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South Korea (Joint Military Exercise)

Mr. Dalyell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what British forces are involved in the proposed joint military exercise with South Korea in June 2000. [116666]

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Mr. Spellar: There are no plans for British forces to conduct a joint military exercise with South Korea in June 2000. However, we will be conducting a short maritime exercise with the South Koreans in late August/early September as part of the Naval Task Group Deployment to the Far East (NTG 2000).

Territorial Army (Working Time Directive)

Mr. Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what advice he has issued to the Territorial Army on compliance with the Working Time Directive. [102901]

Mr. Spellar [holding answer 20 December 1999]: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 27 March 2000, Official Report, column 28W.

Cadets (Seatbelts)

Mr. Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when his Department issued instructions that Army, Royal Navy and Royal Air Force cadets must not travel in 4-tonne trucks or other military vehicles without seatbelts; and what assessment he has made of the impact of this ruling on (a) cadet training and (b) cadet financing. [107642]

Mr. Spellar [holding answer 1 February 2000]: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 27 March 2000, Official Report, columns 25-26W.

SOCIAL SECURITY

Incapacity Benefit

Mr. Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will make a statement on developments over the last three years in Incapacity Benefit, including (a) the total number of claimants by quarter, (b) the number of appeals and (c) changes in the qualification criteria. [116487]

Mr. Bayley: Information on numbers of claims and appeals is not available in the form requested. Such information as is available is in the tables. There have been no changes to the qualification criteria for Incapacity Benefit in the last three years.

We are committed to removing barriers to work. We have introduced the New Deal for Disabled People, funded by £195 million from the Windfall Tax, which is helping disabled people to move into, or remain in, work. From October 1998 we introduced a new rule allowing people who leave incapacity benefits for work to return to their old rate of benefit if they have to stop working and make a reclaim within a year, and we removed the 16 hours a week restriction on voluntary work. In April 1999 we raised the limit on earnings for those doing therapeutic work from £48.00 to £58.00 a week. We are also currently piloting a range of measures to help sick and disabled people to return to work and from next month those on incapacity benefits will be able to take part in Work Trials or Work Placements without losing their benefit entitlement.

From 3 April the All Work Test for incapacity benefits will be replaced by the Personal Capability Assessment, which will focus not just on what people cannot do but also on what they are able to do despite their illness or

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disability; this will help Personal Advisers give people the assistance they need to return to work where that is what they want to do. In the coming year we will also be trialling initiatives to ensure regular contact with people on incapacity benefits to check their circumstances, give benefits advice and offer assistance with a return to work.

From April 2001, we will introduce further changes. The contribution conditions for Incapacity Benefit will be modernised to ensure a closer link between benefit entitlement and recent work; some account will be taken of occupational and personal pensions, to reduce duplicate provision between the State and employers or individuals; and people disabled in youth, who have never had the opportunity to work, will be able to qualify for Incapacity Benefit without having made National Insurance contributions.

Number of claims to Incapacity Benefit in each quarter ending

	Number
30 November 1996	276,343
28 February 1997	269,062
31 May 1997	258,985
31 August 1997	255,657
30 November 1997	259,671
28 February 1998	238,514
31 May 1998	226,137
31 August 1998	232,210
30 November 1998	242,930
28 February 1999	224,952
31 May 1999	230,059
31 August 1999	230,503

Note:

Includes claims that are subsequently withdrawn and accident declarations (which are made in case a claim to benefit becomes necessary at a later date as a result of an industrial accident).

Source:

100 per cent. clerical count.

Number of appeals

	Number
1996	62,303
1997	76,132
1998	79,800

Sources:

Data up to July 1997--100 per cent. extract from ITS computerised records

Data from August 1997--100 per cent. download from the Generic Appeals Processing System (GAPS)

Disability Living Allowance

Mr. Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many people have claimed disability living allowance in each quarter of the last three years. [116554]

Mr. Bayley: The information is in the table.

Number of claims made for disability living allowance

Quarter ending	Claims
1997
March	124,281
June	132,092
September	121,067
December	110,813
1998
March	97,387
June	96,125
September	103,061
December	96,022
1999
March	103,069
June	98,997
September	97,542
December	91,311

Source:

Analytical Services Division: 100 per cent. data.

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Mr. Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what the success rate of applications for Disability Living Allowance has been for (a) schizophrenia sufferers, (b) all categories of people suffering from mental illness and (c) all applicants for each of the most recent five years for which figures are available. [116514]

Mr. Bayley: The information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is in the table.

Applications for disability living allowance

Year	All decisions	Successful decisions	Percentage successful
1995	501,247	248,017	49
1996	523,812	246,173	47
1997	486,566	220,228	45
1998	391,583	178,802	46
1999	373,645	176,371	47

Source:

Analytical Services Division: 100 per cent. data.

Retirement Pension

Laura Moffatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what plans he has to improve the time it takes to calculate the state retirement pension for those in their final year of work. [116363]

Mr. Rooker: There are no plans to improve the time it takes to calculate the state retirement pension for those in their final year of work. I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave on 25 January 2000, Official Report, column 168W, relating to the time scales for processing claims to retirement pension.

Radiation Exposure (Compensation)

Mr. Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many (a) former service personnel and medical auxiliaries and (b) members of their families, have made appeals to the Pensions Appeals Tribunal for compensation due to exposure to radiation from British nuclear weapons tests in the Pacific since 1970; how many have been awarded compensation; how many are awaiting adjudication; and if he will make a statement. [116014]

Mr. Bayley: The administration of War Pensions is a matter for Gordon Hextall, Chief Executive of the War Pensions Agency. He will write to my hon. Friend.

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Letter from Gordon Hextall to Mr. Llew Smith, dated 28 March 2000:

The Secretary of State for Social Security has asked me to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking how many (a) former service personnel and medical auxiliaries and (b) members of their families, have made appeals to the Pensions Appeals Tribunal for compensation due to exposure to radiation from British nuclear weapons tests in the Pacific since 1970; how many have been awarded compensation and how many are awaiting adjudication.
The War Pensions Agency processes claims for war disablement pensions, war widows and other dependants' pensions and associated supplementary allowances under the provisions of the War Pension Scheme.
Details of claims relating to exposure to radiation in certain sites, including the South Pacific, are recorded on a radiation database. The earliest date of appeal recorded on the database is 1989. The database shows that from that date 57 service personnel and 31 widows have made appeals to the Pensions Appeal Tribunals. At the 22 March 2000 there have been 27 appeals allowed by the Tribunal of which 21 were former service personnel and 6 were widows. There are currently 5 appeals awaiting adjudication, 4 from former service personnel and 1 widow.
I am sorry to tell you that information relating to appeals in respect of exposure to radiation made before 1989 is not readily available and could only be obtained at a disproportionate cost.
If I can be of any further assistance then please do not hesitate to contact me.

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