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Jobseeker's Allowance
Mr. Alan Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment, pursuant to the answer of 4 December, Official Report, column 719, to the hon. Member for Birkenhead (Mr. Field) what estimate she has made of the number of people who could gain from abolishing the 16 guided learning hours limit for those receiving the jobseeker's allowance across the range of the estimates of £500 million to £1,250 million. [15414]
Mr. Forth: We estimate that between about 200,000 and 400,000 additional people could receive jobseeker's allowance. This does take account of behavioural effects which might result from the change.
TRADE AND INDUSTRY
Scott Inquiry
Mr. Robin Cook: To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will provide a breakdown of the spending by his Department on external advice in relation to the Scott inquiry, indicating how much has been spent on legal advice and from whom it was obtained. [14531]
Mr. Lang
[holding answer 6 February 1997]: The amount spent by my Department on external advice in relation to giving evidence to the Scott inquiry and the preparation of the Government's response to it is £771,974. The whole of this amount was for legal advice and included £80,307 representing the value of legal services charged by the Treasury Solicitor's Department. It also includes £127,870 for the costs of legal advice for
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independent witnesses which were paid for by Sir Richard Scott's inquiry and therefore fell to this Department. External legal advice was obtained from Alistair Thompson and Partners, Barnett Alexander Chart, Beechcroft Stanleys, Blythe Liggins, Hamilton Burns and Moore, Harris Rosenblatt and Kramer, Herbert Smith, Irwin Mitchell, Mr. Gordon Jackson, Kingsley Napley, Mr. S. Richards and Russell Jones and Walker.
Mr. Cook:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade what was the total cost of salaries since 1992 paid to persons in his Department employed on a part-time or full-time basis in any capacity relating to the Scott inquiry. [14530]
Mr. Lang
[holding answer 6 February 1997]: The direct salary cost of officials within DTI wholly employed on matters relating to the Scott inquiry since 1992 was approximately £324,000. Other officials were involved from time to time; their direct salary cost is unquantifiable. This figure does not include the salary cost of those involved in taking forward the Department's review of strategic export controls since the end of August.
The direct salary cost since 1992 of Sir Richard Scott's inquiry team, which also fell to my Department was approximately £852,000.
Mr. Grocott:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade (1) what was the total cost of (a) the production and (b) the distribution of his departmental document "Privatisation: Setting Enterprise Free". [15569]
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Mr. Lang:
My Department has printed 3,000 copies of the booklet "Privatisation: Setting Enterprise Free". These cost £2,900 to produce and £707 to distribute.
Mr. Thurnham:
To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Newport, West (Mr. Flynn) of 28 January, Official Report, column 161, how he will monitor the performance of the children's services strategy group; how long the group has been in existence; how often it meets and under whose chairmanship; and what guidelines have been issued to Government Departments on the status of the group's advice. [15710]
The Prime Minister:
The children's services strategy group first met in September 1996. It is likely to meet four to five times a year and its next meeting is scheduled for March. The group is chaired by Department of Health officials who lead on policy for children's services. There are no plans to monitor the group formally, although Department of Health Ministers will be taking a close interest in its work. The group has not issued guidelines to other Government Departments. It is there not to issue formal advice but to co-ordinate and inform the development of policy relating to children in all areas represented by its membership.
(2) how many copies of "Privatisation: Setting Enterprise Free"; have been printed. [15568]
Data Collection (Postcodes)
Mr. Barnes: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what use his Department and its agencies make of postcode areas for the collection of data and in formulas for the distribution of grants and awards; and when such usages were last reviewed. [14798]
Mr. Hague: Postcode areas are used for a number of purposes:
- --By the Further Education Funding Council in part of its methodology for funding further education institutions.
- --To select houses to be monitored as part of a research to assess radon levels in houses in Wales.
- --For the 1996 Welsh house condition survey, which is one of the components in the housing capital allocation formula--As the basic sampling frame for both the 1992 Welsh social security survey and the 1997 household interview survey.
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- --By the Welsh register of manufacturing employment to define different regions in Wales, for example by parliamentary constituencies, unitary authorities and travel-to-work areas.
- --In origin and destination traffic surveys to build a model of traffic movement and demand form one area to another.
- --Indirectly in a small part of the formula for calculating local authority spending assessments which are used for the distribution of revenue support grant.
- --To help identify individual companies or sites when compiling the Welsh index of production and construction.
- By health authorities and trusts to authenticate ECRS (extra-contractual referrals) to determine the purchaser responsible for funding treatment.
- --To assist health authorities and trusts in the health needs assessment process at district and sub district levels, for contract monitoring; monitoring activity at local level; and assisting in determining GP allocations.
- --Used to assist in the administration of deprivation payments made to GPs having patients living in wards which are identified as deprived for the purposes of these surveys.
- --Used by highways directorate to analyse comments made on public consultation returns for new road schemes, in order to determine whether the respondent is local to the area.
Deeside
Mr. Barry Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what funding he has allocated to improve the physical environment of Deeside, indicating the location of each project. [15143]
Mr. Gwilym Jones: Details of Welsh Office funding allocated in 1996-97 and 1997-98 for schemes to improve the physical environment of Deeside, and comparable Welsh development agency schemes for 1996-97, are contained in the following table:
| Urban | 1996-97 £ |
|---|---|
| Buckley link road | 490,000 |
| Buckley precinct | 165,000 |
| Property acquisition and improvement to car park, Buckley | 100,000 |
| Town improvement grants on A548 corridor | 50,000 |
| Land Reclamation | |
| 18 minor schemes have been supported throughout Flintshire in 1996-97 at a total cost of £347,000 including £70,000 at Neston tank cleaners | 347,000 |
| Environmental | |
| 8 minor schemes have been supported throughout Flintshire in 1996-97 at a total cost of £181,000 | 181,000 |
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