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Mr. John Morris : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps he has taken to ensure that the complaints made on behalf of Mr. H. P. Herbert have been fully investigated by his Department.
Mr. Redwood : Information relevant to the complaints made on behalf of Mr. H. P. Herbert is under consideration. Further comment would not be appropriate.
Tourism
Mr. Fisher : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what was his Department's total investment in tourism in each of the last five years.
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Mr. Forth [holding answer 18 December 1989] : Prime responsibility for tourism rests with the Department of Employment. DTI may assist towards tourism projects, for example under the consultancy initiatives, but these are not separately identified except in the case of the exchange risk guarantee scheme for tourism projects. Under this scheme--which closed to new applications in 1984--the Department offered an exchange risk guarantee on European Investment bank loans for tourism projects. Expenditure under this scheme over the last five years has been as follows :
|£'000s
-------------------------
1985-86 |259
1986-87 |320
1987-88 |303
1988-89 |325
<1>1989-90 |329
<1>Estimated.
Homeopathic Medicines
Mr. Stern : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what information he has on the purchases of homeopathic medicines by United Kingdom traders in recent years from Bulgaria.
Mr. Redwood [holding answer 18 December 1989] : Information on imports of homeopathic medicines is not identified in the trade classification.
EMPLOYMENT
Earnings
Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment whether he will publish in the Official Report a further breakdown into manufacturing and non-manufacturing to that given in his answer of 15 November, Official Report, column 279, and divide the resultant figures by the increase in productivity in, respectively, the manufacturing and non- manufacturing sectors ; whether he will provide the corresponding figures for full-time females ; and whether he will include the numbers represented by each category.
Mr. Nicholls : I refer the hon. Member to the further breakdown of increases in real earnings provided in my reply of 13 December 1989 ( Official Report, columns 658-59). The available estimates of productivity are published in table 1.8 of the Employment Gazette. The available figures of the numbers represented by each category were published in my reply of 8 December 1989 ( Official Report, column 426 ).
Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment, further to his written reply of 11 December to the hon. Member for Great Grimsby, Official Report, columns 467-68, with regard to the increase in weekly and hourly earnings of certain workers, whether he will publish a table giving corresponding figures for pay increases since 1979 for full- time adult male employees employed in manual work in (a) the public sector and (b) elsewhere and for non-manual workers employed in (i) the public sector, (ii) manufacturing and (iii) elsewhere.
Mr. Nicholls [holding answer 19 December 1989] : I shall write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
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Market Research
Mr. Blunkett : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many market research and sample surveys were carried out by or for his Department in the last 12 months ; what was the cost of each ; what was the total cost ; how many were carried out in-house ; how many were carried out for his Department by outside organisations ; and what percentage of the total expenditure was paid to outside organisations.
Mr. Eggar : There were 163 projects carried out for my Department in 1988-89. The cost of these surveys in the 1988-89 financial year was £4,047,977. Outside research contractors carried out 158 of these projects, accounting for 99 per cent. of the total expenditure. I have placed details of each survey in the Library.
Labour Statistics
Ms. Short : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will give for the west midlands and the other regions and for each year from 1984 to 1987, together with the source of the information, figures for (a) total employment, and (b) manufacturing employment.
Mr. Nicholls : The table below shows the data requested for west midlands and the other regions for each year from 1984 to 1987. Information on total employment relates to the civilian workforce in employment and covers employees in employment, the self-employed, and those on work- related Government training programmes. The sources of this information are as follows :
Employees in employment
Estimates of employees in employment are based on the following sources :
(a) the census of employment conducted triennially from 1978 to 1987 :
(b) monthly and quarterly surveys of employers ;
(c) inquiries conducted biennially by the Ministry of Agriculture Fisheries and Food (MAFF) for employment in agriculture, and quarterly by the Department of the Environment for employment in the construction industry ;
(d) "centralised returns" covering employment in some nationalised industries, Government Departments and other large organisations such as British Coal, and the London and Scottish Clearing Banks Association ;
(e) the Labour Force Survey
For census of employment dates, the estimates given by the census are used without adaptation. Between census of employment dates, sources b. c. and d. are used to estimate monthly and quarterly trends in employees in employment.
Self Employment
The estimates of the self-employed in Great Britain up to mid 1988 are based on the 1981 census of population and the results of the labour force surveys carried out between 1981 and 1988.
Work-related Government Training Programmes
Numbers of participants are provided from the Department's own records.
Information on manufacturing employment relates to employees in employment in standard industrial classification 1980 division 2 to 4. The sources of this information are as above.
Civilian workforce and employees in employment and employees in
manufacturing by regions
(unadjusted for seasonal variation) June each year
Thousands
Regions and |Civilian |Employees in |Employees in
year |workforce in |employment |manufacturing
|employment
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
West Midlands
1984 |2,171 |1,965 |706
1985 |2,178 |1,974 |693
1986 |2,178 |1,961 |673
1987 |2,223 |1,972 |663
South East (including Greater London)
1984 |8,074 |7,182 |1,483
1985 |8,184 |7,250 |1,447
1986 |8,195 |7,255 |1,390
1987 |8,400 |7,322 |1,340
Greater London (included in South East)
1984 |3,799 |3,459 |573
1985 |3,824 |3,454 |539
1986 |3,808 |3,450 |506
1987 |3,871 |3,457 |465
East Anglia
1984 |817 |704 |185
1985 |835 |716 |184
1986 |829 |717 |178
1987 |864 |727 |174
South West
1984 |1,788 |1,542 |373
1985 |1,832 |1,568 |375
1986 |1,851 |1,579 |367
1987 |1,921 |1,619 |367
East Midlands
1984 |1,626 |1,443 |482
1985 |1,672 |1,498 |487
1986 |1,674 |1,490 |487
1987 |1,705 |1,492 |483
Yorkshire and Humberside
1984 |1,990 |1,768 |481
1985 |2,009 |1,769 |480
1986 |2,000 |1,762 |476
1987 |2,041 |1,771 |471
North West
1984 |2,570 |2,289 |669
1985 |2,590 |2,299 |664
1986 |2,593 |2,295 |653
1987 |2,646 |2,323 |657
North
1984 |1,164 |1,059 |277
1985 |1,172 |1,057 |278
1986 |1,186 |1,061 |272
1987 |1,202 |1,068 |272
Wales
1984 |1,040 |886 |212
1985 |1,044 |888 |211
1986 |1,055 |887 |210
1987 |1,073 |907 |217
Scotland
1984 |2,104 |1,901 |434
1985 |2,121 |1,900 |433
1986 |2,108 |1,879 |416
1987 |2,107 |1,879 |407
Northern Ireland
1984 |564 |497 |107
1985 |572 |503 |108
1986 |570 |501 |105
1987 |572 |504 |103
Health and Safety Executive
Mr. Andrew F. Bennett : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what was the actual number of planned basic inspection visits paid by Health and Safety Executive
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area office 16, Greater Manchester inspectors in the half year from 1 April to 31 October ; and what was the number in the Health and Safety Executive area plan of work for the same period.Mr. Nicholls : The plan of the Health and Safety Executive's (HSE) factory inspectorate is based on proportions of time to be spent on different aspects of its work. Inspectors based in the HSE's Greater Manchester area office carried out 2,731 preventive inspection visits in the half year 1 April 1989 to 30 September 1989 which is 96.6 per cent. of the number of visits which it was estimated would be carried out in this period.
Mr. Andrew F. Bennett : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what percentage of its planned programme of basic inspections the Health and Safety Executive area office 18 North-West has achieved in the half year from 1 April to 31 October ; and what is the total.
Mr. Nicholls : The plan of the Health and Safety Executive's factory inspectorate is based on proportions of time to be spent on different aspects of its work.
In the half year 1 April 1989 to 30 September 1989 inspectors in the Health and Safety Executive's north-west area office made 2,098 preventive inspection visits which is 86.4 per cent. of the total number of visits which it was estimated would be carried out in this period.
Mr. Andrew F. Bennett : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what percentage of its planned programme of basic inspections the Health and Safety Executive office 19 North East has achieved in the half year from 1 April to 31 October ; and how many this was in total.
Mr. Nicholls : The plan of the Health and Safety Executive's factory inspectorate is based on proportions of time to be spent on different aspects of its work.
In the half year 1 April 1989 to 30 September 1989 inspectors in the Health and Safety Executive's north-east area office made 3,473 preventive inspection visits which is 122.3 per cent. of the total number of visits which it was estimated would be carried out in this period.
Disabled People
Mr. Vaz : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement regarding the current situation in the employment market for disabled people.
Mr. Eggar : The talents of people with disabilities are currently not fully utilised in the labour market. In 1988-89 this Department spent an estimated £350 million, through general and special services, in helping people with disabilities to train for, find, and keep suitable jobs and in encouraging good practice by employers. A review of the Department's services for people with disabilities is well advanced and a consultative document will be published as soon as possible.
Training Agency
Mr. Ralph Howell : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many persons are employed by his Department and the Training Agency, and its predecessors the Manpower Services Commission and Training Commission, in each year since and including 1979.
Mr. Eggar : The table details permanent staff in post statistics each year since and including 1979.
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Employment department group staff in post
1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Employment, Department (UBS) |23,779|21,806|23,823|30,986|30,258|29,718|30,428|32,357|}
Employment Service (MSC) |24,961|25,388|23,672|23,279|22,687|21,928|20,802|21,075|23,952|} |42,102|40,504
Training Agency |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |12,165|11,730
Health and Safety Executive |4,118 |4,132 |3,922 |3,712 |3,593 |3,563 |3,616 |3,586 |3,526 |3,410 |3,503
ACAS |799 |794 |705 |675 |665 |631 |610 |627 |629 |625 |639
--------------------------------------------------------------- --------------
Total |53,657|52,120|52,122|58,652|57,900|56,380|54,746|55,716|60,464 |58,302|56,376
Sources:
1. 1987-88 extracted from Civil Service Statistics (Table II)
nb Prior to 1982 the figures published for 1 January.
2. 1989 extracted from DSR2, the Department's computerised record.
Earnings
Mr. Nicholas Brown : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what were average weekly adult earnings for full-time work in April 1989 ; what was the number and proportion of people who had earnings below this level ; and how many of these were (a) men and (b) women.
Mr. Nicholls : The available information is published in tables 1 and 14 of part A of the 1989 new earnings survey report, a copy of which is in the Library.
Redundancy Payments
Mr. Kirkwood : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment when he expects to implement the provisions of the Employment Act extending redundancy payments to women over 60 years of age ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Nicholls : This provision will take effect on 16 January 1990.
Women's Earnings
Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will estimate the number of women who have earnings below (a) the tax threshold and (b) the national insurance threshold broken down into married women, lone parents and single women at the latest date.
Mr. Nicholls : It is not possible to provide reliable estimates.
Labour Statistics
Mr. John Evans : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what has been the increase in unemployment, expressed as a percentage and using current counting methods (a) between 1979 and 1989 overall and (b) for each year between 1979 and 1989.
Mr. Nicholls [holding answer 8 December 1989] : The information is available in the Library. In 1979 the average monthly level of unemployment, seasonally adjusted, for the United Kingdom was 1,075, 800 compared with a 10-month average of 1,825,800 for 1989, an increase of 69.7 per cent. The following table shows the percentage changes in the annual averages of the monthly levels of seasonally adjusted unemployment for the United Kingdom for each year between 1979 and 1989.
Column 238
Unemployment in United
Kingdom (seasonally adjusted)
percentage
change between annual
averages
|Per cent.
------------------------------
1980 |+26.9
1981 |+59.2
1982 |+17.2
1983 |+9.6
1984 |+4.7
1985 |+3.9
1986 |+2.4
1987 |-9.2
1988 |-18.7
<1>1989 |-20.4
<1> Ten month average.
NATIONAL FINANCE
Trade Statistics
Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the rate of inflation in the 10 years ended June 1989 and in the 10 years ended in 1973 ; and what was (a) the fall in the real exchange rate ; (b) the increase in manufacturing output and (c) the rate of investment in manufacturing industry net of capital consumption in these two periods.
Mr. Norman Lamont : Most of the figures requested can be obtained directly from the published sources available in the Library. The relevant retail prices indices are available from the latest issue of Employment Gazette and "Retail Prices Indices 1914-1986". An historical quarterly series for manufacturing output appears in "Economic Trends Annual Supplement" and the most recent figures are given in Economic Trends or alternatively the Central Statistical Office's databank.
Net domestic fixed capital formation in manufacturing is estimated to have averaged £3 billion a year at constant 1985 prices in the decade to 1973 and minus £ billion a year in the decade to the end of 1988. These figures exclude capital goods leased from financial sector lessors. Including leased assets, net domestic capital formation by manufacturing industries averaged £ billion a year in the decade to 1988. Estimates including leased assets for the decade to 1973 are not available. However, leasing was a much less important feature of investment then, so the estimate of an average £3 billion a year set out above is unlikely to be significantly different. Estimates are available only for calendar years and must be interpreted with some caution. The figures for net capital formation
Column 239
include estimates of capital consumption. Capital consumption is not directly observable and is estimated on the basis of a series of assumptions.There is no unique way of measuring changes in real exchange rates, but a range of figures is available, for example, in the IMF's "International Financial Statistics" which is in the Library.
Married Couple's Allowance
Mr. Raison : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what is his best estimate of the saving from abolishing the married couple's allowance for non-pensioners in 1990 ;
(2) what is the expected cost of the married couple's allowance in 1990-91.
Mr. Major : The direct revenue cost of the married couple's allowance in a full year at 1990-91 levels of income is estimated to be £5 billion. If the allowance were to be given only to married couples where either the husband or wife was aged 65 or over, there would be a saving of about £4.5 billion.
Estimates are based on a projection of the 1987-88 survey of personal incomes, and, in line with Autumn Statement forecasts, assume 7.5 per cent. indexation of allowances and the basic rate limit ; all estimates are provisional.
Mortgage Tax Relief
Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his estimate of the median mortgage and the median house price on which tax relief is claimed.
Mr. Lilley : In 1989-90, the estimated median mortgage is £23,000. Information is not available from which to estimate the median value of houses on which mortgage tax relief is given.
Stamp Duty
Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the estimated revenue for stamp duties on land and buildings, shares and other transactions for 1988-89 and for the current financial year.
Mr. Lilley : Details of the revenues from stamp duties received in 1988-89 were published in table 12.1 of Inland Revenue statistics 1989. The latest forecast of receipts for 1989-90 was given in the reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Richmond and Barnes (Mr. Hanley) on 30 November 1989, Official Report, column 431-32.
National Insurance
Mr. Nicholas Brown : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many taxpayers have earnings above the upper earnings limit for national insurance contributions ; and how many of these pay income tax at the higher rate.
Mr. Lilley : It is estimated that in 1990-91 about 3 million employees will have earnings above the upper earnings limit for class 1 national insurance contributions ; and that, of these, about 900, 000 will be liable to income tax at the higher rate.
The estimates are based on a projection of the 1987-88 survey of personal incomes and are therefore provisional.
Column 240
Taxation
Mr. Nicholas Brown : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what would be the revenue raised from introducing a minimum tax equivalent to 20 per cent. of gross income on all individuals whose gross incomes from all sources exceed £25,000 a year ; and how many units' total income tax liability is currently less than this figure.
Mr. Lilley : At 1990-91 levels of income, a minimum tax equivalent to 20 per cent. of gross income on all individuals whose gross incomes for tax purposes exceeds £25,000 per annum is estimated to yield about £ billion per annum. About 1 million individuals would have a higher tax liability under this proposal.
Estimates are provisional and are based on a projection of the 1987-88 survey of personal incomes, assuming indexation of allowances and the basic rate limit consistent with the Autumn Statement.
Income Tax
Mr. Allen : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what research his Department has commissioned on the policy options and implications of the ending of personal or other income tax allowances ; and what assessment he has made of these options.
Mr. Lilley : I have nothing to add to the answers that I gave to the hon. Member on 6 December and 13 December, Official Report, cols 236 and 650 .
Special Shares
Mr. Allen : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the powers which attach in each case to the special shares held by the Government in those companies which he listed in his reply on 11 December.
Mr. Lilley : Special shares entrench provisions contained in the articles of association of the relevant companies. For details of the provisions in each case I refer the hon. Member to the relevant articles of association.
RPI Advisory Committee
Mr. Forman : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when the Retail Prices Index Advisory Committee will next meet ; and who is to be the chairman of that committee.
Mr. Lilley : The Central Statistical Office is now arranging a meeting of the committee for early in 1990 so that consideration of the remaining issues in its terms of reference can be taken forward. The intention is that the committee will complete its work during 1990. With the change in departmental responsibility for the RPI, the chairman of the advisory committee will be Mr. Jack Hibbert, director of the CSO and head of the Government statistical service. He replaces the previous chairman,Mr. I. T. Manley, from the Employment Department.
Life Assurance
Mr. Forman : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will make an announcement about the outcome of the consultations between the life assurance industry and his officials authorised by his predecessor in his 1989 Budget statement.
Column 241
Mr. Lilley : Significant progress was made in a series of meetings between representatives of the insurance industry and Inland Revenue officials. I am particularly grateful to the Association of British Insurers and the other representative bodies involved for their constructive approach. Treasury Ministers have given the most careful consideration to all the representations made to them. The legislation in the Finance Act 1989 put in place the framework of the new tax rules for life assurance which followed the Government's policy of broadening the tax base and cutting tax rates. We recognised at the time the 1989 measures were announced that some of the further legislation on the more technical points to be introduced in the Finance Bill 1990 would be integral to the new regime ; and that accordingly both sets of measures would need to come into effect at the same time. My right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer therefore proposes to bring forward the following legislation in the Finance Bill 1990 which will for the most part have effect from 1 January 1990. These measures include some technical improvements to the legislation now in the Finance Act 1989, in part to fulfil commitments given by the Government during its passage earlier this year. The measures are :Allocation of income and realised gains
--new rules for the allocation of income and realised gains to different types of business where a company writes more than one of the types of business which have to be treated separately for tax purposes ;
Pension business
--rules clarifying the calculation of the profits of pension business for the purposes of section 83 of the Finance Act 1989 ; General annuity business
--consequential changes to the rules for calculating the investment income and profits referable to general annuity business, pending further consideration of the tax treatment of this type of business ;
Overseas branch and agency business
-- amendments to the current rules for the overseas branch and agency business of UK life offices ;
Division between shareholders and policy holders
-- a revised approach to the allocation of investment income, capital gains and profits between shareholders and policy holders for various tax purposes ;
Reassurance commissions
-- new provisions for the tax treatment of reassurance commissions received ;
Life office holdings in exempt investment media
-- a new basis of charge on capital gains arising from holdings in authorised unit trusts and comparable offshore investment vehicles, subject to transitional provisions for existing holdings and protection for obligations under investment-linked policies taken out up to the end of March 1990. The charge will ensure that life office investment via unit trusts will be treated on terms more level with direct investment.
Transfers of undertakings between insurers
-- new provisions to provide continuity for tax purposes where life assurance business is transferred to another company (for example, on a merger) or from a friendly society to another society or company, including the carry forward of unrelieved expenses of management to the transferee and incorporation in the legislation of the existing extra-statutory concession.
A press release to be issued today by the Indland Revenue gives further details of the proposed legislation.
I will be giving further consideration to the other topics on which consultations have been held :
-- tax treatment of policy holders
-- other international aspects
-- reassurance business
-- general annuity business.
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