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Efficiency
Mr. Dalyell : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what recent representations he has received from the Association for the Conservation of Energy concerning Government spending or energy efficiency measures, and what response he has made.
Mr. Peter Morrison : My right hon. Friend has received letters from the association and will be meeting its chairman in the near future.
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CEGB (Druridge Bay)
Mr. Beith : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy whether land owned by the Central Electricity Generating Board at Druridge bay will be transferred to National Power or the proposed new nuclear company.
Mr. Michael Spicer : In accordance with section 66 of the Electricity Act 1989 the transfer of land assets is, in the first instance, a matter for the CEGB.
Hinkley Point C
Mr. Michael : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy whether he will make it his policy that local authorities in south Wales shall be reimbursed from Government funds for the costs they incurred in opposing the Hinkley Point C proposal.
Mr. Michael Spicer : Most objectors appear at inquiries to defend their own interests. That is perfectly proper, but there is no reason why they should be funded from public funds.
NATIONAL FINANCE
Capital Gains Tax
Mr. William Powell : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what would be the yield from capital gains tax in the current year if it was charged at a single rate of the standard rate of income tax.
Mr. Lilley : I regret that it has not been possible to provide an answer before Prorogation. Therefore, I shall write to my hon. Friend and place a copy of the letter in the Library.
Horses (VAT)
Mr. Harry Greenway : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he is taking to secure the harmonisation of value added tax on (a) race horses and (b) all other equines dead or alive ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Ryder : In discussions on the completion of the single market, the Government have made clear their view that market forces would bring about the harmonisation of tax rates to the extent necessary.
Tax Treaty
Mr. Chris Smith : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will indicate how far discussions proceeded on the preparation of a new tax treaty with the Netherlands Antilles before the decision was taken not to undertake a new treaty ; what were the terms of such a revised treaty which were agreed prior to the abandonment of negotiations ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Lilley : Discussions at official level about a new double taxation convention between the United Kingdom and the Netherlands Antilles commenced in May 1987. These discussions and subsequent talks were the subject of Inland Revenue press releases dated 1 July 1987, 24 June 1988, 16 March 1989 and 19 October 1989. The Government considered the position reached in these
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discussions and decided that in all the circumstances a satisfactory basis for a new convention did not exist. This was announced on 19 October 1989. The terms of the draft text which formed the basis for discussions between the United Kingdom and the Netherlands Antilles remain confidential. There are no immediate plans to hold further discussions.Tax Allowances
Mr. Allen : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) if he will list the tax allowances currently operative ;
(2) what is the total cost of tax allowances for each of the years since 1979 ;
(3) which tax allowances have been abolished since 1979.
Mr. Lilley : I regret that it has not been possible to provide an answer before Prorogation. Therefore, I shall write to the hon. Member and place a copy of the letter in the Library.
Incomes and Inflation
Mr. Nicholas Bennett : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what has been the average percentage increase in incomes, including tax reductions, over the past three years ; and what has been the rate of inflation in the same period.
Mr. Lilley : Annual estimates of personal disposable income and the consumers' expenditure deflator (the appropriate measure of inflation in this context) may be found in tables 4.1 and 1.7, respectively, of the "United Kingdom National Accounts, 1989" ; a copy of which is available in the Library. The average annual increases over the three years 1985-88 (the latest for which figures are available) are :
Average annual compound rate of increase (
percentage)
1985 to 1988
|Per cent.
----------------------------------------------------
Personal disposable income |8.6
Consumers' expenditure deflator |4.4
Real personal disposable income |4.0
Earnings
Sir Peter Hordern : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish a table showing how many people earned (a) less than £5,000, (b) between £5,000 to £10,000, (c) between £10,000 to £13, 000, (d) between £13,000 to £17,500, (e) between £17,500 to £27, 000 and (f) over £27,000 in 1988 -89, and in each of the four previous years.
Mr. Lilley : Estimates for the latest four years available from the survey of personal incomes are shown in the table. The survey's coverage of incomes below £5,000 is incomplete. The estimates cover earned income (including income from self-employment) but employees' earnings are net of superannuation.
Total earned income |1984-85 |1985-86 |1986-87 |1987-88 £ |Thousand |Thousand |Thousand |Thousand ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 5,001 to 10,000 |10,900 |11,100 |10,600 |10,400 10,001 to 13,000 |2,320 |2,760 |3,230 |3,600 13,001 to 17,500 |1,150 |1,470 |1,920 |2,350 17,501 to 27,000 |609 |743 |1,020 |1,310 Over 27,000 |238 |306 |428 |553
Manitoba Wheat
Sir Richard Body : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what has been the highest import levy and the lowest import levy on Manitoba wheat in the last 12 months ; and on what dates they were in effect.
Mr. Ryder : In the period from 1 November 1988 to 30 October 1989 the highest rate of import levy on Manitoba wheat (CN Code 10 01 90 99) was £89.0721 per metric tonne. This rate applied for one day only : 7 December 1988. Over the same period the lowest rate of levy was £70.2926 per metric tonne. This rate applied for two days : 17 and 18 August 1989.
Maize
Sir Richard Body : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what has been the highest import levy and the lowest import levy on maize in the last 12 months ; and on what dates they were in effect.
Mr. Ryder : In the period from 1 November 1988 to 30 October 1989 the highest rate of import levy on maize (CN Code 10 05 90 00) was £103.4049 per metric tonne. This rate applied for three days : 5 to 7 August 1989. The lowest rate of levy over the same period was £79.9057 per metric tonne. This rate applied for one day only : 31 December 1989.
Mortgage Tax Relief
Mr. Allen : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the total cost of mortgage tax relief (a) for each of the years since 1979 and (b) for each of the last four months or quarters for which figures are available.
Mr. Lilley : The total cost of mortgage interest relief for each year since 1979-80 and the monthly repayments to lenders under the mortgage interest relief at source (MIRAS) scheme for July to October 1989 are given in the table. The monthly MIRAS figures exclude the costs of excess over basic rate relief and relief for loans outside the MIRAS scheme.
Annual cost of mortgage tax relief Year |£ million ------------------------------ 1979-80 |1,450 1980-81 |1,960 1981-82 |2,050 1982-83 |2,150 1983-84 |2,780 1984-85 |3,580 1985-86 |4,750 1986-87 |4,670 1987-88 |<1>4,800 1988-89 |<1>5,400 1989-90 |<12>7,000 <1> Provisional. <2> Assuming current mortgage interest rate.
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Monthly repayments under Miras scheme 1989 |£ million ------------------------------ July |445 August |540 September |460 October |445
Blue Circle Industries
Mr. Allan Stewart : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has received in the last 12 months from Blue Circle Industries plc or its wholly owned subsidiaries concerning the sterling/lira exchange rate ; and what reply he gave.
Mr. Ryder : My right hon. Friend the Chancellor has received no such representations in the last 12 months.
Building Societies Commission
Mr. Evennett : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many staff are employed by the Building Societies Commission expressed as full-time equivalents.
Mr. Ryder : A total of 42 people employed by the Registry of Friendly Societies work directly for the Building Societies Commission. A further nine common service staff are currently working primarily or wholly for it. Other common service staff provide varying degrees of support to both the commission and the central office of the registry.
Mr. Evennett : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many staff of the Building Societies Commission are (a) solicitors, (b) barristers and (c) legal executives.
Mr. Ryder : The legal support for the Building Societies Commission is provided by the common services legal branch of the Registry of Friendly Societies, which comprises two solicitors and two barristers ; there are no legal executives.
Capital Investment
Ms. Quin : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish a table of capital investment in real terms, by standard planning region, showing the percentage increase this sum represents from May 1979 to the latest available date.
Mr. Lilley : I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 2 November, at columns 281-82. Constant price estimates are not made, because there are no regional price indices.
Chief Registrar of Friendly Societies
Mr. Michael Morris : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what are the responsibilities of the Chief Registrar of Friendly Societies.
Mr. Ryder : The chief registrar is responsible in that post for : the public registry for mutual organisations registered under the Building Societies Act 1986, Friendly Societies Act 1974 and the Industrial and Provident Societies Act 1965 ;
the prudential supervision of friendly societies and credit unions ;
the general supervision of the setting up and operations of industrial and provident societies ;
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arbitration in certain disputes between members and registered societies, between savers and the Department for National Savings and between individual policy holders and assurance companies (in his capacity as Industrial Assurance Commissioner) ;as Accounting Officer, the Registry of Friendly Societies Vote (Class XIX Vote 3) which covers the expenditure of the Registry in support of the Building Society Commission and the Registrars. He is also chairman and first commissioner of the Building Societies Commission.
Mr. Michael Morris : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer for how long the Chief Registrar of Friendly Societies is appointed ; and when the current contract comes up for renewal.
Mr. Ryder : The Chief Registrar of Friendly Societies holds his office during the pleasure of the Treasury, and subject to normal Civil Service conditions of service.
Mr. Michael Morris : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer who appoints the Chief Registrar of Friendly Societies.
Mr. Ryder : The Chief Registrar of Friendly Societies is appointed by the Treasury.
OECD Statistics
Mrs. Gorman : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) if he will indicate in the Official Report the average annual level of inflation in each Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development country for each of the past five calendar years for which figures are available ;
(2) if he will indicate in the Official Report the average level of economic growth in each Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development country for each of the past five calendar years ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Ryder : I refer my hon. Friend to the OECD publication "Economic Outlook", June 1989, where the information requested is set out.
Central Banks
Mrs. Gorman : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) if he has any plans to discuss the status of central banks at the next Ecofin meeting ;
(2) if he will list in the Official Report those Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development countries whose central banks are independent of central Government.
Mr. Ryder : I regret that it has not been possible to provide an answer before Prorogation. Therefore, I shall write to my hon. Friend and place a copy of the letter in the Library.
Mrs. Gorman : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he has any plans to discuss the status of central banks with the chairman of the Federal Reserve Board and the president of the West German Bundesbank.
Mr. Ryder : I regret that it has not been possible to provide an answer before Prorogation. Therefore, I shall write to my hon. Friend and place a copy of the Letter in the Library.
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Investment
Mr. Morgan : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what is the percentage rate of growth of investment for each year from 1985 to 1989 in (a) manufacturing industry, (b) the property sector, (c) other production industries and (d) service industries ; (2) what is the percentage rate of growth of investment in fixed assets for each year from 1985 to 1989, exclusive of all firms transferred from the public sector to the private sector during the period in (a) manufacturing industry, (b) property industry, (c) other production industries and, (d) service industries ; (3) what is the percentage rate of growth of investment in fixed assets for each year from 1985 to 1989 in (a) manufacturing industry, (b) property industry, (c) other production industries and (d) service industries.
Mr. Norman Lamont [holding answer 7 November 1989] : Data for gross domestic fixed capital formation by industry group are available in table 13.7 of "United Kingdom National Accounts" 1989 edition. Figures for calendar year 1989 are not yet available. For reasons of confidentiality, no estimates are available which allow for the reclassification of industries between the public and private sectors. Data for some industrial groups are not available in 1988. The reasons for this are given in the methodological notes of the "United Kingdom National Accounts".
Figures for growth in investment by property companies are not available in this table. They are set out in the table for the three years up to 1987 (the last for which figures are available). Though growth of property companies investment was rapid, its weight in total business investment is small. Excluding property companies' investment, and after allowing for the re-phasing of investment caused by the 1984 corporation tax reform, business investment still rose rapidly over this period, reflecting the success of this Government's policy in restoring profitability and business confidence.
Annual percentage growth, 1985 prices
|1985|1986|1987|1988
---------------------------------------------------
Property companies' fixed
investment<1> |8 |40 |75 |n/a
<1> Excluding new dwellings and purchases less
sales of land and existing building.
Civil Servants (Salaries)
Sir David Price : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many civil servants are currently receiving annual salaries in excess of those received by (a) the Prime Minister, (b) Cabinet Ministers, (c) Parliamentary Under-Secretaries and (d) Back-Bench honourable Members of Parliament.
Mr. Ryder : [holding answer 13 November 1989] : It is not possible to provide exact figures. Approximate figures are as follows :
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Office |Current salary<1> (as at|Approximate numbers of
|1 January 1989) |non-industrial civil
|servants earning in
|excess of column (2) (as
|at 1 August 1989)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(1) |(2) |(3)
Prime Minister |<3>64,257 |50
Cabinet Minister
Commons |52,627 |60
Lords |41,997 |380
Parliamentary
Under-Secretary
Commons |36,367 |1,120
Lords |30,647 |6,000
Member of
Parliament |24,107 |13,200
<1> Includes the reduced Parliamentary salary of £18,148 where appropriate.
<2>SIP as at 1 July 1989 around 567,000.
<3>The Prime Minister only accepts the same salary as a Cabinet Minister in the Commons.
Trades Unions
Mr. Nigel Griffiths : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Edinburgh, South of 7 November, Official Report, column 526, what conditions he imposed on any trades unions during recent pay negotiations in respect of recommending offers to their members.
Mr. Ryder [holding answer 14 November 1989] : It is for the unions concerned to make their recommendations to their members on whatever basis they think appropriate.
Civil Service Pay
Mr. Nigel Griffiths : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Edinburgh, South of 7 November, Official Report, column 525, if he will seek the consent of parties to the publication of the results of the survey of data on private sector pay and Civil Service comparisons.
Mr. Ryder [holding answer 14 November 1989] : No.
Mr. Nigel Griffiths : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Edinburgh, South of 7 November, Official Report, column 526, what steps he has taken to assess the relative importance of pay among the factors which affect morale in the Civil Service ; and how this assessment has informed his negotiations.
Mr. Ryder [holding answer 14 November 1989] : No formal assessment has been made.
Mr. Nigel Griffiths : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Edinburgh, South of 7 November, Official Report, column 525, what considerations of public policy are served by his decision to refuse to disclose the results of the survey of data on private sector pay levels and Civil Service comparisons.
Mr. Ryder [holding answer 14 November 1989] : It would not be appropriate to publish the information as it is confidential to the parties.
Mr. Nigel Griffiths : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for
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Edinburgh, South of 7 November, Official Report, column 525, what information he has concerning the publication of confidential information relating to a survey of data on private sector pay levels and Civil Service comparisons in any FDA bulletin to its members ; and what action he intends to take to establish whether a breach of confidence has occurred.Mr. Ryder [holding answer 14 November 1989] : The bulletin has been seen. No action is planned.
Mr. Nigel Griffiths : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Edinburgh, South of 7 November, Official Report, column 526, what representations he has received from the FDA concerning the validity of the results of the survey of data on private sector and Civil Service pay levels.
Mr. Ryder [holding answer 14 November 1989] : The interpretation of the survey information was one of the issues discussed with all the unions concerned in the negotiation of the recent pay settlement for grades 5 to 7.
Private Sector Pay
Mr. Nigel Griffiths : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Edinburgh, South of 7 November, Official Report, column 525, what steps he has taken to secure the agreement of the relevant trades unions to the publication of the results of the survey of data on private sector pay.
Mr. Ryder [holding answer 14 November 1989] : None.
Parliamentary Questions
Mr. Fisher : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many (a) oral and (b) written questions were asked of his Department in 1988-89.
Mr. Ryder [holding answer 14 November 1989] : To date this Session, the figures for questions directed to my right hon. Friend the Chancellor are as follows :
|Number
-------------------------------
Oral |1,560
Priority written |889
Ordinary written |980
Mr. Fisher : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many written parliamentary questions he refused to answer in the parliamentary Session 1988-89.
Mr. Ryder [holding answer 14 November 1989] : None.
Mr. Fisher : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many written parliamentary questions to him in Session 1988-89 received answers that the information (a) was not available, (b) was not separately recorded, (c) was not centrally recorded, (d) was not recorded in Government statistics and (e) could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
Mr. Ryder [holding answer 14 November 1989] : This information is a matter of public record in the columns of the Official Report.
Mr. Fisher : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the cost to his Department of answering parliamentary (a) oral and (b) written questions in the parliamentary Session 1988-89.
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Mr. Ryder [holding answer 14 November 1989] : Based on the estimated average cost of answering oral and written questions, which currently stands at £90 per oral and £54 per written, the cost to date has been (a) £128,610, (b) £94,338.
Exchange Rate Mechanism
Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what assessment he has made of the effect on different sectors of the United Kingdom economy of linking the £ sterling to the deutschmark within the exchange rate mechanism of the European monetary system ; (2) whether the Government have considered the effect which locking sterling into the ERM of the EMS would have on United Kingdom trade in manufactures ; and if he will publish in the Official Report a table showing the percentage increase in the volume of imports and output between 1973 and 1979, 1973 and 1988 and 1985 and 1989 to date in textiles, footwear, clothing, metals, metal goods net, motor vehicles and mechanical engineering, together with the figures for import penetration from the EEC for manufactures generally.
Mr. Norman Lamont [holding answer 15 November 1989] : The Government have made no such assessment. The available figures for the percentage increases in import volumes and output in United Kingdom manufacturing industries are as follows :
Percentage changes
Output Import volumes
|1979-85|1979-87|1979-85|1979-87
------------------------------------------------------------------
Metals |-15.4 |-8.1 |-0.7 |11.3
Metal goods nes. |-18.5 |-16.0 |37.8 |63.6
Mechanical engineering |-14.9 |-17.1 |18.3 |28.7
Motor vehicles and parts |-24.6 |-20.5 |18.6 |28.6
Textile industry |-19.1 |-15.5 |29.7 |49.3
Footwear |-20.2 |-18.8 |34.0 |49.4
Clothing, hats and gloves |0.1 |-0.1 |16.8 |60.5
Data on EC countries' imports of manufactures are published in OECD's "Monthly Statistics of Foreign Trade". Data on manufacturing output in EC countries are published in OECD's "National Accounts" and can be expressed in the same currency (United States dollars) as the import figures using data from OECD's "International Financial Statistics".
Currency Policy
Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make it his policy to oppose moves by other members of the EEC to adopt a common currency managed by a common central bank without United Kingdom participation.
Mr Ryder [holding answer 15 November 1989] : The United Kingdom Government are playing a full part in discussions about the future economic and monetary arrangements throughout the Community. The Government do not accept stages 2 and 3 of economic and monetary union as recommended in the Delors report and have proposed an alternative approach.
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Statistics
Mr. Fisher : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether his Department has discontinued (a) the collection or (b) the publication of any statistics since 1979.
Mr. Ryder [holding answer 14 November 1989] : Changes in the basis of compilation, presentation and publication of statistical series are made from time to time in response to the requirements of Government and international organisations for statistical information. Other changes reflect changes in administrative systems on which some series are based, the development of new statistical techniques and technological developments affecting the compilation and dissemination of statistical data.
When such changes are made they are fully documented in the relevant statistical publications.
Mr Austin Mitchell : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) if he will publish in the Official Report a table showing for France and Italy the increase in real interest rates and in the trade-weighted relative export-unit values of the franc and the lira against the deutschmark since the first quarter of 1979, together with the increase in production, in the numbers unemployed and in the trade deficit with Germany in manufactures ; and if he will provide similar figures for the United Kingdom ;
(2) if he will publish in the Official Report a table showing for trade in manufactures in 1970, 1988 and 1989 to date (a) the percentage of United Kingdom exports of manufactures which goes to the EMS countries, (b) the ratio of imports to exports, and (c) the balance of trade in manufacturers in current and 1989 prices ; (3) if he will include in the Official Report a table showing for the United Kingdom, France and Italy the real rate of interest each year since 1979 as measured by the excess of the rate of interest over the rate of increase in (a) prices and (b) earnings.
Mr. Norman Lamont [holding answer 15 November 1989] : I regret that it has not been possible to provide an answer before Prorogation. Therefore, I shall write to the hon. Member and place a copy of the letter in the Library.
Tax Relief
Sir Ian Gilmour : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish figures setting out the direct revenue costs, in the latest year for which the figures are available, including estimates for 1989-90, of the following : (a) each of the main personal income tax allowances, (b) mortgage interest relief, (c) life assurance premium relief, (d) empoyee's contributions to occupational pensions, (e) employers' contributions to occupational pensions, (f) retirement annuity premium relief, (g) relief on investment income of occupational pension funds and (h) relief from national insurance contributions in respect of minimum contribution to personal pension schemes.
Mr. Major [holding answer 15 November 1989] : Available information for 1989-90 is as follows.
The direct revenue cost of the main personal allowance is estimated to be £27.2 billion. The costs of mortgage interest relief and life assurance premium relief are estimated to be £7 billion and £360 million respectively.
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