§ Lord Lucasasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will give guidance to the trustees of the vCJD compensation scheme to the effect that the levels of care paid in respect of each victim should be responsive to the facts in each case and not restricted to the requirements set out in the "four stages" as defined by the trustees. [HL 1786]
§ Lord WarnerThe independent trustees of the variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease compensation scheme have carefully considered the principles to be applied in administering the scheme. In the case of gratuitous care, the trustees have discretion to make payments and have sought appropriate expert medical and legal advice to assist them in deciding the principles to be applied.
We understand that the trustees, in the light of representations from the families' legal representatives, had agreed to make an additional payment for care across the board.
§ Lord Lucasasked Her Majesty's Government:
In respect of the vCJD compensation scheme, what at the most recent date for which figures are available were:
[HL1787]
- (a) the total moneys paid into the scheme and interest earned thereon;
- (b) the expenses to date of running the scheme;
- (c) the total paid to claimants;
- (d) the total committed to be paid to claimants; and
- (e) the amounts expected to be paid to claimants by the end of 2004, and at the termination of the scheme in total and under each of paragraphs 3.1, 5.5, 4.1, 4.2, 4.3 of the scheme and otherwise.
§ Lord Warner(a) The total moneys paid into the scheme and interest earned thereon;
Total moneys £53,150,000 interest £847,309.66
(b) The expenses to date of running the scheme;
£4,764,983.70 (including legal fees and trustees' fees)
64WA(c) The total paid to claimants;
Total £26,598,248.06
(d) The total committed to be paid to claimants;
The compensation scheme provides for payments to be made in respect of 250 cases, up to a maximum of £55 million. This sum includes all the costs of running the scheme. On top of the £55 million trust fund, the Government made provision for payments of an additional £50,000 to each victim or their family in the first 250 cases.
(e) The amounts expected to be paid to claimants by the end of 2004, and at the termination of the scheme in total and under each of paragraphs 3.1, 5.5 4.1, 4.2, 4.3 of the scheme and otherwise.
It is difficult for the trustees to predict the amounts to be paid to claimants by the end of 2004 as they do not know how many new claims will be presented.
Paragraph 3.1 of the trust deed refers to the basic sum payments of £120.000 or £125,000 (depending on when the diagnosis was first suspected). Paragraph 4.1 of the trust deed refers to the £5,000 or £10,000 payments for the experience of the family. As at 16 December 2003 (the most recent meeting of the trustees), there were 143 victims. Main applications have been received in relation to about 133 cases. By the end of the trustees' last meeting, the trustees had considered a total of 129 claims in full (excluding payments from the discretionary trust other than for care). Payments have been made in the vast majority of those 129 claims.
Paragraph 5.5 of the trust deed refers to the victim's loss of earnings which cause particular hardship. The trustees do not know at this stage how many claims will be put forward under this category.
Paragraph 4.2 of the trust deed refers to non-qualifying carers. Only a small number of claims for care have been paid to non-qualifying carers, such as boyfriends or girlfriends of young victims who have been involved in care. Carers qualify usually under a separate category, such as spouse.
Paragraph 4.3 of the trust deed refers to an award of £5,000 for psychiatric injury and further amounts for particular financial or emotional hardship. Information provided to the trustees from the families' legal representatives indicates that:
- The total number of claimants to date is 183 in relation to 73 victims. All of these claimants are claiming (or have claimed) the £5,000 award.
- Of these, 103 claims have been approved for £5,000 payments and therefore 80 of the £5,000 claims are outstanding.
- Of the 183 claimants, 55 are claiming financial hardship, 10 are claiming emotional hardship, and a further 13 are claiming both.
WA 65 - The trustees are waiting clarification from 55 claimants (via their legal representatives) as to whether they will be pursuing hardship claims.
§ Lord Lucasasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will give guidance to the trustees of the vCJD compensation scheme to the effect that an unmarried partner of a victim's brother, sister, uncle, aunt or child should be treated as a "qualifier" under the scheme. [HL1790]
§ Lord WarnerThe Department of Health will give guidance on this, and any other appropriate issue about the variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease compensation scheme, if it is sought by the trustees. We have worked closely with the trustees administrators wherever there have been issues arising.
Alcohol consumption (units per week) among adults aged 16 and over, by gender—England, 1984 to 2001 Mean weakly units Alcohol consumption (units per week) Unweighted Weighted 1984 1986 1988 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 1998 2000 2001 Men 14.8 15.8 16.6 16.8 15.7 15.4 16.1 16.4 17.2 17.1 16.9 Women 5.0 5.3 5.4 5.6 5.5 5.6 6.3 6.4 6.5 7.1 7.5 Notes:
1. The survey is on a financial year basis, but was carried out on a calendar year basis prior to 1988.
2. Questions on weekly alcohol consumption were asked in alternate years prior to 2000. Since 2000 they are included annually.
3. Prior to 1988, alcohol questions were asked only of those aged 18 and over, but since 1988, respondents aged 16 and 17 have answerd the questions using a self-completed questionnaire.
4. Since 1998 data have been weighted to compensate for non-response. Results based on unweighted and weighted data arc not directly comparable. To give reliable comparisons, trends up to and including 1998 must be based on unweighted data; trends for 1998 onwards must be based on weighted data.
Source:
Office for National Statistics General Household Survey, 1984 to 2001
§ Lord Chadlingtonasked Her Majesty's Government:
What estimates they have of the proportion of 13, 14, 15, 16 and 17 year-olds who drink alcohol on a regular basis. [HL1827]
§ Lord WarnerThe information is given in the tables:
Table 1: Percentage of young people aged 13 to 15 who usually drink at least once a week—England, 2002 Age percentages 13 years 14 14 years 26 15 years 37 Source:
NatCen/National Foundation for Educational Research, Smoking, drinking and drug use among young people in England in 2002.
Table 2: Percentage of adults aged 16 to 17 who usually drink at least once a week—England, 2001 Age percentages 16 years 44 17 years 64 Source:
Office for National Statistics General Household Survey, 2001.