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22 Jul 1999 : Column: 573

Written Answers to Questions

Thursday 22 July 1999

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Coal Authority Report

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when he plans to lay the Coal Authority's report and Accounts for 1998-99 before Parliament. [93058]

Mr. Clapham: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when the Coal Authority's report and Accounts for 1998-99 will be laid before Parliament. [93062]

Mr. Battle: I have today laid a copy before each House of Parliament.

Photovoltaic Installations

Dr. Whitehead: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions he has held with the Energy Regulator on (a) two-way net metering and (b) industry charging and remuneration policy for photovoltaic installations. [91448]

Mr. Battle: Both issues are important in securing our objective that renewables and other forms of embedded generation can compete, in the long term, on equal terms with other forms of generation. The consultation paper "New and Renewable Energy--Prospects for the 21st Century", which I published on 30 March, invited comments on the issues surrounding the connection of embedded renewable generators to the electricity system. I am grateful to all those who responded.

I am currently considering the various responses to the consultation paper which have been received and will make an announcement in due course. I will continue to discuss the issues arising with the electricity companies when I meet them. Metering is an essential component of a competitive market. The Government would like to see the full value of exported electricity being offered to consumers in order to encourage the uptake of photovoltaic installations in the UK.

BNFL

Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what new techniques, skills and strategies are being developed to manage more efficiently and effectively the liabilities of BNFL. [92053]

Mr. Battle: BNFL has established a Liabilities Management Unit to reinforce the strategic management of its liabilities. The key tasks are to provide assurance that liabilities are fully identified and quantified, and to provide value for money and continuous improvement in how the liabilities are discharged, drawing on the expertise of BNFL's Research and Technology Group in key technologies and processes. BNFL is also involved with others in the nuclear industry in sharing best practice

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in this area and a number of best practice guides have been published. I have asked the company to write to the hon. Member with further information.

Correspondence

Mr. Alan Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what is the average time for a substantive reply to be sent to hon. Members' correspondence; what proportion takes more than (a) four weeks, (b) six weeks and (c) eight weeks; and what is his estimate of the number of letters received in a year from hon. Members. [92442]

Mr. Byers: I refer my right hon. Friend to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Minister for the Cabinet Office to my hon. Friend the Member for Lincoln (Gillian Merron) on 11 June 1999, Official Report, columns 403-06, which sets out performance against departmental targets for answering correspondence from right hon. and hon. Members in the 1998 calendar year. More detailed information about the percentage of correspondence replied to within the time scales specified could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

SOCIAL SECURITY

Child Support Agency

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what are his plans to address the problem of the Child Support Agency's backlog of periodical reviews. [93100]

Angela Eagle: Until December 1998, child support legislation required the Agency to reconsider child support assessments every two years. This process meant gathering all the many pieces of information used to make an assessment afresh. In many cases, parents failed to return review forms or to provide the necessary information and the reviews have become increasingly difficult to complete as time has passed. As a result, there are now some 350,000 outstanding periodical reviews in the Child Support Agency.

To address the backlog of periodic reviews and to release more of the Agency's resources for current work, however, I intend to bring forward legislation as soon as Parliamentary time allows retrospectively to repeal the provisions which govern this process. This will mean that there will no longer be a requirement to complete the outstanding reviews for past periods. However, the Agency will be taking forward a rolling programme over the next two years to review and update assessments from a current date. Where the parent with care is on benefit, this will happen automatically: parents who have applied voluntarily for child support will be offered the opportunity to have the assessment brought up to date. Also, any parent who wants to have the periodical review completed in their case can ask the Child Support Agency to complete this action and this will be done providing the information and evidence necessary to complete the process is supplied.

Benefit Fraud Inspectorate

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security when he will publish the Annual Report of the Benefit Fraud Inspectorate. [93101]

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Mr. Timms: I have today published the second Benefit Fraud Inspectorate Annual Report.

We published our strategy in March 1999 for tackling fraud and improving security within the DSS and local authorities. We are determined to make sure we get it right from the start. That means delivering an improved secure system including the use of robust checks and safeguards. The BFI is a significant part of our strategy. Their role is to publish reports which support the strategy by helping to raise standards of administration and by contributing to the continuing development of the new strategy.

In this first full year of operation, considerable progress has been made. So far, the BFI has published 23 local authority reports, BA, CSA and CA reports, with a further 46 inspections either ongoing or due to be started by November 1999.

Working in partnership with those they inspect is leading to improvements in benefit administration and counter fraud work standards. The report includes case studies demonstrating the BFI impact on local authorities, such as the introduction of prosecution and security strategies, improved recovery of benefit overpayments and better liaison and exchange of information between BA and local authorities.

Copies of the published BFI Annual Report are available in the Library. Further copies are available on request.

Pensions

Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what steps he will take to promote higher standards in occupational pension schemes following responses to the consultation on proposals for a Quality in Pensions accreditation scheme. [93102]

Mr. Timms: We have discussed with the pensions industry how best to develop improved standards in pensions. We have concluded we should develop best practice guidelines for occupational schemes that would be made widely available. I am pleased to announce the formation of a working group to take this work forward. The names of the working group members are as given. We have also published today a response to the consultation exercise which provides an analysis of the consultation responses and sets out our proposals for developing the best practice guidelines.











The group will also include a representative from the public service schemes and will be chaired and supported by DSS officials.

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Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how he proposes to ensure that combined pension forecasts are introduced effectively and with the minimum additional burden on employers and pension providers. [93103]

Mr. Timms: I am pleased to announce the formation of a Pension Forecasting Advisory Group which will include representatives from employers and scheme providers. The group will consider how our proposals for introducing combined forecasts might best be implemented to achieve wide and effective adoption. It will advise on what supporting information and facilities need to be provided to ensure that individuals make the best use of the new information. In addition to the Government Departments that are represented the external members are:



    Susan Anderson--Confederation of British Industry


    Ben Jupp--DEMOS


    Ralph Turner--EMAP


    Keith Matthews--Financial Services Authority


    George Russell--Government Actuary's Department


    Ray Martin--National Association of Pension Funds


    Chris Armitage--Unigate.

There will also be a representative from the public service schemes and members from the Inland Revenue and DSS who will chair and support the group.

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