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Horizontal Questions Working Group
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list those proposals examined by the Horizontal Questions Working Group over the past 12 months. [97147]
Mr. Caborn: The Horizontal Questions Working Group has discussed a wide range of topics concerning the Single Market over the past 12 months including:
Joint Work Programme of the three Presidencies (October 1998 and June 1999),
Single Market Action Plan and plans for a new Single Market Strategy;
The Karolus Programme of personnel exchanges between member states;
Better regulation issues such as the Euro Business Test Panel and SLIM (Simplification of Legislation in the Internal Market);
Cardiff Economic Reform Process;
Integration of environmental aspects in the Internal Market;
The application of the principle of mutual recognition of one member state's rules, standards and qualifications by another.
Distant Water Trawlermen
Shona McIsaac: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if his Department and MAFF have completed their joint report on compensation for distant water trawlermen. [96902]
Ms Hewitt [holding answer 2 November 1999]: This matter remains under active consideration by Ministers.
Packaging
Mr. Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) if he will estimate the cost to United Kingdom companies of increasing recovery targets from 50 per cent. to 75 per cent. as contained in the European Union's Directive on Packaging and Packaging Waste; [97474]
- (2) what assessment he has made of the European Commission draft review of the European Union Directive on Packaging and Packaging Waste; and if he will make a statement. [97473]
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Ms Hewitt: The Department of Trade and Industry and the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions are assessing the possible overall costs and benefits of the European Commission's early suggestions for revising EC Directive 94/62 on Packaging and Packaging Waste, including the suggestion to increase the targets from 50 per cent. to 75 per cent. At present, there is significant uncertainty about the possible costs and benefits. Both Departments are therefore consulting businesses and other interested parties in order to gather better information and data. This will enable the Government to prepare a Regulatory Impact Assessment to accompany the Explanatory Memorandum which will be submitted to Parliament when a European Commission proposal is published.
US National Ignition Facility
Dr. Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what contribution the UK Government are making to the USA National Ignition Facility project at Lawrence Livermore Laboratories in California. [96436]
Mr. Hoon: I have been asked to reply.
I refer the hon. Member to my predecessor's response on 5 July 1999, Official Report, columns 340-41, to my hon. Friend the Member for Nottingham, South (Mr. Simpson) to which I have nothing to add.
Hush-kit Aircraft
Mr. Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement about what discussions he has had with his US counterpart about the use of hush-kit aircraft in the UK. [96924]
Mr. Mullin: I have been asked to reply.
The Deputy Prime Minister met the US Secretary for Transport Rodney Slater on 20 April. Officials in my Department have maintained contacts since then. Discussions about the use of hush-kit aircraft in the EU are continuing in various forums.
SOCIAL SECURITY
Benefits Agency
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what steps he has taken to ensure that the Benefits Agency has publicised the consequences of changes to benefit and pension entitlements over the last 14 years. [97308]
Mr. Rooker: The Benefits Agency keeps its published information as up to date and accurate as possible. A specific review of all Benefits Agency leaflets, outstanding legislative changes and guidance to staff on decision making was undertaken earlier this year.
Council Tax Bills
Mr. Webb:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will estimate, based on his Department's Family Resources Survey, for each of the last five financial years, the average level of (a) gross council tax bills and
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(b) net council tax bills as a percentage of household income, for the whole population and separately for pensioner and non-pensioner households. [96676]
Angela Eagle:
The information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is in the table.
| Pensioner households | Non-pensioner households | All households | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| gross | net | gross | net | gross | net | |
| 1994-95 | 3.7 | 3.1 | 2.0 | 1.8 | 2.3 | 2.1 |
| 1995-96 | 3.7 | 3.1 | 2.0 | 1.8 | 2.3 | 2.1 |
| 1996-97 | 3.8 | 3.3 | 2.0 | 1.9 | 2.4 | 2.1 |
| 1997-98 | 3.9 | 3.4 | 2.1 | 1.9 | 2.4 | 2.2 |
Notes:
1. Gross Council Tax is taken to be net of Council Tax discount but prior to any deductions to the bill resulting from the receipt of Council Tax Benefit.
2. Net Council Tax is taken to be Gross Council Tax as defined above, minus any Council Tax Benefit for which any member of the household is eligible.
3. A pensioner household is a household that contains at least one adult of State Pension age or above.
4. A non-pensioner household is one in which all adults are below State Pension age.
5. Those households who do not pay Council Tax (such as students) have not been included in this analysis.
6. The estimates are based on sample counts, which have been adjusted for non-response using multipurpose grossing factors that control for region, Council Tax band and a number of demographic variables. Estimates are subject to sampling error and to variability in non-response.
7. All percentages have been rounded to the nearest 0.1 per cent.
Source:
Family Resources Survey (Great Britain). The earliest and latest financial years for which data is available are 1994-95 and 1997-98 respectively.
Performance Targets
Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list all performance targets set for his Department, agencies and non-departmental public bodies since May 1997, other than those listed in Public Service Agreements 1999-2002 [Cm 4181], stating in each case (a) the target to be reached and (b) the date by which it was to be reached. [94976]
Mr. Rooker [holding answer 1 November 1999]: The Department has set out the key performance targets on which it will be judged in its PSA, and the measures of success it will use in the Output and Performance Analyses (OPA) published in March this year.
In addition, the Secretary of State sets annual targets for the Department's agencies. These targets are announced to Parliament by means of a written Parliamentary Question. A full list of the targets and target dates for the Department's agencies can be found in the Next Steps Report and in individual agency Business Plans. Performance against targets is also reported in agencies' Annual Reports. Copies of these documents can be found in the Library.
These high level targets are supported at operational level by numerous other internal targets, in order to ensure delivery by individual units. Listing these targets would be inappropriate and would incur disproportionate cost.
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Mr. Flynn:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the shortest possible time between announcement and implementation of the annual uprating of benefits. [97556]
Angela Eagle:
The Benefits Agency has a well established uprating plan that is currently based on the uprating announcement being made by late November/ early December.
Miss Begg:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if there are any proposals to amend his Department's departmental expenditure limit and running cost limits for 1999-2000. [97786]
Dr. Reid:
Subject to Parliamentary approval of the necessary Supplementary Estimate for Class XIII, Vote I Scotland and Transfers to the Scottish Consolidated Fund, the Departmental Expenditure Limit for 1999-2000 will be increased by £314,030,000 from £13,809,474,000 to £14,123,504,000.
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