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Wembley Stadium

Baroness Anelay of St Johns asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether the Foster design for Wembley with its 6 metre high platform and ramped access for athletics will in any way compromise the possibility of holding the Paralympics at Wembley.[HL439]

Lord McIntosh of Haringey: Following his statement in the other place on 1 December 1999, the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport made a further announcement about the future of Wembley on 22 December 1999 which confirmed that, subject to further discussions between Wembley National Stadium Limited, the Football Association and Sport England, athletics will be removed from the new national stadium and an alternative venue sought elsewhere. Copies of that announcement have been placed in the Libraries of the House.

20 Jan 2000 : Column WA160

Young People without Visible Means of Support

Earl Russell asked Her Majesty's Government:

What percentage of 15 to 24 year-olds who have committed suicide were at the time of suicide without visible, legal means of support; and[HL486]

What is the percentage of 16 to 17 year-olds with no apparent source of income who:


(a) have been convicted of an indictable offence;


(b) committed suicide;


(c) became pregnant; and


(d) became mothers of low birth weight babies.[HL490]

Lord McIntosh of Haringey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Director of the Office for National Statistics, who has been asked to reply.

Letter to Earl Russell from the Director of the Office for National Statistics, Dr T Holt, dated 20 January 2000.

As Director of the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I have been asked to reply to your parliamentary Questions on percentages of 15 to 24 year-olds who have committed suicide; who were at the time of suicide without visible, legal means of support and percentages of 16 to 17 year-olds with no apparent source of income who:

(a) have been convicted of an indictable offence;

(b) committed suicide;

(c) became pregnant; and

(d) became mothers of low birth weight babies. The information requested is not available centrally.

The ONS collects information on suicides and births through the civil registration system. The only indication of economic status recorded there is occupation. However this is not recorded in a way that allows individuals with no income to be identified. Conceptions are derived using births and abortions notifications. No information on economic status is collected on the abortion notification form.

Mothers Disentitled to Benefit

Earl Russell asked Her Majesty's Government:

What percentage of low birth weight babies are born to mothers who have been disentitled to social security benefits during the period of pregnancy.[HL488]

Lord McIntosh of Haringey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Director of the Office for National Statistics, who has been asked to reply.

20 Jan 2000 : Column WA161

Letter to Earl Russell from the Director of the Office for National Statistics, Dr T Holt, dated 20 January 2000.

As Director of the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I have been asked to reply to your recent parliamentary Question on low birth weight babies born to mothers who have been disentitled to social security benefits during the period of pregnancy.

The information requested is not available centrally. Information on low birth weight babies is obtained by ONS through the birth registration system and cannot be related to social security entitlement.

Child Support Legislation: Interaction

Earl Russell asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they will publish a Keeling Schedule to show how the provisions of the Child Support Acts 1991 and 1995 are affected by the provisions of the Child Support, Pensions and Social Security Bill 1999.[HL532]

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Social Security (Baroness Hollis of Heigham): We do not plan to include a Keeling Schedule as part of the Bill for consideration by Parliament. However, the department is in the process of preparing a document that shows how the Child Support Acts 1991 and 1995 are affected by the provisions of the Child Support, Pensions and Social Security Bill, currently before Parliament. This document will be finished shortly and copies made available in the Vote Office, Printed Paper Office and the Libraries of both Houses.

Young People Living Independently and Claiming Benefit

Earl Russell asked Her Majesty's Government:

How many people aged 16 or 17 are not in education, training or employment, how many of these are living independently; and, of those living independently, how many are claiming benefit and how many had no apparent source of income.[HL489]

Baroness Hollis of Heigham: According to the 1997-98 Family Resources Survey, which covers private households in Great Britain:

1. Approximately 160,000 (or 10 per cent) of those people aged 16 or 17, living in private households, were not in education, training or employment. Of these, approximately 130,000 (or 85 per cent) were living independently.

2. Of those people aged 16 or 17, in private households, who were not in education, training or employment and were living independently:

Approximately 20,000 (or 15 per cent) were in receipt of one or more Social Security benefits.

All had some apparent source of income.

20 Jan 2000 : Column WA162

Notes:

1. The source of the data used to answer the question is the Family Resources Survey (Great Britain only). The latest year for which data is available is 1997-98.

2. The Family Resources Survey covers only private households. This means that people resident in institutions (such as hospital or prison) and homeless people are outside the scope of the survey.

3. The estimates are based on sample counts, which have been adjusted for non-response using multipurpose grossing factors that control for region, Council Tax band and a number of demographic variables. Estimates are subject to sampling error and to variability in non-reponse.

4. The figures for numbers of people are given to the nearest 10,000 people. All percentages have been rounded to the nearest five per cent.

5. For the purpose of answering this question:

16 and 17 year-olds are taken to be independent if they are not living with either their natural parent(s) and/or their step-parent(s).

16 and 17 year-olds are deemed to have an "apparent source of income" if either they or their partner (if they are living with a partner as man and wife) has access to any form of income.

People Disentitled to Benefit

Earl Russell asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they conduct any ethnic monitoring of those disentitled to social security benefits.[HL508]

Baroness Hollis of Heigham: No.

Earl Russell asked Her Majesty's Government:

Further to the Written Answer by the Baroness Hollis by Heigham on 16 December 1999 (WA 62), what sources of information they have on the extent of "linked problems such as unemployment, poor skills, low incomes, poor housing, high crime environments, bad health and family breakdown" among those who have been disentitled to means-tested benefits.[HL528]

Baroness Hollis of Heigham: The Government's recent report Opportunity for All describes the problems associated with all of those who are socially excluded. Separate information is not held for that small group of claimants unwilling to comply with the conditions of individual benefits.

Earl Russell asked Her Majesty's Government:

What percentage of those people receiving below 40 per cent of the average annual income (a) have been disentitled to social security benefits; and (b) have been subjected to reduced benefit penalty.[HL485]

Baroness Hollis of Heigham: The information requested is not available.

20 Jan 2000 : Column WA163

Income Support

Earl Russell asked Her Majesty's Government:

What is the level of Income Support expressed as a percentage of average earnings; and how this figure has changed since 1988.[HL487]

Baroness Hollis of Heigham: Examples of Income Support rates expressed as a percentage of average earnings are provided in the following table.

Income Support Rates as a Percentage of Average Earnings

		Rate as a
	Rate of	percentage
	Income	of average
Date of	Support	earnings
uprating	£ p w	% age
Single person aged 18-24
April 1988	26.05	11.91
April 1989	27.40	11.43
April 1990	28.80	10.94
April 1991	31.15	10.94
October 1991	31.40	10.70
April 1992	33.60	11.02
April 1993	34.80	10.97
April 1994	36.15	11.09
April 1995	36.80	10.90
April 1996	37.90	10.78
April 1997	38.90	10.58
April 1998	39.85	10.36
April 1999	40.70	10.15
Single person over 25
April 1988	33.40	15.29
April 1989	34.90	14.56
April 1990	36.70	13.95
April 1991	39.65	13.93
April 1992	42.45	13.93
April 1993	44.00	13.87
April 1994	45.70	14.01
April 1995	46.50	13.77
April 1996	47.90	13.63
April 1997	49.15	13.37
April 1998	50.35	13.09
April 1999	51.40	12.82
Single parent with 1 child under 11
April 1988	54.00	24.69
April 1989	57.05	23.79
April 1990	60.50	22.99
April 1991	65.40	22.97
October 1991	66.40	22.62
April 1992	71.05	23.31
April 1993	73.60	23.20
April 1994	76.50	23.46
April 1995	77.90	23.07
April 1996	80.10	22.79
April 1997	81.80	22.25
April 1998	83.40	21.69
April 1999	87.35	21.78
Couple (one or both aged 18 or over with no children)
April 1988	51.45	23.56
April 1989	54.80	22.86
April 1990	57.60	21.89
April 1991	62.25	21.87
April 1992	66.60	21.85
April 1993	69.00	21.75
April 1994	71.70	21.99
April 1995	73.00	21.62
April 1996	75.20	21.39
April 1997	77.15	20.99
April 1998	79.00	20.55
April 1999	80.65	20.11
Couple with 1 child under 11
April 1988	68.35	31.25
April 1989	73.05	30.46
April 1990	77.30	29.37
April 1991	83.55	29.35
October 1991	84.55	28.81
April 1992	90.45	29.68
April 1993	93.70	29.53
April 1994	97.40	29.87
April 1995	99.20	29.38
April 1996	102.20	29.08
April 1997	104.85	28.52
April 1998	107.35	27.92
April 1999	114.75	28.62
Couple with 2 children under 11
April 1988	79.10	36.17
April 1989	84.80	35.36
April 1990	89.65	34.06
April 1991	96.90	34.04
October 1991	98.15	33.44
April 1992	105.00	34.45
April 1993	108.75	34.27
April 1994	113.05	34.67
April 1995	115.15	34.11
April 1996	118.65	33.76
April 1997	121.75	33.12
April 1998	124.65	32.42
April 1999	134.95	33.65
Couple with 2 children aged 13and 16
April 1988	93.10	42.57
April 1989	99.45	41.47
April 1990	105.10	39.93
April 1991	113.60	39.90
October 1991	114.85	39.13
April 1992	122.85	40.31
April 1993	127.25	40.10
April 1994	132.25	40.56
April 1995	134.65	39.88
April 1996	138.70	39.46
April 1997	142.30	38.71
April 1998	145.70	37.89
April 1999	151.40	37.76

20 Jan 2000 : Column WA164

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