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Benefit Sanctions: Rough Sleepers
Earl Russell asked Her Majesty's Government:
- How many of the 532 people found by the Rough Sleepers' Unit to be sleeping rough were at the time subject to benefit sanctions; what percentage of the total this represents; and what were the extents and durations of the sanctions concerned. [HL2640]
Lord Falconer of Thoroton: Neither the RSU nor the Department for Work and Pensions records this information. However any person, including those sleeping rough, who has passed the habitual residency test is able to claim benefits at the income support rate, even if they do not have a national insurance number.
In addition, multi-disciplinary contact and assessment teams (CATs) in major cities across England work with vulnerable rough sleepers to help them into accommodation. CATs ensure that benefit claims are set up and broker solutions with the Department for Work and Pensions. In London, homeless person liaison officers working for the Department for Work and Pensions also target benefits advice and support in shelters, hostels and day centres.
The relaxation of the verification framework allows rough sleepers 13 weeks to verify their benefit claim after entering a direct access hostel. In addition, rolling shelters provide accommodation, which is free at the point of access, for vulnerable rough sleepers irrespective of whether they are subject to benefits sanctions.
Class 142 Trains
Lord Greaves asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether they consider that the quality of ride on Class 142 "Pacer" diesel multiple units is acceptable; and, if not, when steps will be taken to replace these trains. [HL2670]
Lord Falconer of Thoroton: The Strategic Rail Authority is responsible for monitoring the quality of service provided. Train operators are required to carry out regular customer satisfaction surveys to measure passengers' perception with various aspects of service quality, including comfort. The operators are required
to keep satisfaction above benchmarks based on the results of suveys carried out at the time of franchising. If satisfaction falls below benchmark, the operator can be required to implement an action plan to remedy the problem. The authority is not aware of any current plans to replace Class 142 trains.
Lord Greaves asked Her Majesty's Government:
- On which services Class 142 "Pacer" diesel multiple units are currently used; and whether any of these services are in the London and south-east region. [HL2671]
Lord Falconer of Thoroton: These units are used on services within the Wales and Borders, Wessex and First North Western franchises.
A14 in Suffolk
Baroness Scott of Needham Market asked Her Majesty's Government:
- When they will be able to give a firm date for the replacement of the concrete road surface of the A14 in Suffolk. [HL2681]
Lord Falconer of Thoroton: The concrete road sections of the A14 in Suffolk were constructed in the 70s and early 80s. The concrete surface will be replaced as part of the Government's 10 year plan. The existing surface is in good condition, and the timing of that work will be determined in the light of the criteria announced by the Government in October 2001.
Those criteria are: that wherever possible the application of quieter surfaces will fit in with normal maintenance needs; that priority will be given to those sites where treatment would benefit the greatest number of people; that the work will be carried out in such a way as to minimise disruption to the general public and users of the network; and that priority will be given to roads, opened since June 1988, where actual noise levels have turned out to be significantly higher than predicted at the time of the public inquiry.
Parking Concessions for the Disabled
Baroness Trumpington asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether they will consider replacing local disabled parking badges with a universal nationwide scheme. [HL2718]
Lord Falconer of Thoroton: A national scheme of parking concessions, known as the Blue Badge Scheme, was introduced in regulations made under the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act 1970. In addition some local authorities have introduced their own local schemes by means of a traffic regulation order under the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984.
Slug Pellets
Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer asked Her Majesty's Government:
- In view of the recently reported effects of slug pellet chemicals on the United Kingdom frog population, whether they regard as satisfactory the amount of research (indicated by the Lord Whitty on 12 November 2001 (WA 59–60) which they are conducting; and [HL2654]
Whether they intend to instruct the Pesticides Safety Directorate and the Health and Safety Executive to investigate whether to restrict the use of materials containing metaldehyde to approved uses only, both in domestic and agricultural use; and [HL2655]
What consideration they have given to the fact that the use of metaldehyde is restricted in the United States due to the risk to wildlife; and [HL2656]
Whether they believe that the accumulation of copper by animals eating slug pellets or slugs killed by pellets poses a threat to those animals; and, if so, what action they intend to take. [HL2657]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Lord Whitty): Metaldehyde and other compounds approved for use to kill slugs may only be marketed and used if approved by Ministers. Approval is only granted following the evaluation of scientific data provided by the company in respect of risks to people and the environment. Any further research need to address subsequent questions about the effects of the product are referred back to the company; it is not the Government's role to support the approval of specific pesticide products. However, DEFRA is carrying out general research on integrated methods of slug control, including novel technologies, to reduce the impact on non-target species.
A pesticide may only be used according to the conditions of its approval. For metaldehyde, these conditions include rules on the formulation of products so that they are not attractive to wild creatures, including birds, and rules for the use of the product so as to minimise the risk of harm to non-target creatures.
Some slug pellets include small quantities of copper compounds to dye the product blue and thus make it unattractive to birds. The Pesticides Safety Dirctorate (PSD) is looking into the suggestion by the Froglife Trust that this practice may be leading to elevated levels of copper in frogs and that this in turn may be damaging their immune systems. If necessary, PSD will require the product approval holders to provide scientific information to clarify the issue.
Metaldehyde products are widely used in gardens in the United States. They carry warnings about risks to wildlife (as do similar products in the UK). The US rules do not appear to suggest the need for changes to the conditions attached to UK approvals.
Interim Livestock Movements Regime
Baroness Gould of Potternewton asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether they will publish the risk assessments that support the relaxing of controls over livestock markets, animal movements and countryside activities announced by the Lord Whitty this week.[HL2772]
Lord Whitty: We are today placing in the Library of the House copies of a document setting out the veterinary basis for the interim livestock movements regime, along with veterinary risk assessments on markets, sheep shearing, sheep dipping and scanning, footpaths and hunting; and a preliminary risk analysis of the 20-day standstill rule carried out by the Veterinary Laboratories Agency.
London Tourism: Visitor Bed Occupancy
Lord Fearn asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What monitoring of visitor bed occupancy has been undertaken in London over the six months since July 2001.[HL2630]
The Minister of State, Department for Culture, Media and Sport (Baroness Blackstone): Official monitoring of visitor bed occupancy in London has been undertaken since January 1997 by the London Tourist Board (LTB) and Convention Bureau as part of the United Kingdom Occupancy Survey (UKOS). This is carried out by all regional tourist boards, and co-ordinated by the English Tourism Council under the EU directive on tourism statistics, which the UK adopted in 1995.
The London Tourist Board bases its survey on approximately 80 establishments in Greater London, and issues results including: bed occupancy, room occupancy, the proportion of bednights accounted for by overseas customers and the average length of stay. These results are categories by type, size and/or grading of establishments, sub-region and price band.
The LTB has issued confirmed results for July and August 2001, and provisional results for September, October and November 2001. September's final results and December's provisional results are expected shortly.
Attendance Allowance
Baroness Greengross asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether attendance allowance will continue to be paid to residents of nursing and residential care homes in Scotland.[HL2616]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Work and Pensions (Baroness Hollis of Heigham): Attendance allowance is paid to severely disabled residents of nursing homes and residential
care homes so long as they meet the whole cost of their place in the home entirely from their own resources and without recourse to help with that cost from public funds. The rules operate on a Great Britain-wide basis and we have no plans to change them.Department for Work and Pensions: Benefit Adjustment
Baroness Barker asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What is the estimated average cost to the Department for Work and Pensions each time an
- adjustment is made to each or any of the following benefits due to a claimant's stay in hospital for (i) over four weeks and (ii) over six weeks––(a) state retirement pension; (b) incapacity benefit; (c) severe disablement allowance; (d) disability living allowance; (e) attendance allowance; (f) invalid care allowance; (g) income support; (h) housing benefit; and (i) council tax benefit.[HL2660]
Baroness Hollis of Heigham: The information is not available in the format requested. The Benefit Agency's administration costs are published in the Benefits Agency Annual Report and Accounts 2000–01, copies of which are available in the Library.
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