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Written Answers to Questions
Friday 23 June 2000
SOCIAL SECURITY
Social Fund
Mr. Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will estimate the administration cost of recovering (a) budgetary loans and (b) crisis loans for each year from 1996-97 to 2001-02 shown as (i) total expenditure and (ii) percentage of total expenditure on those benefits. [125288]
Angela Eagle: The administration of the Social Fund is a matter for Alexis Cleveland, the Chief Executive of the Benefits Agency. She will write to the hon. Member.
Letter from Alexis Cleveland to Mr. Steve Webb, dated 22 June 2000:
- I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking the Secretary of State for Social Security, if he will estimate the administration cost of recovering (a) budgetary loans and (b) crisis loans for each year from 1996-97 to 2001-02 shown as (i) total expenditure and (ii) percentage of total expenditure on those benefits.
- The total Social Fund administration costs for 1999-2000 are not yet available but will be given in the Departmental Report in spring 2001.
- It is not possible to provide a projection for future years as administration costs are based on the level of expenditure in that year.
- The breakdown of information requested is not available for earlier years as the cost of some parts of the recovery process were included with other unrelated processes.
- I hope this is helpful.
Television Advertisements
Mr. Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many television advertisements have been commissioned by his Department since 1 May 1997; and, of these, how many were provided with closed caption subtitling. [126896]
Mr. Rooker: There have been 20 television commercials commissioned by the Department since 1 May 1997. All were provided with closed caption subtitling (teletext).
State Pension
Mr. Alan Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what would have been the difference in cost to the Exchequer if the state pension had been linked to earnings since 1 May 1997. [127618]
Mr. Rooker: The information requested is in the table.
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| Gross | Net of income- related benefits | |
|---|---|---|
| 1998-99 | 220 | 160 |
| 1999-2000 | 790 | 600 |
| 2000-01 | 2,150 | 1,640 |
Notes:
1. Costs assume earnings uprating begins at the next uprating date following 1 May 1997 (April 1998).
2. Figures are rounded to the nearest £10 million and are in 2000-01 price terms.
3. Gross costs estimated by the Government's Actuary's Department. Costs net of income-related benefit savings are estimated using the Policy Simulating Model.
4. Average earnings assumptions are based on an average of seasonally adjusted figures for the three months to July of the previous year, as originally published.
Stakeholder Pensions
Mr. Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how much money was paid by his Department to the Financial Services Authority for its work on stakeholder pension decision trees. [127416]
Written Questions
Mr. Maclennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many of the written parliamentary questions tabled to his Department between 19 October 1999 and 20 April 2000 have not received substantive answers, excluding those not answered for reasons of (a) disproportionate cost, (b) information not available, not held centrally or not held in the form requested and (c) commercial or other confidentiality. [127442]
CABINET OFFICE
Agenda Computer System
Mr. Baker: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what were the annual running costs of the Agenda computer system for each year from 1 May 1997 to date. [126505]
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what has been the cost so far of the Government's new Agenda computer system. [127420]
Mr. Ian McCartney: The annual IT running costs of the Agenda computer system, excluding manpower costs, since it became operational in February 1998 are as follows:
| Financial Year | Cost(1) |
|---|---|
| 1997-98 | 9,166 |
| 1998-99 | 57,736 |
| 1999-2000 | 87,836 |
| 2000-01 | 87,836 |
(1) Excluding VAT
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Written Questions
Mr. Maclennan: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many of the written parliamentary questions tabled to her Department between 19 October 1999 and 20 April 2000 have not received substantive answers, excluding those not answered (a) citing disproportionate cost, (b) stating that the information is not available, not held centrally or not held in the form requested and (c) citing commercial confidentiality or other confidentiality. [127441]
Mr. Stringer: I refer to the answer I gave to the right hon. Member on 22 June 2000, Official Report, columns 267-68W.
No other written questions tabled between 19 October 1999 and 20 April 2000 did not receive a substantive reply.
HEALTH
Digital Hearing Aids
Mr. Collins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many digital hearing aids are currently available on the NHS. [126750]
Mr. Hutton: There are currently no digital hearing aids available via the National Health Service Logistics Authority or any contract arranged by the NHS Purchasing and Supply Agency.
However, all NHS trusts throughout England are free to prescribe the most clinically appropriate product that best meets an individual patient's circumstances and need. Therefore, trusts are free to purchase any digital product that is available from hearing aid suppliers. There are no centrally held figures for the number of digital hearing aids purchased through this route.
In order to evaluate the benefits of digital hearing aids we have recently announced a two-year project involving twenty NHS trusts to evaluate the costs and benefits of digital hearing aids and associated service delivery changes. £4 million is available for the project in 2000-01.
Dental Services
Mr. Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS dentists were registered in Shrewsbury and Atcham in (a) May 1997 and (b) for the last available date; and if he will make a statement. [126592]
Mr. Hutton: The number of General Dental Service principals on Shropshire Health Authority's list for the Shrewsbury and Atcham Local Authority District was (a) 35 on 31 March 1997 and (b) 45 on 31 March 2000. There were no assistants or vocational dental practitioners working in the Shrewsbury and Atcham Local Authority District at these points in time.
Our strategy for National Health Service dentistry was originally proposed in 1998. The current intention is to
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publish it this summer, in conjunction with the National Plan for the new NHS. It will contain proposals for improving both the availability and quality of NHS dentistry, including the introduction of clinical governance to dentistry and strengthened professional self-regulation.
Mr. Pike: To ask the Secretary of State for Health for what reason patients registered with an NHS dentist are struck off the list by the health authority if they do not visit their dentist for 15 months; for what reason this period was reduced; and if he will make a statement. [127013]
Mr. Hutton: Patients who are registered with a National Health Service dentist are not struck off a list by the health authority. Dentists are paid a monthly sum for 15 months for each registered patient. If a patient does not visit their dentist within 15 months of their last attendance to renew their registration, their registration automatically lapses. Also, dentists may themselves terminate a registration arrangement at any time after giving due notice. Dentists are free to re-register their patients who have lapsed. It is up to dentists to decide whether they wish to accept any patient onto their list.
From 1 September 1996, the registration period for both adults and children was harmonised at 15 months to provide a period of continuing dental care following each course of treatment. This streamlined administrative procedures and reduced bureaucracy for dentists. It was also intended to improve value for money by focusing payments on those patients receiving active care.
AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD
Milk
Mr. Robertson: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how much milk was consumed in the UK in the last year for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement. [126953]
Ms Quin: 1999 is the latest year for which United Kingdom milk production and consumption figures are available. The figures are as follows:
| Million litres | |
|---|---|
| Gross production of milk | 14,594 |
| Imports of raw milk(2) | 111 |
| Exports of raw milk(2) | 465 |
| Total supply | 14,241 |
| Utilisation by dairies for drinking milk(3) | 6,854 |
| Utilisation by dairies for manufacturing dairy products(4) | 6,988 |
| Dairy wastage and stock change | 56 |
| Other uses(5) | 343 |
| Total domestic use | 14,241 |
(2) Milk imported or exported as packaged drinking milk is excluded.
(3) Closely represents consumption of drinking milk in the UK as little drinking milk is imported or exported.
(4) A proportion of dairy products manufactured will be exported and not consumed in the UK.
(5) Includes farmhouse consumption, milk fed to stock and on farm waste. Excludes suckled milk.
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