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Income Support

Ms Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what assessment he has made of the characteristics of households with incomes below the level of Income Support. [127005]

Mr. Bayley: Research has been, and continues to be, commissioned by the Department to examine the characteristics of the poorest groups and, where appropriate, to explore the reasons for non-take-up of benefits.

A substantial programme of research was undertaken to examine the characteristics of the poorest pensioners and to explore their barriers to claiming Income Support. Ongoing surveys of low-income families with children also provide detailed information about Britain's poorest families. In addition, research was completed in 1999 that examined the circumstances of the lowest income households identified from the Department's Households Below Average Income (HBAI) series. This followed evidence that households reporting the lowest incomes in household surveys do not necessarily have the lowest living standards.

All findings from research undertaken by the Department are published and placed in the Library.

Expenditure

Mr. Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the level of social security expenditure as a percentage of GDP is (a) in the United Kingdom and (b) on average in the other EU member states. [126978]

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Mr. Darling: Comparative data across European Union member states are published by the Statistical Office of the European Communities. It produces comparisons of expenditure on social protection using a broader definition than Social Security alone. The definition includes spending on health, social services, active labour market policies and public sector occupational pensions. The most recent figures are for 1997 and show that UK spending on social protection represented 26.8 per cent. of Gross Domestic Product, compared with an EU average of 28.2 per cent.

Source:

Social protection: expenditure and receipts, 1999 edition, Eurostat.

Child Support

Mr. Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what plans he has to make it a criminal offence to give false information to the Child Support Agency. [126654]

Angela Eagle: Under proposals in the current Child Support, Pensions and Social Security Bill, we will introduce new criminal offences for providing false information in relation to child support and failing to provide information when required to do so. Any person who deliberately misleads the Child Support Agency or withholds information will be liable to a fine of up to £1,000 on conviction.

Average Incomes

Ms Roseanna Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what was the average income from state benefits for (a) pensioners, (b) pensioners over 75, (c) single parents and (d) the disabled (i) in cash and real terms and (ii) as a percentage of average earnings for (1) 1979, (2) 1984, (3) 1989, (4) 1994 and (5) for each year from 1994. [126682]

Mr. Bayley: Information on components of pensioners' incomes is published in the annual statistical publication, The Pensioners' Incomes Series, copies of which are in the Library. The latest available figures are for 1997-78.

Benefits (Balkan Claimants)

Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many nationals of each of the successor republics to the former Yugoslavia who are residing in the United Kingdom are claiming social security benefits in this country. [127350]

Mr. Bayley: The information is not available as details of a claimant's nationality are not routinely recorded. Benefit entitlement is dependent upon a person's immigration status rather than nationality.

SCOTLAND

Caledonian MacBrayne

Mr. Charles Kennedy: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he last discussed issues relating to Caledonian MacBrayne with the European Commission; and if he will make a statement. [125723]

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Dr. Reid: My hon. Friend the Minister of State, Scotland Office, recently met with representatives of the European Commission to discuss a wide range of issues affecting transport in remote and peripheral regions in Scotland and elsewhere in Europe including ferry services. Responsibility for issues affecting the operation of Caledonian MacBrayne ferry services is devolved and therefore rests with the Scottish Executive.

Parliamentary Questions

Mr. Maclennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many of the written parliamentary questions tabled to his Department between 19 October 1999 and 20 April 2000 have not received substantive answers, citing as the reason that the information is (a) not held centrally, (b) not held in the form requested and (c) not available. [127333]

Dr. Reid: Four questions did not receive substantive replies because the information was not held centrally. Three questions could not be answered fully because some of the information requested was not held centrally.

No question did not receive a substantive reply because the information was not held in the form requested.

The information to answer one question was not available and some information requested was not available in respect of three questions.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Chevening Scholarships

Mr. Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many Chevening scholarships have been awarded to (a) Kazakhstan, (b) Uzbekistan, (c) Turkmenistan, (d) Tadjikistan and (e) Kyrgyzstan. [R] [126430]

Mr. Hain: In 1999-2000 there were 11 Chevening Scholars from Kazakhstan, 13 from Uzbekistan, five from Kyrgyzstan, two from Turkmenistan, and one from Tadjikistan.

Mr. Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the criteria are on which the number of Chevening scholarships are made available to different countries. [126431]

Mr. Hain: Chevening Scholarships funding is allocated to different countries each year in line with FCO Objectives. As the cost of academic courses varies, it is not possible to make a precise correlation between the funding available and the number of scholarships.

Recruitment (Women Graduates)

Mr. Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many female graduates were recruited by his Department, and, of these, how many are still employed by his Department, in each of the last 20 years. [126429]

Mr. Hain: The table shows the number of women recorded as having been recruited to the FCO through the fast stream competition where candidates are required to have a degree. The table also shows how many of these are still with the FCO for each of the last 20 years.

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Women graduates may have been recruited into other grades but in these cases information on whether or not they had a degree was not systematically recorded as possession of a degree was not a requirement for recruitment in most cases.

	Number Recruited	Number still with the FCO
1980	0	0
1981	5	3
1982	5	5
1983	5	3
1984	2	2
1985	12	10
1986	12	8
1987	8	8
1988	12	8
1989	6	5
1990	12	9
1991	14	14
1992	3	3
1993	4	4
1994	6	6
1995	10	9
1996	9	7
1997	10	10
1998	11	11
1999	11	11

Ministerial Visits

Mr. Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many ministerial visits were made by United Kingdom Ministers to (a) Kazakhstan, (b) Uzbekistan, (c) Turkmenistan, (d) Tadjikistan and (e) Kyrgyzstan in each of the last three years. [R] [126428]

Mr. Vaz: The following Ministers have visited the countries of Central Asia in the last three years:

Foreign Office Minister of State, Doug Henderson MP, visited Turkmenistan in May 1998;

Doug Henderson's successor, Joyce Quin MP, visited Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan in October 1998; and

the Minister for Construction (DETR), Nick Raynsford MP, visited Kazakhstan this month.

More ministerial visits to the region are planned for the coming months.

South Lebanon

Mrs. Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made on the protection of civilians in South Lebanon following the Israeli withdrawal. [126438]

Mr. Hain: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary and I have publicly called on all parties to exercise restraint. We have also, privately, raised our concerns with Lebanese, Syrian and Israeli leaders during recent visits to their countries. We continue to work hard with the UN to maximise calm and stability.

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