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Therapeutic Work
Mr. Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what representations he has received on the employed classification as that of people suffering from a severe disability who undertake limited work on medical advice, with the permission of the Benefits Agency. [96263]
Mr. Bayley: No such representations have been received.
Social Security regulations limit the circumstances in which people can work while maintaining entitlement to incapacity benefits but otherwise the status of that work is not a relevant consideration for benefit purposes.
Mr. Llwyd:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will make a statement on the application of the minimum wage in respect of work used as therapy for people with severe disability. [96248]
Mr. Bayley:
Entitlement to incapacity benefits is based on the fundamental principle that they are for people who are incapable of work because of sickness or disability. It is recognised that in some cases a limited amount of work can benefit a person's medical condition and may increase their prospects of a return to the labour market. A longstanding provision, known as the therapeutic work rule, allows benefit recipients to do some paid work on the advice of a doctor without it affecting their underlying entitlement. The work is subject to a weekly earnings limit. An hours limit of 16 hours a week also applies unless the work is done under medical supervision, as part of a hospital treatment programme, or in a sheltered workshop.
The application of the national minimum wage to this work is not a relevant consideration for benefit purposes. However, last April the earnings limit was increased from £48 to £58 to ensure that the hours limit was consistent with 16 hours work paid at the national minimum wage rate of £3.60 an hour (16 x £3.60 = £57.60).
Mr. Webb:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what estimate of the all-items RPI to September 1999 underlay his projections of social security
1 Nov 1999 : Column: 45
expenditure for 2000-01; and by how much expenditure would be reduced if benefits were uprated by the actual inflation rate to September 1999. [96299]
Mr. Darling
[holding answer 29 October 1999]: The inflation assumptions underlying the Department's expenditure forecasts were set out on Page 89 of the Social Security Departmental Report (Cm 4214). The Report also makes clear that the forecast depended on a number of other assumptions. These include economic assumptions such as the rate of unemployment and the growth in earnings which underpins forecast spending on the Minimum Income Guarantee. It also takes account of Government policies already announced, such as above inflation rises in Child Benefit. The effect of a 1 per cent. variation for all benefits is around 830 million. This assumes that both the RPI and the Rossi index vary by the same amount.
Mr. Bercow:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will deposit in the Library (a) a copy of the questionnaire distributed at the June 1998 Lisbon seminar at Expo 98 by the Director General of DG XIV, as indicated in OJ C182(/51) of 28 June, and (b) the Commission's scrutiny report on the same; and when the consultation procedure is to finish. [92856]
Mr. Morley:
I am arranging for a copy of the European Commission questionnaire on the Common Fisheries Policy after 2002 to be placed in the Library, together with a copy of the Commission's analysis of replies to the questionnaire. The Commission's extensive programme of consultations with fishing and other interests ended in June this year.
Mr. Harvey:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what assistance he will give to organic farmers who have already made the conversion from conventional to organic farming; what assessment he has made of the take-up of financial aid among organic farmers; what he is doing to ensure organic farmers know what aid is available to them; what assessment he has made of the length of time it takes for financial aid to be given to organic farmers after application under the Organic Aid Scheme; and if he will make a statement. [96267]
Mr. Morley:
Prior to the introduction of the Organic Farming Scheme (OFS), the Government considered carefully the question of whether those already farming organically should receive aid. We decided to target available resources on the conversion period when yields drop and premia for organic produce are not available. I have no plans to extend aid beyond the five year period provided by the OFS.
I expect the review of the OFS to consider the take-up of organic aid by farmers since April 1999 and to make recommendations for the future design of the conversion aid schemes.
1 Nov 1999 : Column: 46
Advice to prospective organic farmers on how to obtain free advisory visits is provided by a dedicated Helpline telephone number and advice on conversion aid payments is available from MAFF Regional Service Centres. The scheme literature sent to each prospective applicant points out that organic farmers can still benefit from a range of aid measures which are available to farmers generally.
The timing of payments to farmers under the Organic Aid Scheme formed part of the 1998 review of support for the organic sector. The review recommended moving from payments made in arrears to payments made annually in advance, at the end of the first quarter. We implemented the recommendation and have retained the same pattern of payments in the OFS.
We want to see organic farming succeed. We inherited a situation in which total payment for organic conversion averaged about £1 million annually. Over the last six months we have allocated about £16 million to more than 750 farmers. In the debate on agriculture on 28 October 1999, Official Report, column 1131, my right hon. Friend the Minister announced that further money would be made available. This will allow another 250 or so farmers to benefit from the OFS. And it will allow us to pay aid to all the farmers already in the OFS much sooner than would otherwise have been possible.
Mr. Cohen:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the situation regarding offshore betting following the judgment of Mr. Justice Lightman in July; and if he will make a statement. [94812]
Mr. Timms:
The Government are concerned about the potential growth of offshore betting and are currently considering how best to ensure that bookmakers in the United Kingdom pay their fair share of taxes and are protected from unfair competition. Customs and Excise have appealed Mr. Justice Lightman's decision and I have asked them whether early changes to the law are required to maintain its effectiveness.
Jackie Ballard:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he (a) has established and (b) published a baseline for policy appraisal against which to measure progress on equal treatment. [94858]
Miss Melanie Johnson:
The Government are committed to ensuring their policies are fair and inclusive, and focus on public service users, not providers. This aim is contained in guidance (published in 1998) which helps Departments consider the impact of their policies on gender, ethnicity and disability. In addition to considering impact the guidance encourages consultation with women's groups and others where appropriate and action to deal with any differential impact if this appears appropriate. The Treasury applies the principles contained in the guidance when developing its policies. For example a full gender analysis of the Budget's impact was undertaken last year and will be again this year.
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Mr. Lidington:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will place in the Library a copy of the options paper on access to registration records which was submitted to him by the Director of the Office of National Statistics. [94914]
Miss Melanie Johnson:
The essence of the Registrar General's advice was included in the consultation document "Registration: Modernising a Vital Service" published on 8 September, a copy of which is available in the Library.
Mr. Field:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the grades of posts which have been transferred from the Contributions Agency to the Treasury in the year prior to the passing of the Social Security Contributions (Transfer of Functions, etc) Act 1999; how many members of staff will be transferred in the coming year; and what is the nature of the posts of the staff who have been or are to be transferred. [95509]
Dawn Primarolo:
All the staff of the Contributions Agency were transferred to the Inland Revenue on 1 April 1999, their grades being as follows:
| CA grade | IR grade | Civil service grade |
|---|---|---|
| A1 | E2 | AA |
| A2 | E1 | AO |
| B1 | E1 | AO |
| B2 | D | EO |
| B3 | D | EO |
| B3 | D | EO |
| C2 | C2 | HEO |
| C3 | C1 | HEO |
| D1 | B | UG7 |
| D2 | B | UG7 |
| D3 | B | UG6 |
| SCS | SCS | SCS |
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