has asked me to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking for the total numbers and age profile of Incapacity Benefit and Disablement Benefit claimants in the Barnsley, Rotherham, Sheffield and Doncaster areas.

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The information available is shown in the following tables:

Figures for Incapacity Benefit for Local Authority areas are shown in the following table:

Age group	Barnsley	Rotherham	Sheffield	Doncaster
16-19	0	0	0	0
20-24	243	101	182	162
25-29	465	344	263	627
30-34	829	404	849	788
35-39	1,132	788	930	849
40-44	1,132	748	950	1,213
45-49	1,900	1,031	1,940	1,758
50-54	2,466	1,860	2,931	2,183
55-59	3,234	2,304	3,133	2,850
60-64	2,728	2,385	3,294	3,315
65+	505	485	546	687

These figures are taken from a 5 per cent. scan of the benefit computer system at 30 November 1998. They are subject to a rating factor to account for missing postcodes, they may exclude a small number of cases held clerically.
Figures for Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit are not available in the format requested. Data is only available for the Yorkshire and Humber area and are shown below:

Age group	Yorkshire and Humber
16-19	18
20-24	154
25-29	540
30-34	856
35-39	1,296
40-44	1,759
45-49	1,968
50-54	2,855
55-59	2,998
60-64	3,404
65-69	3,065
70-74	3,487
75-79	2,737
80-84	1,071
85 and over	599

Figures are based on a 10 per cent. sample of Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit at 4 April 1998 and include an adjustment for late statistical returns.
The statistical information has been supplied by DSS (Analytical Services Division).
I hope you find this information helpful.

Child Support

Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) what plans he has to reform the Child Support Act 1991; [91594]

(2) what plans he has to encourage parents to reach amicable agreements with free help and advice provided by the Government, in the matter of child maintenance. [91595]

Angela Eagle: The White Paper "A new contract for welfare: Children's Rights and Parents Responsibilities" (Cm 4349) published on 1 July 1999 sets out our plans to reform the child support system. We are creating a new, customer focused, child support service that will be simple, easy to understand, and ensure that more children receive regular and reliable maintenance.

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Parents not on benefit will, as now, be free to make their own arrangements without involving the Child Support Agency, where necessary using the new, simple child support rates as a guideline.

Under the provision of Part III of the Family Law Act 1996 publicly funded mediation is available for disputes relating to children and property arising on divorce or separation. These provisions are being implemented on an area by area basis throughout England and Wales.

Mr. Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) how many Child Support Agency cases were uncleared after (a) 78 weeks and (b) 104 weeks on 31 March; [92147]

(2) how many, and what proportion of, applications for maintenance to the Child Support Agency dating from after (a) 31 March 1997, (b) 30 September 1997 and (c) 31 March 1998 were uncleared 52 weeks later. [92148]

Angela Eagle: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive, Mrs. Faith Boardman. She will write to my right hon. Friend.

Letter from Mrs. Faith Boardman to Mr. Frank Field, dated 20 July 1999:

I am replying to your Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security about the Child Support Agency.

The information requested in your questions is not available. Whilst the Agency maintains systems to monitor and report on performance, the specific figures you have asked for would require a scan of our computer system. This would take several weeks to arrange and deflect resources from other important development work.

In 1998/99 the Agency had a Secretary of State's target to have no applications over 52 weeks old by 31 March 1999. All Business Units put in place operational plans that were to guide them towards the achievement of this objective.

The introduction of automated management information systems and the subsequent exercise to check and correct the status of our cases identified that the original estimate of 225,000 backlog cases (i.e. over 52 weeks old) was considerably understated. In fact CSA cleared 324,859 cases, but did not achieve a nil backlog.

This left 47,720 cases outstanding at 31 March 1999.

The Agency's ability to clear all these cases was impacted by "new" cases becoming over 52 weeks old and because those cases outstanding tend to be older, more complex cases which are difficult to progress.

The introduction of Decision Making and Appeals (DMA) in June 1999 will significantly help the Agency to maintain a normal level of work.

I hope this is helpful.

Official Documents

Mr. Wilshire: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will publish a list of all those official documents of the last Administration which have been seen by (a) him, (b) other Ministers in his Department, (c) special advisers in his Department and (d) non-career civil servants appointed since May 1997 in his Department. [92171]

Mr. Darling: A large number of official documents were generated during the period of the previous Administration, many of which were published or put in the public domain. Since May 1997, the Department has been guided by the convention governing access to papers

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of a previous Administration, as set out in the then Prime Minister's reply to a written question on 24 January 1980, Official Report, columns 305-07.

AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD

Dressed Lamb Carcases

Mr. Paterson: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what criteria are used by official veterinary surgeons employed by the Meat Hygiene Service to determine whether wool fibres on the surfaces of dressed lamb carcases, transferred during the slaughtering process, comprise unacceptable contamination; and what quantity of fibre is permitted. [88290]

Mr. Rooker: Official Veterinary Surgeons are required to use their professional judgment to determine whether wool fibres on the surfaces of dressed lamb carcases, transferred during the slaughtering process, comprise unacceptable contamination.

Thames Barrier

Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the design life of the Thames Barrier; and if he will make a statement. [91403]

Mr. Morley: I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave on 2 February 1999, Official Report, column 656. The design life of the Barrier is 60 years--i.e. to the year 2030. This design life was based on rates of sea level rise predicted in the 1970s, which were higher than those currently anticipated. With normal care and maintenance the Barrier should continue to provide London with a high level of protection from tidal flooding until at least the latter part of the next century. The Environment Agency is considering the wider long-term flood defence needs of London following consultation with interested parties.

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