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Earl Russell asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether or to what extent the welfare to work regime will be applied to the street homeless.[HL344]
Baroness Blackstone: All young people who join the New Deal for 18-24 year olds will be claiming Jobseeker's Allowance, which requires them to be available for and actively seeking work. The New Deal for 18-24 year olds is about identifying and responding to individual circumstances. During the gateway, which can last for up to four months, young unemployed people can receive help from specialist agencies to tackle such exceptional problems as homelessness. They will also receive support from their New Deal adviser who will be able to help them make appropriate choices about the steps they should take to increase their employability and find work.
Earl Russell asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether someone who has completed a six-month welfare to work placement will be allowed to receive Jobseeker's Allowance while actively seeking work; and, if so, for how long and on what terms.[HL345]
Baroness Blackstone: Young people who have completed an option on the New Deal for 18-24 year olds will be able to receive Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA) if they satisfy the normal conditions of entitlement.
Earl Russell asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether high travelling costs or lack of transport will be regarded as a good cause for refusing a particular welfare to work placement; whether those refusing a placement for this reason will retain an entitlement to benefit pending the offer of a more suitable placement.[HL346]
Baroness Blackstone: All young people who join the New Deal 18-24 year olds will be claiming Jobseeker's Allowance, which requires them to be available for and actively seeking work. Regulation 73 of the Jobseeker's Allowance Regulations 1996 (as amended by the Social Security Amendment (New Deal) Regulations 1997) sets out the circumstances which constitute good cause for refusing one of the options of the New Deal for 18-24 year olds. Travelling time of more than one hour in either direction will constitute good cause, unless no appropriate placement is available within that time. The list of good cause is not exhaustive and the adjudication officer will take into account any information a claimant makes available to support his or her position. Young people on the New Deal for 18-24 year olds will have their weekly travel costs over the first four pounds met while they are receiving an allowance for taking part in the environment task force or the voluntary sector option. Young people taking part in the full time education and training option will have their travel costs met in full.
Earl Russell asked Her Majesty's Government:
- How they propose to apply welfare to work in rural areas in which there is no public transport.[HL347]
Baroness Blackstone: We have in hand a series of measures to ensure that New Deal clients in remote rural areas are not disadvantaged. We have had constructive discussions with the Rural Development Commission, passenger transport authorities and local authorities and practical help will be offered to New Deal clients. Travel allowances and discretionary fares are already on offer and other innovative solutions are being tested.
Customs and Excise: Diversion Fraud
Lord Mackay of Ardbrecknish asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What estimate they have made of the loss to the Board of Customs and Excise through diversion fraud in each of the last two financial years.[HL268]
Lord McIntosh of Haringey: There is no accepted means of estimating the likely total loss to the revenue from this type of fraud.
Lord Mackay of Ardbrecknish asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What steps they intend to take to prevent diversion fraud in excise duty on beers and spirits.[HL267]
Lord McIntosh of Haringey: As announced in July 1997 HM Customs and Excise is conducting a comprehensive review to examine the effects of alcohol and tobacco fraud and smuggling. The review is now in its final stages and is expected to be completed shortly. The Chancellor will be considering its findings in the run up to the spring Budget.
Abortion Laws: Private Member's Bill
Lord Alton of Liverpool asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether, in the light of the recent comments by the Secretary of State for Health, they intend to provide Government time to a Private Member's Bill designed to further liberalise the United Kingdom's abortion laws.[HL293]
The Minister of State, Department of Health (Baroness Jay of Paddington): The Government take no collective view of the ethical issues of abortion and have no plans to use Government time for debate on Private Members' Bills on abortion. All Private Members' Bills introduced are judged on their merits at the time and are subject to normal Parliamentary procedure.
Scotland Bill: Judiciary
Lord Lester of Herne Hill asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether they will introduce amendments to the Scotland Bill to ensure the independence and impartiality of the judiciary in Scotland after devolution by prohibiting the removal of a judge in the Court of Session unless he has been found guilty of serious misconduct or inability to discharge his duties by an independent and impartial tribunal established by law; and, if not, why not.[HL194]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Scottish Office (Lord Sewel): The provisions in the Scotland Bill dealing with the removal of a judge will shortly be considered in another place before they come before their Lordships House. A number of amendments have been proposed to this clause and these are under consideration.
Scotland Bill: Schedule 5
Lord Lester of Herne Hill asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What is the meaning of the reference to "the constitution" in paragraph 1 of Schedule 5 to the Scotland Bill.[HL195]
Lord Sewel: Paragraph 1 of Schedule 5 to the Scotland Bill is intended to reserve to the Parliament of the United Kingdom competence to legislate about the constitution, subject to the exceptions contained in paragraphs 2 to 5 of that schedule. The reference to "the constitution" is intended to refer to the constitution of the United Kingdom and it is expressly stated to include the Crown, the succession to the Crown and a regency and the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It will however fall to be construed in the light of all of those paragraphs.
Mineworkers' Respiratory Disease Claims: Costs
Lord Hardy of Wath asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What costs have been incurred by British Coal, by its successor and by Her Majesty's Government with regard to the defence against the claims made by or on the behalf of former mineworkers in those cases recently heard by the courts.[HL323]
The Minister of State, Department of Trade and Industry (Lord Clinton-Davis): The total costs incurred to date by British Coal and the Government on defending the British Coal respiratory disease litigation is approximately £10 million. This is almost entirely British Coal expenditure as the liability transferred from British Coal to the Department of Trade and Industry on 1 January 1998.
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