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Output
53. Mr. Andrew MacKay : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what are his latest figures for output per hour worked in the United Kingdom, West Germany and Japan.
188. Mr. Kirkhope : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what are his latest figures for output per hour worked in the United Kingdom, West Germany and Japan.
Mr. Lilley : The April 1989 Treasury economic progress report presented estimates which show that output per hour worked in the United Kingdom economy in 1986 was about 50 per cent. higher than in Japan and about 5 per cent. lower than in Germany.
Tourism
55. Mrs. Maureen Hicks : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the total tax yield of tourism from United Kingdom and overseas visitors.
Mr. Lilley : It is not possible to estimate the total tax yield from tourism in the United Kingdom.
Unleaded Petrol
57. Mr. McCrindle : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he has received recent representations on the tax differential on lead-free petrol.
Mr. Lilley : My right hon. Friend has received a number of representations on the tax differential on lead-free petrol.
Business Start-ups
60. Mr. Brazier : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the number of business start-ups per week in net terms in 1988-89 ; and what were the comparable figures in 1987-88.
82. Mr. David Davis : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the number of business start-ups per week in net terms in 1988-89 ; and what were the comparable figures in 1987-88.
163. Mr. Dunn : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the number of business start-ups per week in net terms in 1988-89 ; and what were the comparable figures in 1987-88.
Mr. Major : In the calendar year 1987, the latest for which figures have been published by the Department of Employment, the net increases in the number of businesses registered for VAT was 45,000 an average of nearly 900 a week. The figures for 1988 will be available later in the summer. However, the unadjusted Customs and Excise figures suggest that the rate of increase since 1987 has been even faster, and the net increase in the financial year 1988-89 may have amounted to some 1,300 per week.
Mortgage Repayments
61. Mr. Allen McKay : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what has been the monthly increase in mortgage repayments for the average mortgage holder as a result of increases in interest rates over the last 12 months.
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78. Mr. McFall : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what has been the monthly increase in mortgage repayments for the average mortgage holder as a result of increases in interest rates over the last 12 months.
200. Mr. McWilliam : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what has been the monthly increase in mortgage repayments for the average mortgage holder as a result of increases in interest rates over the last 12 months.
Mr. Lilley : The increase in payments for the average mortgage holder since July 1988 is estimated to be about £55 per month net of basic rate tax relief.
64. Mr. McCartney : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the impact of high interest rates on mortgage holders ; and what steps he is taking to ameliorate this.
65. Ms. Wise : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the impact of high interest rates on mortgage holders ; and what steps he is taking to ameliorate this.
145. Mr. McAvoy : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the impact of high interest rates on mortgage holders ; and what steps he is taking to ameliorate this.
182. Mr. Battle : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the impact of high interest rates on mortgage holders ; and what steps he is taking to ameliorate this.
Mr. Lilley : Everyone has far more to fear from the resurgence of inflation than from a period of high interest rates.
Profitability
67. Mr. Tracey : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the increase in profitability for non-North sea industrial and commercial companies over the last year for which figures are available.
96. Mr. Mans : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the increase in profitability for non-North sea industrial and commercial companies over the last year for which figures are available.
131. Mr. Waller : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the increase in profitability for non-North sea industrial and commercial companies over the last year for which figures are available.
Mr. Major : The net real rate of return for non-North sea industrial and commercial companies was estimated in the "Financial Statement and Budget Report" to have risen in 1988 to almost 11 per cent., its highest level for over 20 years.
Investment Income Surcharge
68. Mr. Colin Shepherd : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he has any plans to restore the investment income surcharge.
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Imports and Exports
70. Mr. Radice : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will revise his forecast for growth in the current year in (a) non-oil imports and (b) non-oil exports.
162. Mr. Bell : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will revise his forecast for growth in 1989 in (a) non-oil imports and (b) non- oil exports.
175. Mr. Boyes : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will revise his forecast for growth in the current year in (a) non-oil imports and (b) non-oil exports.
177. Mrs. Clwyd : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will revise his forecast for growth in 1989 in (a) non-oil imports and (b) non- oil exports.
Mr. Major : No. Not until the Autumn Statement.
Government Expenditure
84. Mr. John Marshall : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what has been the fall in general Government expenditure, excluding privatisation proceeds, as a proportion of gross domestic product since 1982-83.
92. Mr. Sayeed : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what has been the fall in general Government expenditure, excluding privatisation proceeds, as a proportion of gross domestic product since 1982-83.
125. Mr. Devlin : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what has been the fall in general Government expenditure, excluding privatisation proceeds, as a proportion of gross domestic product since 1982-83.
Mr. Major : The 1989 "Financial Statement and Budget Report" gave a figure of 39 per cent. for the ratio of general Government expenditure, excluding privatisation proceeds, to gross domestic product in 1988-89. The corresponding figure for 1982-83 was 46 per cent.
Shareholders
98. Mr. Sumberg : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the latest figure for the number of shareholders in the United Kingdom ; and what information he has on comparable figures in other major EC countries.
Mr. Norman Lamont : The joint Treasury and stock exchange survey carried out in January and February 1989 estimated that approximately 9 million people own shares, 20 per cent. of the adult population ; a threefold increase since 1979. I have no directly comparable figure for other major EC countries.
Value Added Tax
99. Mr. Cox : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he last met the European Community to discuss zero rating of value added tax.
149. Mr. Cohen : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he last met the European Community to discuss zero rating of value added tax.
173. Mr. Fisher : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he last met the European Community to discuss zero rating of value added tax.
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183. Mrs. Beckett : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he last met the European Community to discuss zero rating of value added tax.
Mr. Lilley : VAT zero rates were among a number of matters discussed when my right hon. Friend attended an informal meeting of the Economic and Finance Council (ECOFIN) on 18 and 19 May.
Mr. Speller : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will relieve village and parish halls of liability to value added tax ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Lilley : I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Corby (Mr. Powell) on 4 July at column 88.
124. Mr. Paice : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the number of new value added tax registrations for businesses with registered addresses in south-east Cambridgeshire for the calendar years 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988 and 1989 to date.
Mr. Lilley : The local VAT office at Harlow covers not only south- east Cambridgeshire, but the area bounded by Harlow, Hertford, Royston, Ely and Saffron Walden. The number of new VAT registrations processed by that office for each of the years in question were :
Year |New registrations ------------------------------------------------------ 1985 |2,219 1986 |2,393 1987 |2,679 1988 |3,002 1989<1> |883 <1> To 31 March.
Children in Poverty
107. Mrs. Mahon : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has had from the Child Poverty Action Group on the number of children living in poverty.
109. Mr. Corbyn : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has had from the Child Poverty Action Group on the number of children living in poverty.
170. Mr. Blunkett : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has had from the Child Poverty Action Group on the number of children living in poverty.
Mr. Tom Clarke : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has had from Child Poverty Action Group on the number of children living in poverty.
Mr. Major : My right hon. Friend has had no such representations.
Married Man's Tax Allowance
110. Mr. Andy Stewart : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has received on the married man's tax allowance.
126. Mrs. Roe : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has received on the married man's tax allowance.
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Mr. Norman Lamont : My right hon. Friend receives various representations on this subject from time to time.
Money Supply
113. Mr. Teddy Taylor : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what has been the average annual increase in the money supply on an M0 basis over the past two years ; and what estimate he has made of the increase in the current year.
Mr. Lilley : The annual increase was 4.9 per cent. in 1987-88 and 7.2 per cent. in 1988-89. No forecast has been published for 1989-90 but a target range of 1 to 5 per cent. was set in the "Financial Statement and Budget Report".
Debt
127. Mr. Matthew Taylor : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the Government's funding policy on the national debt ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Lilley : The Government's funding policy is described in paragraph 2.23 to 2.26 of the 1989-90 "Financial Statement and Budget Report".
Customs Pursuits
132. Mr. Barry Field : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will set out the minimum time taken for a United Kingdom customs cutter in hot pursuit of a suspect vessel to obtain clearance to enter (a) French, (b) Belgian and (c) German territorial waters ; and if he will make a statement on these arrangements.
Mr. Lilley : Customs and Excise has a memorandum of understanding with the French Customs specifying contact points and the procedures to be followed while operating in each other's waters. Customs has similar close co-operation with other EC countries and has good lines of communication with both the Belgian and German authorities. Clearance for operating in their territorial waters can thus be arranged quickly, usually by telephone.
Credit Cards
133. Mr. Alan W. Williams : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has received on the range of interest rates charged by credit card companies.
134. Mr. Rowlands : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has received on the range of interest rates currently charged by credit card companies.
140. Mr. Stott : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has received on the range of interest rates currently charged by credit card companies.
Mr. Lilley : The Chancellor has received a number of
representations on this matter.
137. Mr. Steinberg : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what information he has on the range of interest rates currently charged by credit card companies.
139. Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what information he has on the range of interest rates currently charged by credit card companies.
146. Ms. Ruddock : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what information he has on the range of interest rates currently charged by credit card companies.
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152. Mr. Morley : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what information he has on the range of interest rates currently charged by credit card companies.
160. Mr. Strang : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what information he has on the range of interest rates currently charged by credit card companies.
Mr. Lilley : This is a matter for the companies concerned.
City Meetings
138. Mr. Denis Howell : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what meetings he has attended since the Budget in the City of London on matters concerning (a) United Kingdom economic policy in general and (b) the level of interest rates in particular.
Mr. Lawson : I have meetings from time to time with institutions and individuals from the City of London at which a variety of subjects are discussed.
147. Ms. Gordon : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what meetings he has attended since the Budget in the City of London on matters concerning (a) United Kingdom's economic policy in general and (b) the level of interest rates in particular.
151. Mr. Robert Hughes : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what meetings he has attended since the Budget in the City of London on matters concerning (a) United Kingdom economic policy in general and (b) the level of interest rates in particular.
159. Mr. Roy Hughes : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what meetings he has attended since the Budget in the City of London on matters concerning (a) United Kingdom economic policy in general and (b) the level of interest rates in particular.
Mr. Lilley : My right hon. Friend has meetings from time to time with institutions and individuals from the City of London at which a variety of subjects are discussed.
Public Expenditure
143. Mr. Wood : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a further statement on his plans for public expenditure in 1990-91.
199. Mr. Mitchell : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a further statement on his plans for public expenditure in 1990- 91.
Mr. Major : The Government's expenditure plans for 1990-91 were published in the 1989 public expenditure White Paper, Cm 601-621 ; they will be considered in the public expenditure survey and the results will be announced in my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer's Autumn Statement.
Civil Servants
154. Mr. Ashley : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of civil servants above the level of principal are women ; and what was the proportion in 1979.
Mr. Lawson : At 1 January 1989, 9 per cent. of non-industrial civil servants above grade 7 level were women. This compares with 5 per cent. at 1 April 1979.
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Economic Policy
165. Mr. James Lamond : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has received from institutions in the City of London about United Kingdom economic policy.
181. Ms. Harman : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has received from institutions in the City of London about United Kingdom economic policy.
Mr. Major : I refer the hon. Members to the reply I gave earlier today to the hon. Member for Clwyd, South-West (Mr. Jones).
Corporation Tax
201. Mr. Gill : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has received on the basic rate of corporation tax.
Mr. Norman Lamont : The Chancellor has received a number of representations about the rates of corporation tax.
HEALTH
National Health Service Reform
Mr. Colvin : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what are his estimates of the extra numbers of accountants required to carry out the new auditing systems proposed in the White Paper "Working for Patients" ; and whether these will be funded from existing funds or from an additional special fund.
Mr. Mellor : We expect that staff currently auditing the NHS will transfer to the Audit Commission, as proposed in "Working for Patients". Additional funding has been agreed for this financial year for 22 staff with expertise in various aspects of value for money auditing and for five trainees for general audit work. Future staffing and funding needs are being considered.
Mr. Colvin : To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether any extra consultant posts will be created as a result of consultants' additional duties in carrying out auditing work following National Health Service reforms.
Mr. Mellor : The commitment to medical audit in the White Paper will involve some use of consultants' time. Out of the extra £32 million given to assist in the implementation of the Government proposals for the Health Service this year, an additional £2 million has been allocated to assist in the development of medical audit.
Mr. Atkinson : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what training will be available to general practitioners on budget management as proposed in his White Paper.
Mr. Mellor : I refer my hon. Friend to the reply that my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State gave to my hon. Friend for Northampton, South (Mr. Morris) on 8 May at columns 319-20.
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