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Export Licences
Mr. Alan Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what export licences have recently been issued in respect of L3A1 CS irritant cartridges by SME industries in Malaysia. [128900]
Dr. Howells: I have been asked to reply.
The control of exports from Malaysia is a matter for the Malaysian Government. Any export of licensable goods from the UK to Malaysia would be subject to UK export controls. In addition, I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave him on 6 July 2000, Official Report, columns 246-49W.
Budget Allocations
Mr. Duncan Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the budget allocation for the Defence Clothing and Textiles Agency is for the financial year 2000-01; and when the agency received its budget allocation. [125093]
Mr. Spellar [pursuant to his reply, 8 June 2000, c. 344-35W]: I can now advise that the budget allocation for the Defence Clothing and Textiles Agency for the financial year 2000-01 is £163.541 million. This was agreed on 26 June 2000.
SOCIAL SECURITY
Disability Benefits (Medical Reports)
Mr. Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what percentage of applicants for (a) Disability
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Living Allowance and (b) Attendance Allowance were refused allowances following an examining medical practitioner's report in each of the last five years. [129306]
Mr. Bayley: The information is in the table.
| Disability Living Allowance | Attendance Allowance | |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 10 | 6 |
| 1996 | 17 | 8 |
| 1997 | 20 | 8 |
| 1998 | 20 | 7 |
| 1999 | 23 | 9 |
Source:
DSS Information Centre: 100 per cent. data
Housing Benefit
Dr. Iddon: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list the occasions when he has used his powers under the Social Security Act 1992 (a) to require local authorities to improve administration of housing benefit and (b) to impose financial penalties on local authorities for failing to comply with a direction from him to improve housing benefit administration. [129468]
Angela Eagle: The Secretary of State has the power to require a local authority to achieve and to maintain specified standards of performance if, following a report by the Benefit Fraud Inspectorate (BFI), the authority fails to propose adequate remedies for any deficiencies identified by BFI.
Of the 64 reports published by the BFI, none have yet required the issue of a direction. My right hon. Friend remains ready to use his powers if appropriate.
State Pension
Mr. Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, pursuant to his oral answer of 15 May 2000, Official Report, column 4, if he will set out the basis for his estimate that the Government are spending £2.5 billion more on pensioners than would have been spent by restoring the earnings link; and what the reasons are for the difference between this estimate and that given in his answer of 11 April, Official Report, column 144W. [129741]
Mr. Rooker: The assumptions underlying the estimate my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State gave in his written answer on 11 April 2000, Official Report, columns 143-44W, are given in my written answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Newport, West (Mr. Flynn) on 11 May 2000, Official Report, column 479W. The assumptions underlying the estimate given in my right hon. Friend's oral answer on 15 May 2000, Official Report, column 4, are the same.
The difference between the figures is due to the inclusion of estimated expenditure on free TV licences for those aged 75 and over in the latter estimate.
Mr. Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, pursuant to his answer of 27 June 2000, Official Report, column 480-81W, on the state pension, if he will
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estimate the cost of Option (a), linking the basic pension to earnings and introducing an age addition of £5 for pensioners aged 75 to 79 years and £10 for pensioners aged 80 years and above, on the basis that real earnings grow in line with the Government Actuary's Department's central assumption for long-term growth rates of real earnings. [129516]
Mr. Rooker: The information is in the table.
| Gross | Net of means-tested benefits and income tax | |
|---|---|---|
| 2001-02 | 2.3 | 1.5 |
| 2002-03 | 2.9 | 1.9 |
| 2003-04 | 3.5 | 2.2 |
| 2004-05 | 4.2 | -- |
| 2005-06 | 4.8 | -- |
Notes:
1. Annual real earnings growth of 1.5 per cent. is assumed throughout the period in line with the Government Actuary's central assumption for long-term growth of real earnings.
2. It is assumed that the age addition is paid in full to basic State pension recipients and is not uprated. Figures include the cost of benefits whose rates are linked to the rate of basic Retirement Pension.
3. Figures are rounded to the nearest £0.1 billion and are in 2000-01 price terms.
4. Gross costs estimated by the Government Actuary's Department. Costs net of income-related benefit savings are estimated using the Policy Simulation Model. Income tax revenues estimated by the Inland Revenue.
5. Estimates of income tax revenues not available beyond 2003-04
Minimum Income Guarantee
Mr. Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if, for each of the last 12 months, in respect of the Minimum Income Guarantee, he will estimate (a) the number of applications, (b) the number of successful applications and (c) the average value of payments made. [129744]
Mr. Bayley: The information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is in the table.
| Quarter | Number of claimants (thousand) | Average weekly payment |
|---|---|---|
| May 1999 | 1,624 | 45.30 |
| August 1999 | 1,628 | 45.16 |
| November 1999 | 1,626 | 45.03 |
| February 2000 | 1,604 | 44.88 |
Notes:
1. Figures are based on a 5 per cent. sample and are therefore subject to a degree of sampling error.
2. Pensioners are defined as where the claimant, and/or partner are aged 60 or over.
3. Figure are rounded to the nearest thousand.
4. Figures include claimants who may be in Residential Care/Nursing Homes.
Source:
Income Support Quarterly Statistical Enquiries, May 1999-February 2000.
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Mr. Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if, for the Minimum Income Guarantee take-up campaign, he will estimate (a) the total administrative costs to date, (b) the administrative costs for the project team and teleclaims service, (c) the cost of the televised advertising campaign, (d) the total number of calls to the MIG claimline and (e) the number of claim packs issued, and of that number (i) the number of completed claim forms so far returned, (ii) the number of successful applications, (iii) the number of those successful claims that have so far been paid and (iv) the value of those claims so far paid. [129745]
Mr. Bayley: The information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is as follows.
The total administrative costs, to the end of June, for the project team and teleclaims service is £2,639,236. The cost of the televised advertising campaign is estimated at £3,427,000 in total. To date the Minimum Income Guarantee claimline has received over 75,000 calls and from these calls over 35,000 claim packs have been issued.
FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS
European Council Political Committee
Mr. Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what are the terms of reference of the Political Committee of the European Council established under Article 25 of the Treaty on European Union; what is its membership; what opinions from it (a) have been requested by the European Council and (b) have been produced under its own initiative; and where each has been published. [128849]
Mr. Vaz: The Political Committee monitors the international situation in the areas covered by the common foreign and security policy and contributes to the definition of policies by delivering opinions to the Council at the request of the Council or on its own initiative. It also monitors the implementation of agreed policies. It consists of representatives of member states (usually the Political Director of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs) and of the Commission.
The Political Committee submits advice to the Council on all areas covered by the common foreign and security policy. It does not submit advice to the European Council.
Decisions taken by the Council on the basis of advice submitted by the Political Committee are published in the Official Journal of the European Communities.
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