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Light Weight Howitzer

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assistance has been requested from the Ministry of Defence by BAE Systems to develop a US production base for the XM777 Light Weight Howitzer; and if he will make a statement. [123001]

Dr. Moonie: XM777 is based on the Ultra-lightweight Field Howitzer (UFH), which was designed as a private venture in the United Kingdom by the then Vickers Shipbuilding and Engineering Ltd., now part of Royal Ordnance Defence. The UFH won a competition run by the US Marine Corps and became the XM777 Light Weight Howitzer in the US Engineering and Manufacturing Demonstration (EMD) phase of acquisition.

No request for assistance to develop a US production base has been received by the Defence Procurement Agency.

ALSL

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his Department's requirements are for the Alternative Landing Ship Logistics; what is the payload breakdown of the ALSL; when the final decisions on awarding contracts for construction will be made; what is the target price; and if he will make a statement. [122980]

Dr. Moonie: The ALSLs are required to move men, equipment and stores to wherever they are required in the world and to be able to deploy them as a fighting force. Each vessel's minimum payload will include 350 military personnel, 500 linear metres of vehicles, 106 tonnes of war maintenance reserve plus two Landing Craft Vehicle and Personnel (LCVPs) and two Mexeflote powered rafts. The achievement of greater payloads, within cost constraints, is being sought in the Invitation to Tender.

Contract placement for the design and build of two new ALSLs is planned to occur later this year. The estimated target price for the construction of the two vessels is approximately £138 million.

25 May 2000 : Column: 614W

Shipbuilding

Mr. Sarwar: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the planned timetable for his Department's shipbuilding orders this year. [122901]

Mr. Hoon: We expect to place contracts for two Survey Vessels during this summer, and, by the end of this year, for the Demonstration and First of Class manufacture of the new Type 45 Anti War Warfare Destroyer, and for two Alternative Landing Ships Logistics. These ships will all be built in the UK. We also plan to procure a range of smaller craft during the year.

It is also intended to procure a strategic sealift under Private Finance Initiative arrangements later this year which will involve the construction of six ro-ro ferries although in this case the vessels themselves would be ordered by the service provider not by the MOD.

HOUSE OF COMMONS

Line of Route

Mr. Gale: To ask the Chairman of the Administration Committee if the Committee is in a position to advise the House of the likely amount visitors will be charged for a guide in order to undertake line of route tours during the summer Adjournment. [124312]

Mrs. Roe: Following negotiations between the authorities of both Houses and organisations able to carry out the booking and guiding arrangements, it has been established that two separate companies will be required for these functions. The result of having to divide these services means that a minimal charge of £3.50, to cover the guide fees and ticketing arrangements, will have to be made. Pre-booked tickets for a timed guided tour will go on sale after the Whitsun Adjournment.

Pensions (Part-timers)

Mrs. Lait: To ask the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission, what estimate the Commission has made of the maximum and minimum costs to the House of Commons pension fund of the European Court of Justice's ruling on pensions for part-timers. [123288]

Mr. Kirkwood: The House of Commons Staff Pension Scheme anticipates very minimal costs, arising from the European Court of Justice's ruling on pensions for part-time staff. The House has always sought to employ part-time staff to work more than the 15 hours per week limit which in the past would have excluded staff from the pension scheme.

SOCIAL SECURITY

Stakeholder Pensions

Kali Mountford: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security when the stakeholder pensions regulations will be laid. [124340]

25 May 2000 : Column: 615W

Mr. Rooker: Following extensive consultation on the detailed arrangements and the draft regulations, the Stakeholder Pension Schemes Regulations 2000 (SI 2000/1403) have been laid today. Copies are available in the usual way and the regulations will also be available on the internet at www.legislation.hmso.gov.uk.

State Pension

Mr. Wigley: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will estimate the level of the basic state pension if it represented the same percentage of the average wage as it did in November 1982; and if he will estimate what would be the annual cost of raising the basic state pension to that level. [122682]

Mr. Rooker: The information is in the tables.

The link between the basic pension and average earnings was broken in 1979. No-one is expected to live on the basic pension alone. Latest figures for single pensioner incomes are £132 a week, 36 per cent. of average earnings.

Rate of full category A basic state pension, assuming same percentage of average earnings as November 1982

	April 1999	April 2000
Average weekly earnings	£400.10	(3)£422.51
Basic pension rate as a percentage of earnings in November 1982	23.1	23.1
Assumed rate of basic pension	£92.40	£97.60

(3) Assumed

Costs of raising basic state pension to levels shown in Table 1£ billion

	1999-2000	2000-01
Gross	14.8	17.3
Net	11.7	13.8

Notes:

1. Average weekly earnings figure for April 1999 is for all full-time employees, taken from the New Earnings Survey. An equivalent April 2000 earnings figure is not available. The assumption used to derive April 2000 figure is that April 1999 earnings grow by 5.6 per cent. over following year (based on March 2000 annual growth in the average earnings index).

2. Basic state pension rates are rounded to the nearest 5p.

3. Costs are rounded to the nearest £100 million and are in 2000-01 benefit rate terms.

4. Gross costs are estimated by the Government Actuary's Department.

5. Costs net of income-related benefits are estimated using the Policy Simulation Model.

6. Source of pensioners' incomes figure Family Resources Survey and New Earnings Survey.

7. The latest data for which pensioners' incomes estimates are available is 1997-98. This is expressed as a percentage of average earnings in April 1997, £368.

Press Officers

Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many press officers his Department employed in (a) May 1997 and (b) May 2000. [122475]

25 May 2000 : Column: 616W

Mr. Rooker: The information is as follows:

Number of press officer posts within this department and its agencies

Year	Number
May 1997	(4)28.25
May 2000	22.25

(4) Includes two posts held in the Contributions Agency which transferred to the Inland Revenue in May 1997.

Note:

It should be noted that the structure of the Department has changed during the intervening period. Direct comparison of numbers between the years in question would therefore not be appropriate.

Parental Leave

Ms Kelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will estimate the gross cost to the Exchequer on an annual steady-state basis of paying parental leave at the rate of (a) £60 and (b) £100 a week, assuming the take-up by fathers is (i) 10 per cent., (ii) 15 per cent., (iii) 20 per cent., (iv) 25 per cent. and (v) 30 per cent. and the take-up by mothers is (1) 30 per cent., (2) 40 per cent., (3) 50 per cent., (4) 60 per cent. and (5) 70 per cent. [123437]

Mr. Bayley: The information is in the table.

The gross cost to the exchequer on an annual steady state basis of paying parental leave for 13 weeks to employees who have a child under five at the specified rates£ million

Take up--percentage	£60 a week	£100 a week
Fathers
10	30	55
15	50	80
20	65	110
25	80	135
30	95	160
Mothers
30	75	125
40	100	165
50	125	250
60	150	250
70	175	290

Notes:

1. Take-up is assumed to be the same across the entire earnings distribution. Up to 415,000 fathers, and 315,000 mothers, would become entitled each year.

2. The assumptions on which these calculations have been made are:

that the Exchequer meets the full costs of the paid parental leave; that the 13 weeks of parental leave are spread evenly over the first five years of the child's life;

that every parent has only one child in the age group;

that no qualifying periods by length of service are taken into account.

Source:

Family Resources Survey 1997-98, uprated to 1999-2000 prices using March 1999 Treasury Economic Assumptions.

Ms Kelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will estimate the gross cost to the Exchequer on an annual steady-state basis of paying parental leave at (a) full earnings replacement value, (b) 90 per cent. of earnings replacement value, (c) 50 per cent. of earnings replacement value and (d) 30 per cent. of earnings replacement value, assuming the take-up by fathers is 50 per cent. and the take-up by mothers is 90 per cent. [123436]

25 May 2000 : Column: 617W

Mr. Bayley: The information is in the table.

Gross cost to Exchequer on an annual steady-state basis of paying parental leave for 13 weeks to employees who have a child under 5£ million

Rate of payment	Mothers	Fathers
Full earnings replacement	745	1,305
90 per cent. earnings replacement	670	1,175
50 per cent. earnings replacement	375	650
30 per cent. earnings replacement	225	390

Notes:

1. Take-up for fathers of 50 per cent., and mothers of 90 per cent. is assumed to be the same across the entire earnings distribution. Up to 415,000 fathers, earning on average £480 a week, and 315,000 mothers, earning on average £200 a week, would become entitled each year.

2. The figures above correct the answer given to the Written Answer on 17 May 1999, Official Report, columns 251-52W.

3. The assumptions on which these calculations have been made are:

that the Exchequer meets the full costs of the paid parental leave;

that the 13 weeks of parental leave are spread evenly over the first 5 years of the child's life;

that every parent has only one child in the age group;

that no qualifying periods by length of service are taken into account.

Source:

Family Resources Survey 1997-98, uprated to 1999-2000 prices using March 1999 Treasury Economic Assumptions

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