| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
PRESIDENT OF THE COUNCIL
Drugs Tsar
Mr. Flynn: To ask the President of the Council on the basis of how many days work per week the salary of the Drugs Tsar is calculated. [50486]
Mrs. Ann Taylor: The UK Anti-Drugs Coordinator is employed as a Special Adviser, and under the terms of his contract is required to work a minimum of 41 hours over a 5-day week. Mr. Hellawell also has a position as a non-executive director with a property company, Evans of Leeds. The appointment was approved by the Cabinet Office on the basis that there was no conflict of interest and that the commitment was limited to attending six Board meetings a year, which would be taken out of his annual leave. Mr. Hellawell has waived the salary offered by Evans of Leeds.
Lobbyists
Sir George Young: To ask the President of the Council on what occasions (a) she, (b) the Lord Privy Seal and (c) their special advisers have met representatives of (i) GPC Market Access, (ii) Lawson Lucas Mendelsohn and (iii) GJW Government Relations since 1 May 1997; who these representatives were; and what was discussed at the meetings. [50558]
Mrs. Ann Taylor: Ministers, their Special Advisers and other civil servants meet many people in the course of their work. This properly includes meetings with interest groups outside Government; indeed one of the specific functions of Special Advisers is to liaise with such interest groups. This liaison is intended to help Ministers draw upon outside contributions--from academics, think-tanks, trade and industry associations, trade unions, lobby groups and others, as well as relevant experience from other countries--during the process of policy analysis and development. By convention it is not the practice of Governments to make information on such meetings or their content publicly available, a principle reflected in the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information published in January 1997. Special advisers and other civil servants must observe the requirements of propriety: for instance, they must not provide confidential information without authorisation or allow improper influence on policy. Any breach of these requirements could be a disciplinary offence.
WALES
Local Government Finance
Mr. Martyn Jones:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many capital grants and for what purpose the former Rhuddlan Borough Council received under the former Clwyd Integrated Development Operations Programme in the last 10 years of its existence; and which have final grant claims currently outstanding. [49323]
14 Jul 1998 : Column: 125
Mr. Hain:
The Clwyd Integrated Development Operations Programme operated only for the period 1989-91. Projects which were approved under it
14 Jul 1998 : Column: 126
including those for which final grant claims are still outstanding are:
14 Jul 1998 : Column: 125
14 Jul 1998 : Column: 125
Mr. Llew Smith:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, pursuant to his answer of 3 July 1998, Official Report, column 292, for what reasons substantive replies were not given to earlier questions by the hon. Member for Blaenau Gwent on Gwent Tertiary College, prior to the establishment of the two investigations. [49866]
Mr. Hain:
I have sought to provide my hon. Friend with the answers to his questions on approval, payments and procedures over a prolonged period. I have also written to him on 19 May and 1 June about these matters and have offered to meet him to discuss it. Until now he has declined to take up my offer but I understand he is to join other hon. Members at a meeting that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State and I have arranged for 16 July. I hope that this will provide him with the opportunity to raise any outstanding issues that still concern him.
Child Care Tax Credit
Ms Buck: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what guidance has been issued to local authorities in respect of the introduction of the child care tax credit. [48981]
Mrs. Liddell: The child care tax credit will be an integral part of the Working Families Tax Credit, which will be introduced in October 1999 and administered by the Inland Revenue. Work is continuing on the detailed design of the WFTC and its administration. We will be considering what guidance about the WFTC needs to be issued, and to whom, at the appropriate time.
Working Families Tax Credit
Mr. Webb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his answer of 30 June 1998, Official Report, column 178, on the working families tax credit, if he will set out in each case the effect of the proposed reform on the number of people receiving (a) housing benefit and (b) council tax benefit. [49272]
Mrs. Liddell
[holding answer 7 July 1998]: The introduction of the Working Families Tax Credit will lead to 50,000 fewer families receiving Housing Benefit, and about 90,000 fewer families receiving Council Tax Benefit.
14 Jul 1998 : Column: 126
These figures are consistent with those published in the FSBR. They assume 1997-98 caseload and take-up rates.
Mr. Martlew:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list for each of the years 1986 to 1996 the number of deaths in North Cumbria as a result of hypothermia. [49734]
Mrs. Liddell:
The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Chief Executive of the Office for National Statistics. I have asked him to reply.
| Year | Deaths |
|---|---|
| 1986 | 7 |
| 1987 | 10 |
| 1988 | 2 |
| 1989 | 2 |
| 1990 | 3 |
| 1991 | 4 |
| 1992 | 1 |
| 1993 | 9 |
| 1994 | 2 |
| 1995 | 6 |
| 1996 | 7 |
The data for 1986 to 1992 are the numbers of deaths registered in those years, whereas the deaths from 1993 to 1996 are those that occurred in each year.
Prior to 1994, North Cumbria did not exist as a district health authority and the data for years 1986-93 were obtained by adding the number of deaths registered in the two district health authorities of East Cumbria and West Cumbria.
Winter Mortality Rates
Mr. Burstow:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the excess winter mortality rates in (a) the United Kingdom, (b) England, (c) Scotland, (d) Wales, (e) Greater London and (f) Sutton and Cheam for each of
14 Jul 1998 : Column: 127
the last five years in terms of (i) numbers and (ii) percentages for (1) those aged 65 to 80 years, (2) those aged over 80 years and (3) all ages. [49552]
Mrs. Liddell:
The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Chief Executive of the Office for National Statistics. I have asked him to reply.
Letter from Tim Holt to Mr. Paul Burstow, dated 14 July 1998:
14 Jul 1998 : Column: 128
14 Jul 1998 : Column: 127
As Director of the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I have been asked to reply to your recent question on excess winter mortality rates in (a) the United Kingdom, (b) England, (c) Scotland, (d) Wales, (e) Greater London and (f) Sutton and Cheam for each
of the last five years in terms of (i) numbers and (ii) percentages for (1) those aged 65 to 80 years, (2) those aged over 80 years and (3) all ages.
The information is given in the attached table.
Data are not available by parliamentary constituency. The table therefore gives figures for the London Borough of Sutton and separately for the wards of Cheam South and Cheam West combined. However, these two wards are actually combined within the London Borough of Sutton.
Excess Winter Deaths are defined as the number of deaths in the four months from December to March minus the average of the numbers in the preceding autumn (August-November) and the following summer (April-July).
The Excess Winter Deaths Index is the number of excess winter deaths expressed as a percentage of the average of the number of deaths in the autumn and the summer periods.
| 1992-93 | 1993-94 | 1994-95 | 1995-96 | 1996-97 (12) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Excess winter deaths | Excess winter deaths index | Excess winter deaths | Excess winter deaths index | Excess winter deaths | Excess winter deaths index | Excess winter deaths | Excess winter deaths index | Excess winter deaths | Excess winter deaths index | |
| United Kingdom | ||||||||||
| All ages | 28,810 | 14.3 | 29,120 | 14.0 | 30,270 | 15.1 | 44,760 | 22.3 | 52,270 | 26.8 |
| 65-79 | 9,590 | 12.0 | 8,960 | 11.1 | 10,070 | 13.1 | 14,930 | 19.8 | 15,730 | 21.4 |
| 80 and over | 16,730 | 19.8 | 17,640 | 19.7 | 17,700 | 20.2 | 26,650 | 30.0 | 32,950 | 38.2 |
| England | ||||||||||
| All ages | 24,190 | 14.6 | 25,030 | 14.7 | 25,760 | 15.6 | 37,810 | 22.9 | 45,080 | 28.2 |
| 65-79 | 8,040 | 12.4 | 7,550 | 11.4 | 8,550 | 13.7 | 12,360 | 20.1 | 13,340 | 22.3 |
| 80 and over | 14,150 | 20.0 | 15,370 | 20.5 | 15,120 | 20.5 | 22,740 | 30.5 | 28,620 | 39.5 |
| Scotland | ||||||||||
| All ages | 2,740 | 13.9 | 2,590 | 13.0 | 2,310 | 12.0 | 3,650 | 19.1 | 3,640 | 19.4 |
| 65-79 | 940 | 11.7 | 900 | 11.2 | 800 | 10.4 | 1,420 | 18.9 | 1,250 | 17.0 |
| 80 and over | 1,520 | 20.6 | 1,340 | 17.3 | 1,270 | 17.1 | 1,990 | 26.4 | 2,080 | 28.0 |
| Wales | ||||||||||
| All ages | 1,610 | 14.8 | 1,010 | 8.8 | 1,650 | 15.1 | 2,440 | 22.2 | 2,900 | 27.1 |
| 65-79 | 510 | 11.4 | 350 | 7.5 | 510 | 11.7 | 870 | 20.2 | 970 | 22.7 |
| 80 and over | 900 | 20.4 | 610 | 12.7 | 930 | 20.3 | 1,380 | 28.9 | 1,790 | 39.5 |
| Greater London | ||||||||||
| All ages | 3,360 | 16.1 | 3,140 | 14.6 | 3,500 | 16.8 | 4,830 | 23.4 | 5,960 | 30.3 |
| 65-79 | 1,070 | 13.8 | 930 | 11.7 | 1,040 | 13.9 | 1,540 | 21.1 | 1,880 | 27.2 |
| 80 and over | 1,980 | 22.4 | 1,920 | 20.4 | 2,080 | 22.8 | 2,850 | 31.2 | 3,630 | 41.7 |
| London Borough of Sutton | ||||||||||
| All ages | 150 | 26.5 | 110 | 18.7 | 90 | 16.8 | 90 | 14.6 | 220 | 40.7 |
| 65-79 | 70 | 35.8 | 30 | 15.4 | 10 | 2.5 | 30 | 13.0 | 70 | 43.0 |
| 80 and over | 60 | 22.1 | 70 | 23.8 | 80 | 29.6 | 50 | 17.9 | 120 | 42.6 |
| Cheam2 | ||||||||||
| All ages | 20 | 29.8 | 0 | 6.8 | 20 | 32.7 | -10 | -10.3 | 10 | 17.9 |
| 65-79 | 10 | 58.6 | 0 | -25.0 | 10 | 35.5 | 0 | -6.7 | 10 | 46.2 |
| 80 and over | 10 | 24.3 | 0 | 9.3 | 10 | 27.6 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 6.3 |
(12) The data for 1996-97 are provisional as a small proportion of deaths which occurred during this period will not have been registered yet and are therefore excluded from the calculations used to derive the excess winter mortality figures presented here
(13) Addition of Cheam South and Cheam West wards
Note:
All excess winter deaths figures are rounded to the nearest 10
14 Jul 1998 : Column: 127
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |