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Mr. Nicholas Winterton : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster whether he has any information
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suggesting the rate of growth in future demand for waste paper by the United Kingdom paper and board and printing industries.Mr. Forth [holding answer 12 December 1988] : No. My right hon. Friend does not have any such information.
Mr. Nicholas Winterton : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what steps he intends to take to help establish efficient systems for the collection and recycling of waste paper in order to meet the future demands of the United Kingdom paper and board industry.
Mr. Forth [holding answer 12 December 1988] : My Department is in regular contact with the key players in the waste paper collecting and waste paper using industries. It is my aim to help promote the more efficient operation of the markets and utilise economically the maximum amount of waste paper.
I am always prepared to consider carefully ways of encouraging such efficiency improvements in the light of changing demands, in which connection I recently convened a meeting with the key players in the market to consider as a matter of urgency ways in which the system for collecting and recycling the appropriate grades of waste paper might be improved in the light of forecast demand. I hope to make an announcement in the new year about further steps to be taken. I am also ready to consider any proposals which may come forward for further commitment conferences aimed at increasing the use of waste paper.
Mr. Nicholas Winterton : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (1) what information he has concerning the percentage volume of United Kingdom newsprint which has contained de-inked paper pulp in each of the last five years for which figures are available ;
(2) what information he has concerning the total tonnage consumption of waste paper by the United Kingdom newsprint industry in each of the last five years for which figures are available.
Mr. Forth [holding answer 12 December 1988] : I do not have information on the extent to which de-inked paper pulp has been used in the manufacture of imported newsprint. But the position as regards United Kingdom-produced newsprint is given in the following table. For these purposes, consumption of waste paper is equated with consumption of de- inked paper pulp.
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Year |United Kingdom newsprint|Consumption of waste |Percentage volume of
|production |paper used in United |United Kingdom newsprint
|Kingdom newsprint |production containing
|production |de-inked paper pulp
|Tonnes |Tonnes |Per cent.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1983 |80,000 |80,000 |100
1984 |236,000 |190,000 |81
1985 |352,000 |221,000 |63
1986 |476,000 |222,000 |48
1987 |497,000 |285,000 |57
Source: WSL and industry December 1988.
Mergers and Takeovers
Mr. Wray : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster whether, pursuant to his reply in the Official Report of 28 November, column 102, to the hon. Member for Glasgow, Provan he will (a) list the academic evidence monitored by his Department, (b) indicate the dates of the reports he received from his Department with information
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about the effects of mergers and takeovers on British industrial companies ; and (c) list the higher education departments and centres and academics consulted by his Department on these matters.Mr. Maude [holding answer 12 December 1988] : The range of available academic evidence monitored by my Department is indicated in annex E of the Blue Paper on
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mergers policy which was published on 3 March this year. In addition, the economists of my Department provide me with a wide range of economic advice on United Kingdom industrial performance.Works of Art (Exports)
Mr. Corbyn : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many export licences for works of art have been granted for each year since 1983 ; to which countries the items have been exported ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Alan Clark [holding answer 12 December 1988] : The number of export licences granted for works of art of United Kingdom origin, or in transit through the United Kingdom, for the period since 1983, is as follows. Statistics are not available by country of destination.
Export licences for works of art, 1983-88 Year |United Kingdom origin|In transit |Total export licences -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1983 |3,100 |2,200 |5,300 1984 |3,800 |2,800 |6,600 1985 |2,960 |2,370 |5,330 1986 |3,010 |2,870 |5,880 1987 |3,060 |3,150 |6,210 <1>1988 |3,010 |3,500 |6,510 Source: Department of Trade and Industry <1>Up to November 1988
Dixons Group
Mr. Madden : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what grants or financial assistance from his Department have been paid since 1979 to Dixons Group plc.
Mr. Atkins [holding answer 12 December 1988] : There is no record of any grant or other financial assistance by my Department to Dixons Group plc, but I understand that, under the revised regional development grant scheme, £141,000 was made available to Dixons Colour Laboratories Ltd in 1988 by the Industry Department for Scotland.
Post Office Counters Ltd
Mr. James Wallace : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster whether he has considered the recommendations of the Monopolies and Mergers Commission in respect of Post Office Counters Ltd ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Forth [holding answer 12 December 1988] : My right hon. Friend is considering the Post Office's response to the recommendation of the Monopolies and Mergers Commission report on Post Office Counters services, and expects to make a statement shortly.
ODA
Cape Verde Islands
Mr. Allason : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much aid is given to the Cape Verde Islands.
Mr. Chris Patten : Bilateral aid to Cape Verde in 1987 amounted to £38,000. This was spent on training awards
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in Britain mainly for English language training, a books presentation programme and support for an English language seminar in Mindelo.Multilateral aid agencies to which we contribute also help Cape Verde. We estimate that aid attributable to the United Kingdom through these agencies was about £2 million in 1986, of which about £1.4 million went through the European Community.
War Service (Pensions)
Mr. Fearn : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if pensioners who served in the colonial service are now able to count in full their war service towards their pension years.
Mr. Chris Patten : The rules governing eligibility for war service credit for colonial pensioners are still being worked out, but they will relate as closely as possible to those which apply to other public servants. One of the basic provisions of all other public service schemes is that war service immediately prior to appointment attracts benefits at half-rate.
DEFENCE
ALARM Development
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence why the then Ministry of Defence research establishment at Westcott was unable to fulfil its subcontract obligations to British Aerospace in respect of the ALARM missile rocket motor development ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Sainsbury : I refer the hon. Member to the evidence provided by British Aerospace to the Defence Committee, published as part of the Committee's fifth report for the 1987-88 Session. The subcontract on Royal Ordnance Westcott (formerly the propellants, explosives, and rocket motor establishment) was terminated by BAe, the ALARM prime contractor, because the motor could not predictably be developed in an acceptable time-scale or at an acceptable cost to meet the BAe requirement.
Contracts
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will ensure that all new contracts include penalty clauses to enable his Department to seek redress for a contractor's failure to perform ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Sainsbury : All relevant factors are considered case by case in seeking to secure the best value for money in negotiating contract terms. The Ministry's policy is to negotiate taut terms and conditions which define the requirement in terms of specification and delivery, and which enable redress to be sought where appropriate.
Computer Systems
Mr. Darling : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Edinburgh, Central on 29 November, Official Report, column 568, he will indicate whether any interference by computer hacking has taken place on defence computer systems concerning low -classified information ; and if he will make a statement.
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Mr. Archie Hamilton : There is no evidence that computer hackers have gained access to any classified information held on Ministry of Defence computers. Precautions are also taken to deny unauthorised access to information held on unclassified systems, and there is no evidence of problems arising from any attempts to interfere with these systems.
Low Flying
Mr. Hood : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much compensation has been paid by his Department to farmers for damage to livestock from the effects of low-flying aircraft each year since 1979.
Mr. Freeman : The information requested is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. However, compensation for all animal losses as a result of military low flying activities totalled about £95,000 in 1987, and payments to date this year have amounted to approximately £220,000.
Mr. Hood : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will give details of the cost to his Department of low-flying training ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Freeman : Low flying is an integral and essential part of military flying training. In common with other aspects of training, costs are not identified separately and their production would require disproportionate effort.
NATO Modernisation
Ms. Ruddock : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the modernisations carried out by the Warsaw pact countries to which proposed North Atlantic Treaty Organisation modernisations are a response.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : For NATO, periodic modernisation of nuclear weapon systems is an essential part of the process of maintaining effective deterrence with the minimum level of forces. There is no direct relationship between modernisation programmes currently under consideration within the Alliance and specific modernisation programmes currently under way inside the Warsaw pact.
NATIONAL FINANCE
Taxation
Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the percentage of the increase in tax relief in 1988 for people of working age which will go to two-earner married couples ; and what is the corresponding figure in the case of his proposals for separate taxation of men and women on the present tax basis.
Mr. Norman Lamont : It is estimated that the 1988 Budget increased income tax allowances for taxpayers of working age by £5 billion, of which 49 per cent. was for married couples where the wife was earning. The corresponding figures if the system of independent taxation of husband and wife were in place would be £5 billion and 47 per cent. The estimates are based on the 1985-86 survey of personal incomes projected to 1988-89, and are provisional. They take no account of possible behavioural changes on the introduction of independent taxation.
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Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) whether he has come to a decision on the option in paragraph 4.16 of Cmnd. 9756 of restricting the additional personal income tax allowance to those in receipt of one-parent and other appropriate benefits ;and if he will publish in the Official Report a table showing what the effect of such a change would be in terms of the number of allowances claimed and the savings to the revenue ; (2) if he has come to a decision on the option in paragraph 4.15 of Cmnd. 9756 of converting the additional personal income tax allowance into increased social security provision ; and if he will provide an estimate of (a) the amount of revenue which could be transferred to the social security budget in this way and (b) what increase in benefits would be required to ensure that nobody is worse off as a result of the change ;
(3) what is his estimate of the amount of the mortgage taken out by the median mortgagee claiming mortgage interest relief, the increase since May in the rate of interest, the amount of interest payable in a full year, and the total amount of relief at the standard rate payable in a full year at the standard rate of income tax ; (4) what was the economic case for reducing income tax on investment income in the case of those with an income in excess of the ceiling below which there is an entitlement to income support ; and if he will publish in the Official Report an estimate of the saving to the revenue from increasing the tax on investment income by eight percentage points ;
(5) what is the percentage of the increase in tax relief in 1988 for people of working age which will go to two-earner married couples ; and what is the corresponding figure in the case of his proposals for separate taxation of men and women on the present tax basis.
Mr. Norman Lamont : These questions are duplicates of questions tabled for answer on Monday 28 November. I have nothing to add to the answers I gave in reply to those questions.
Mr. Frank Field : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what would be the cost of lowering the standard rate of tax to 20p.
Mr. Norman Lamont : I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Great Grimsby (Mr. Mitchell) on 5 December, at column 53.
Bank Loans
Mr. Allen : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) how much payment was received by United Kingdom registered banks arising from loans of under one-year maturity to public and private borrowers in (a) Latin America and the Caribbean, (b) Africa and (c) south-east Asia for each year from 1982 to 1987 ;
(2) how much payment was due to United Kingdom registered banks arising from loans of under one year maturity to public and private borrowers in (a) Latin America and the Caribbean, (b) Africa and (c) south-east Asia for each year from 1982 to 1987 and allowing for the effects of any rescheduling agreements ;
(3) how much was lent by United Kingdom registered banks in loans of under one-year maturity to private and public borrowers in (a) Latin America and the Caribbean, (b) Africa and (c) south-east Asia for each year from 1982 to 1987, respectively ;
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(4) how much payment was received by United Kingdom registered banks in amortisation, interest, margins and fees arising from loans of over one-year maturity to public and private borrowers in (a) Latin America and the Caribbean and (b) Africa for each year from 1982 to 1987, respectively ;(5) how much was lent by United Kingdom registered banks in loans of over one-year maturity to private and public borrowers in (a) Latin America and the Caribbean, (b) Africa and (c) south-east Asia for each year from 1982 to 1987, respectively ;
(6) how much payment was due in amortisation, interest, margins and fees to United Kingdom registered banks arising from loans of over one-year maturity to public and private borrowers in (a) Latin America and the Caribbean, (b) Africa and (c) south-east Asia for each year 1982 to 1987, and allowing for the effects of any re-scheduling agreements.
Mr. Lilley : I regret that information is not available in the form requested. I would, however, refer the hon. Gentleman to the analysis which can be found in table 15 of the November 1988 edition of the Bank of England Quarterly Bulletin.
Independent Taxation
Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, further to paragraph 3.18 of Cmnd. 9756 how his proposals for separate taxation for husbands and wives will affect families where the wife wishes to remain at home to care for young children ; and if he will publish in the Official Report figures for his revised proposals corresponding to those in chart 3.1 of Cmnd. 9756.
Mr. Norman Lamont : Under independent taxation, husband and wife will each be entitled to a personal allowance which can be set against any kind of income. The husband will also get the married couple's allowance. The personal allowance and married couple's allowance added together are equal to the present married man's allowance.
On the change to independent taxation, the total amount of income tax allowances used by married couples of working age will rise by about £2 billion at 1988-89 levels of income and allowances. This figure takes no account of possible behavioural changes. The total amount of allowances used by single people will, of course, remain unchanged.
Estimates of the percentage of income tax allowances used by taxpayers of working age, by family type, are as follows :
|Present system |Independent taxation
|per cent. |per cent.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Single |30 |29
Married, wife not earning |22 |23
Married, wife earning |48 |48
Funeral Services (VAT)
Mr. Kirkwood : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what revenue would be forgone if value added tax on services relating to funerals was withdrawn.
Mr. Lilley : I regret that information is not available on which to base an estimate.
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Imports
Mr. Boswell : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what information he has on the marginal propensity to import by individuals according to convenient bands of personal income.
Mr. Major : The information is not available in the form requested.
Competitive Tendering
Mr. Galbraith : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will give for Scotland the number of private concessions resulting from competitive tendering in the National Health Service in which value added tax was waived, giving the total amount.
Mr. Lilley : I regret that this information is not available.
HMSO
Mr. Madden : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many items of correspondence he has received from hon. Members about the work of Her Majesty's Stationery Office since 1 July.
Mr. Lilley : My right hon. Friend and I have received four items of correspondence from hon. Members about the work of Her Majesty's Stationery Office since 1 July.
Government Data Network
Mr. Haselhurst : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement about progress concerning the implementation of the Government's data network.
Mr. Brooke : Installation and implementation of the network is proceeding to plan and it is expected to complete acceptance testing of the initial phase network by the end of January.
Crown Estate Office
Mr. Chapman : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has for the setting and publishing of performance targets for the Crown Estate Office.
Mr. Lawson : The Crown Estate, in consultation and agreement with the Treasury, has undertaken to prepare the following annual cycle of targets and assessments :
(a) An autumn statement of five-year targets of total returns from income and capital growth, prepared independently by a leading firm of chartered surveyors--Hillier Parker May and Rowden. It will be prepared from economic models developed to forecast rental and yield movements as a device to calculate capital value changes.
(b) A late spring broad programme, prepared by the Crown Estate, of the budget of revenue and expenditure for the following year, with estimates of income and expenditure for the two succeeding years. This programme will, as at present, be discussed and agreed with the Treasury.
(c) A late-summer monitoring by the Crown Estate and Hillier Parker of the outturn for the previous year in relation to the broad programme and the
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longer-term targets. It would also take into account the financial results achieved by other major property concerns.(d) The independently prepared target of total returns, and the budget of net revenue, for the following year will be published in the annual reports of the Crown Estate. The other assessments of future developments, being commercially sensitive, will not be published, but will be reviewed and discussed with the Treasury in this annual cycle of monitoring performance.
ENERGY
Nuclear Reprocessing Plant
Dr. Thomas : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if details were exchanged at the Lascar meeting in Tokyo on 17 to 21 October, in regard to the facility attachments and particular safeguards provisions arranged for the MBA III reprocessing section of the Windscale reprocessing works at British Nuclear Fuels Ltd., Sellafield, under article 35 of Euratom regulation No. 3227/76 of 19 October 1976.
Mr. Michael Spicer : These matters were not discussed at the Lascar meeting. The Lascar programme is concerned with the application of safeguards to future large scale reprocessing plants.
Dr. Thomas : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what commitment has been made by his Department to the Lascar review group on the implementation of safeguards to large-scale reprocessing plants.
Mr. Michael Spicer : The safeguards office of the Department will be represented at all meetings of the Lascar group.
Mr. Frank Cook : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he will make a statement on the recent revisions of the costs of decommissioning British Nuclear Fuel's magnox reprocessing plant, indicating how and what compulsion the operators have to provide for these costs in their accounting policies.
Mr. Michael Spicer : British Nuclear Fuels plc's annual report for 1987-88, published on 8 November, reported on a review which had been undertaken of the company's policy towards and provisions made for decommissioning of BNFL plant, including the Magnox reprocessing plant. The decommissioning policies adopted by BNFL and the provisions made to meet liabilities formed part of the company's annual accounts which were audited in accordance with approved auditing standards and accepted by the company's auditors.
Offshore Supplies
Dr. Michael Clark : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what statistics his Department collects about United Kingdom owned capability in major areas of offshore supplies.
Dr. Michael Clark : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what factors prevent him from quantifying in the Brown Book United Kingdom-owned capability in major areas of offshore supplies.
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Mr. Peter Morrison : The factors are :
(1) that our analysis of orders for the UKCS recognises all companies established in the United Kingdom and making a substantial contribution to the United Kingdom as British without any distinction on the grounds of ownership. This definition is in accordance with Government policy on inward investment and we are firmly opposed to changing it ;
(2) the data supplied by the oil industry since 1974 is on the above basis and a considerably increased workload would be involved in checking the ownership of companies, monitoring changes, and calculating orders on ownership basis. That extra work for the oil industry and for the Department is not justified.
Radioactive Waste
Dr. Thomas : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy when the discussions on nuclear waste to which he referred in his answer of 27 July, Official Report, column 287, will be completed ; and if he will make a statement on progress to date.
Mr. Michael Spicer : The IAEA convened an advisory group meeting on safeguards related to final disposal of nuclear material in waste and spent fuel in September 1988. Further discussions are planned in 1989.
Greenhouse Effect
Dr. Thomas : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if any departmental representation was made, and papers presented at (a) the 33- nation international conference on greenhouse effect and global warming, held in Geneva in November and (b) the world congress on climate and development and the greenhouse problem held in Hamburg from 7 to 10 November.
Mr. Michael Spicer : No representatives from my Department attended either meeting. Representatives from the Department of the Environment and the Meteorological Office actively participated in the Geneva meeting of the intergovernmental panel on climate change. Dr. Houghton, director general of the Meteorological Office, is to chair one of the three working groups that were set up at the meeting. A representative from the Department of the Environment attended the Hamburg conference.
Nuclear Reactors
Dr. Thomas : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he will publish a table for each of the United Kingdom reactor types (a) magnox, (b) advance gas-cooled reactor, (c) SGHWR, (d) EBR, (e) Harwell research reactors and (f) future pressurised water reactors, the annual quantities of nuclear waste arising in cubic metres from (i) reactor operation, (ii) reactor decommissioning and (iii) reprocessing activities in terms of spent fuel, high-level wastes, intermediate-level wastes and low-level wastes.
Mr. Michael Spicer : These are matters for the operators of the reactor types in question. I have asked the chairman of the Central Electricity Generating Board and the chairman of the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority to write to the hon. Member.
Mr. Frank Cook : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what proportions of the cost of decommissioning
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British Nuclear Fuels' magnox fuel reprocessing plant at Sellafield will be borne in part by each of the civil magnox nuclear power station operators ; and if he will make a statement.Mr. Michael Spicer : The costs of decommissioning the Magnox reprocessing plant at Sellafield will be shared between British Nuclear Fuels plc and other customers on the basis of the relevant share of usage of the facilities concerned.
Electricity Supply (London)
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy when he next intends to meet the chairman of the London electricity board to discuss the supply of electricity to the metropolis.
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