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Written Answers to Questions
Thursday 1 March 1990
NATIONAL FINANCE
Roads (Ireland)
54. Mr. Corbett : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will review the list of approved and unapproved roads between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.
Mr. Ryder : The list of routes approved for traffic with the Republic of Ireland is being reviewed by Customs and Excise at the present time. This is linked to the introduction of computer-assisted processing of customs declarations.
Child Benefit
Mr. Chris Smith : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many and what proportion of those families with children will receive more in child benefit than they pay out in income tax in the current financial year.
Mr. Lilley : In 1989-90, an estimated 2.3 million families will receive more in child benefit than they pay in income tax. This represents about a third of all families with children. Estimates are based on a projection of the 1987 family expenditure survey and are subject to revision.
Corporation Taxes
Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the total take for corporation taxes as a percentage of gross domestic product, and of company incomes for each year from 1979-80, including his estimate of the outturn for 1989-90.
Mr. Lilley : The available information is as follows :
Year Corporation tax<1> as a proportion of
|Gross domestic |Company incomes<3>
|product<2>
|Percentage |Percentage
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
1979-80 |2.3 |11.7
1980-81 |2.0 |12.0
1981-82 |1.9 |11.7
1982-83 |2.0 |12.2
1983-84 |1.9 |10.5
1984-85 |2.5 |12.5
1985-86 |2.9 |14.1
1986-87 |3.5 |18.6
1987-88 |3.7 |17.7
1988-89 |4.0 |18.4
<1> Mainstream plus Advance Corporation tax, Excluding Public Corporations.
<2> At Market Prices, calendar year.
<3> Total company income in the calendar year as defined in the national
accounts, net of interest payments.
Reliable estimates for the current year are not yet available.
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Mortgages
Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his estimate of the median mortgage for residential property in each year since 1970 and the ratio of that median to the median annual earnings of the full-time adult male manual and non-manual worker, respectively.
Mr. Ryder : Information for 1978 to 1988 on median mortgages issued by building societies on residential property is published by the DOE in "Housing and Construction Statistics 1978-1988", table 10.13. Tables 10.20 and 10.22 in the same publication contain information on the size distribution of bank and insurance company mortgages respectively, from which medians may be calculated. Earlier information for building society mortgages only is contained in previous editions of "Housing and Construction Statistics". Median gross weekly earnings in April of each year for full-time adult male manual and non-manual employees are published by the Department of Employment in table 15, part A, of the new earnings survey reports. Figures for 1970 to 1978 can be found in the 1978 report and for 1979 to 1989 in the 1989 report.
Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will publish in the Official Report a table showing for each year from 1970 his estimate of the number of mortgages for residential property together with (a) the average amount of mortgage, (b) average earnings of full-time adult male manual and non-manual workers, respectively, (c) average earnings of full-time adult female manual and non-manual workers, respec-tively, and (d) the number of workers in (b) and (c) .
Mr. Ryder : Information on numbers of mortgage advances on residential property and average advances is published by the DOE in "Housing and Construction Statistics 1978-1988", table 10.4. Information for years previous to 1978 is available for building societies only in previous editions of "Housing and Construction Statistics". Average gross weekly earnings in April of each year for full-time adult male and female manual and non-manual employees are published by the Department of Employment in table 15, part A of the new earnings survey reports. Figures for 1970 to 1978 can be found in the 1978 report and for 1979 to 1989 in the 1989 report. Disaggregated data on employment are published in the Employment Gazette , December 1989, table 1.10, and in previous editions of the Gazette .
Conveyancing
Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will publish a table showing for each year from 1970 the number of conveyances of residential property, the average value, and the ratio of that value to median earnings of (a) all full-time adult male workers and (b) all full-time adult male manual workers.
Mr. Lilley : Annual information on the numbers and value of conveyances in England and Wales is not available for years prior to 1986. Figures for 1986 to 1988 are available in table 15.1 of "Inland Revenue Statistics 1989". Figures for the average price of dwellings purchased with a building society mortgage can be found
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in table 105 of the 1969-79 and table 10.11 of the 1978-88 editions of "Housing and Construction Statistics". Median earnings figures can be found in section 6 of the 1977, 1986 and 1990 editions of "Annual Abstract of Statistics".Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will publish a table showing for 1978 and 1983 the number of conveyances of residential property in each region, the average value, and the ratio of that value to median earnings of all full-time adult male workers.
Mr. Lilley : Annual information on the numbers and value of conveyances in England and Wales is not available for years prior to 1986.
Figures for the average price by region of dwellings purchased with a building society mortgage can be found at table 10.11 of "Housing and Construction Statistics 1977-1987". Median earnings figures by region within Great Britain can be found at table 116 of part E of the 1978 and 1983 editions of the new earnings survey.
Rateable Values
Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will publish in the Official Report a table showing the average rateable value of the highest and lowest 5 per cent. of rated dwellings.
Mr. Lilley : This information could not be produced without a disproportionate expenditure of time and resources.
Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will publish in the Official Report a table showing for England and Wales the total rateable values of residential property at the time of the last revaluation together with the estimated capital value ; and whether he will provide in each case the proportion accounted for by the half with the lowest values.
Mr. Lilley : As the book "Inland Revenue Statistics 1989" shows, the total rateable value of residential property in England and Wales at 1 April 1973 is £4,032 million. The information on capital value is contained in the book "UK National Accounts 1989." The other information could not be produced without a disproportionate expenditure of time and resources.
Incomes
Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will publish in the Official Report a table showing for the highest and lowest 5 per cent. of gross incomes the percentage of gross incomes paid in income tax and national insurance contributions in (a) 1978-79, (b) 1988-89 and (c) 1989-90.
Mr. Lilley : Information is given in the table ; estimates are based on the distributions in 1978-79, 1988-89 and 1989-90 of the gross earnings and investment income of married couples and single people aged under 65 who would be liable to pay income tax or national insurance contributions. The estimates for 1988-89 and 1989-90 are based on a projection of the 1987 -88 survey of personal incomes and are provisional.
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Married Couples and Single People Aged Under 65 Liable to
Income Tax and National Insurance Contributions Ranged by Gross
Income
Distribution by Gross Income Proportion of Gross Income paid
in income tax and NIC
|1978-79 |1988-89 |1989-90
|per cent. per cent.per cent.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lowest 5 per cent. <1> |9 |6 |5
Highest 5 per cent. <1> |34 |29 |29
<1> The lowest/highest 5 per cent. each contain (a) 970,000 married couples and single people in 1978-79, (b) 990,000 in 1988-89, and (c) 1
million in 1989-90.
Independent Taxation
Mr. Chris Smith : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) how many households will gain as a result of the proposals for independent taxation ; how many could potentially gain because of the ability of husband and wife to swap investment income ; and what is the income distribution of these households ;
(2) how many households will pay less in taxation as a proportion of household income as a result of the introduction of independent taxation ; and what is (a) the income distribution and (b) the regional distribution of these households.
Mr. Lilley [holding answer 12 February 1990] : Available information is given in the table. Estimates are based on a projection of the 1987-88 survey of personal incomes and are provisional.
Independent Taxation 1990-91
Total income of |Married couples<1>|Married couples<2>
married couple
£'000 |'000 |'000
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
0-5 |- |-
5-10 |370 |210
10-15 |510 |530
15-20 |390 |620
20-25 |220 |400
25-30 |160 |280
Over 30 |1,350 |940
All ranges |3,000 |2,980
<1> With reduction in income tax liability. Makes no allowance for possible
behavioural changes and the effect on Capital Gains Tax receipts.
<2> Who could reduce their income tax liability by transferring income
bearing assets from husband to wife or vice versa.
I regret that information on the regional distribution of gainers is not available.
Privatisation
Mr. Hardy : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the total sale price received and the net asset value of each public undertaking sold since 1980.
Mr. Peter Lilley [pursuant to his reply, 23 February 1990, c. 963] : I regret that the table relating to my answer was omitted ; it isas follows :
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£ million
Company<1> |Date of privatisation|Gross proceeds from |Net asset value at
|sale |privatisation<2>
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
British Aerospace |1981 |<3>150 |296
|1985 |<4>551 |445
Cable and Wireless |1981 |<5>224 |152
|1983 |275 |117
|1985 |933 |166
Amersham International |1982 |<6>71 |28
National Freight Consortium |1982 |<7>53.5 |45.3
Britoil |1982 |549 |113
|1985 |449 |234
Associated British Ports |1983 |22 |73
|1984 |52 |77
Enterprise Oil |1984 |392 |117
British Telecom |1984 |3,916 |3,007
British Gas |1986 |5,434 |5,181
British Airways |1987 |900 |619
Royal Ordnance |1987 |190 |227
Rolls-Royce |1987 |1,363 |789
BAA |1987 |1,281 |694
British Petroleum |1983 |566 |638
(residual sale) |1987 |<8>7,240 |3,199
National Seed Development Organisation |1987 |27 |15.4
Professional and Executive Recruitment |1988 |6 |1.2
Rover Group |1988 |<9>150 |<10>881
British Steel |1988 |2,500 |3,594
General Practice Finance Corporation |1989 |15.7 |5.6
Shorts |1989 |30 |30
Harland and Wolff |1989 |6 |6
<1> Excluding sales of subsidiaries by Nationalised Industries.
<2> Historic cost basis. For sales of less than 100 per cent. the net asset value for the proportion sold has been given.
<3> £50m to HMG.
<4> £363m to HMG.
<5> £189m to HMG.
<6> £65m to HMG.
<7> Net £6.5m after Government funding of pension liabilities.
<8> £5,725m to HMG.
<9> To be received by 30 March 1990.
<10> Includes Government cash injection of £547m.
ATTORNEY-GENERAL
Malicious Communications
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Attorney-General what criteria the Crown prosecution service follows when deciding whether to bring a prosecution under the Malicious Communications Act ; and if he will make a statement.
The Attorney-General : The criteria which the Crown prosecution service follows when deciding whether to prosecute any offence, including any under this Act, are set out in the code for Crown prosecutors promulgated under section 10 of the Prosecution of Offences Act 1985. These are that there is sufficient admissible, substantial and reliable evidence to afford a realistic prospect of a conviction and that the public interest requires a prosecution.
Authorised Practitioners
Mr. Sean Hughes : To ask the Attorney-General what will be the extra manpower involved in carrying out the new responsibilities proposed in the Courts and Legal Services Bill in respect of authorised practitioners ; and what is the anticipated extra financial cost.
The Attorney-General : The annual cost of the Authorised Conveyancing Practitioners Board, the conveyancing ombudsman and the conveyancing appeal tribunals is anticipated to be approximately £0.9 million in its first full year. The secretariats and support staff will
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require about 15 staff and the board itself, the ombudsman and the tribunal members will total a maximum of 13 individuals. It is intended that the board, the ombudsman and their secretariats should be self-financing and that any initial Government funding should decrease as quickly as possible. It is not possible, however, to estimate at this stage how much of any Government grant might be recouped from fees.Director of Public Prosecutions
Mr. Hind : To ask the Attorney-General if he has any plans to meet the Director of Public Prosecutions ; and if he will make a statement.
The Attorney-General : I frequently meet the Director of Public Prosecutions to discuss matters of departmental interest. Such meetings are arranged as and when necessary.
House of Fraser
Mr. Brandon-Bravo : To ask the Attorney-General whether the criminal investigation into matters raised by the report by Department of Trade and Industry inspectors into the House of Fraser has been concluded ; and when he expects the Serious Fraud Office to reach a decision on prosecution.
The Attorney-General : The Director of Public Prosecutions and the director of the Serious Fraud Office have today issued the following statement :
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"The Report of the Inspectors appointed by the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry was passed to the Director of Public Prosecutions and the Director of the Serious Fraud Office on 14th July 1988. After careful consideration of the Report and the accompanying evidence, the Directors jointly referred the matter to the Metropolitan Police on 24th November 1988 and asked for necessary enquiries to be carried out. Following the request of the Directors, the Secretary of State witheld publication of the Report. The Directors are now satisfied that all lines of enquiry have been pursued and that the evidence available is insufficient to afford a realistic prospect of conviction for any criminal offence relating to any matter of substance raised in the Report.The Secretary of State has accordingly been informed that the Directors withdraw their objections to the publication of the Inspectors' Report."
HOME DEPARTMENT
Magistrates Court, Crawley
Mr. Soames : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects to build a new magistrates court in Crawley.
Mr. John Patten : West Sussex county council has sought Home Office grant approval for the extension of Crawley magistrates courthouse to provide an additional courtroom. The council has not yet submitted a first stage investment appraisal, and will need to do so before a building start date can be considered.
Parliamentary Questions
Mr. Allen : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list each category of parliamentary questions which it is his policy not to answer.
Mr. Waddington : Of those questions not transferred, none.
Violent Crime (Compensation)
Mr. Harry Barnes : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the nations that have signed the European convention on reciprocal compensation for victims of violent crime, and give details of the representations that have been made to those European nations which have not yet signed the convention.
Mr. John Patten : The Council of Europe convention on the compensation of victims of violent crimes, which lays down minimum standards for national arrangements for payment of compensation, was signed by the United Kingdom when it was opened for signature on 24 November 1983. The other signatory states are Denmark, France, the Federal Republic of Germany, Greece, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and Turkey.
The convention came into force on 1 February 1988. On 7 February 1990, we joined Denmark, France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Sweden as contracting states. The convention will come into force in relation to the United Kingdom on 1 June 1990, and we shall take every opportunity to encourage other countries to adopt it. There have been various calls in both the Council of Europe and the European Community for states to sign and ratify this convention.
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Prison Service
Mr. Andrew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his reply to the hon. Member for Oxford, East on 19 February, Official Report, column 595, what was the cost of the contract awarded to the PA Consulting Group for its review of the prison service organisation above establishment level from its commencement until the end of its first extension in December 1989.
Mr. Mellor : The projected price of the contract was £271,230, and £255,740 has been paid to date. Both sums include VAT.
Mr. Andrew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the role of the PA Consulting Group on the studies which led to changes in working practices in prison establishments, known as "fresh start" ; and what was the cost of their work.
Mr. Mellor : PA Management Consultants were engaged by the prison service in September 1985 to assist in studies of complementing in prisons and of the shift systems worked by prison officers. PA's role was limited to that of bringing to bear knowledge and skills, for example in the complex area of adapting shift arrangements to the grouping of work arrangements which, at the time, were unavailable within the Home Office to the extent required by the exercise. As part of this work, PA advised the prison service on the development of its "fresh start" proposals, which were put to prison service unions in February 1987, although they took no part in the subsequent negotiations. PA consultants also provided advice on the implementation of the proposals, including development work and training, and they assisted in the running of an evaluation of "fresh start" during November 1987. Their further assistance was used in the drawing up and implementation of an action plan, based on the evaluation, to ensure the development and establishment of best practice across all prison establishments.
The total cost of PA's services for work undertaken over a four-year period in respect of "fresh start" was £948,720.90. This amount includes expenses and VAT as well as fees.
Young Offenders
Mr. Ieuan Wyn Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what was the total number of males under the age of 17 years appearing before the courts in England and Wales during 1988 ; (2) what was the total number of males under the age of 17 years who appeared in courts in Wales during 1988.
Mr. John Patten : In 1988 in England and Wales, 43,600 males under the age of 17 were prosecuted for indictable offences, of whom 3,300 appeared before the Welsh courts.
Mr. Ieuan Wyn Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the total number of males under the age of 17 years who were remanded into prisons and remand centres in England and Wales during 1988.
Mr. Mellor : Information on the number of males aged 14 to 16 received on remand into prison service establishments in England and Wales is published
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annually in "Prison statistics, England and Wales" (table 2.6 of the latest volume, for 1988, Cm 825) copies of which are in the Library.Correspondence
Mr. Robin Cook : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he proposes to reply to the letter of 13 June 1989, and the reminders of 14 September 1989, 25 October 1989 and 21 December 1989, from the hon. Member for Livingston on behalf of his constituent Mr. Wali Mohammed, his reference M294411.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : I wrote to the hon. Member on 27 February.
HGVs (Roadside Checks)
Mrs. Ann Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police forces co-operate with local authority trading standards officers or environmental health officers in roadside checks of heavy goods vehicles.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : All police forces participate in roadside checks of heavy goods vehicles where resources permit, and, where appropriate, roadside check sites are available.
Terrorist Suspects (Interviews)
Mr. Lawrence : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has for the tape recording of interviews with suspected terrorists ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Waddington : Tape recording of summaries of interviews with suspected terrorists, and of their comments on the summary, is to be introduced on an experimental basis by the Metropolitan and Merseyside police from Monday 5 March. The experiment will run for two years and will be monitored by the research and planning unit of the Home Office, reporting to a steering committee which includes representatives of the police, the Crown prosecution service, the Criminal Bar Association and the Law Society. I have placed a copy of the relevant notes of guidance in the Library.
CIVIL SERVICE
Civil Service Unions
Mr. Teddy Taylor : To ask the Minister for the Civil Service if he will take steps to improve communications with the Civil Service unions.
Mr. Luce : I believe that in general the present arrangements for communications with the Civil Service unions work well.
ENERGY
Atomic Energy Development (Files)
Dr. Thomas : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he requested that any files relating to atomic energy development should be withheld from release on 1 January under sections 3(4) and 5(1) of the Public Records Act 1958.
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Mr. Baldry : In accordance with established criteria, my Department has requested that certain files in the category referred to by the hon. Member should be withheld. It has been the practice of successive Administrations not to disclose the contents of records which are so withheld from public release.
Reactor Projects
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he will make a statement on current United Kingdom involvement in, and future financial commitment to (a) the international thermonuclear experimental reactor, (b) the next European Torus and (c) the compact ignition Tokamak fusion reactor projects.
Mr. Baldry : The proposed new framework programme for Community research and development for the period 1990-94 includes provision for continuing work on a "next step" fusion reactor. The international thermonuclear experimental reactor is the subject of collaboration in conceptual design between Euratom, Japan, the USA and the USSR which is due to be completed at the end of 1990. The United Kingdom is involved only through Euratom.
The design of the next European Torus is being defined by a small team based at Garching in Germany. The UKAEA is a party to the agreement setting up the team and makes a modest contribution by providing staff. Extension of either project to engineering design would require a further decision by the Council of Ministers. I understand that the compact ignition Tokamak fusion reactor is a United States project in which the United Kingdom is not involved.
Flue Gas Desulphurisation
Mr. Brandon-Bravo : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy (1) if he is reviewing his policy on the fitting of flue gas
desulphurisation to 12 GW of coal-burning electricity generating capacity ;
(2) if he will make it his policy to deal with coal-burning power station emission problems by means of combustion process controls as distinct from importing low-sulphur content coal ;
(3) what effect he envisages on the make-up of British Coal, after the current three-year contract with the principal generators, if flue gas desulphurisation proceeds only at the 4 GW Drax project.
Mr. Baldry : The Government are determined to implement in full the EC large combustion plants directive. This directive commits the United Kingdom to reduce its emissions of sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides from existing plants, such as fossil-fuelled power stations, but does not specify the means by which this has to be done. It is for the electricity industry to plan how it will achieve its share of these reductions. The fitting of flue gas
desulphurisation equipment will play an important part. Other measures, such as the burning of low-sulphur fuels, including gas, are also likely to contribute.
The scale of future purchases of British coal by the generators will be a matter for their commercial judgment. The best protection for the United Kingdom coal industry would be for it to produce secure supplies of coal at competitive prices.
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Low-sulphur Coal
Mr. Brandon-Bravo : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he will make it his policy to consider the sustainability of supplies, long- term price, and balance of payments effects of low-sulphur coal as part of a review of his Department's policy on coal-burning power stations.
Mr. Baldry : The source and cost of low-sulphur coal is a matter for the electricity generation industry.
Mr. Brandon-Bravo : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what forecasts he has made of the long-term effects on British Coal (a) nationally and (b) in the east midlands region, of a policy of importing low-sulphur content coal.
Mr. Baldry : None. Such forecasts are a commercial matter for the British Coal Corporation.
Oil Imports
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what information he has on the proportion of oil imports to the United Kingdom used (a) in the manufacture of automobiles, buses and road haulage vehicles and (b) for fuelling road transport.
Mr. Peter Morrison : The information requested is not available.
Electricity Privatisation
Mr. Bowis : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy when flotation of National Power and PowerGen will take place.
Mr. Wakeham : I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to my hon. Friends the Members for Erewash (Mr. Rost) and for Harrow, East (Mr. Dykes) on 28 February 1990 at column 226.
United Kingdom Petroleum Production
Mr. Yeo : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what are the Government's latest forecasts of levels of United Kingdom petroleum production.
Mr. Wakeham : The latest forecasts for United Kingdom petroleum production in the years 1990 to 1994 are as follows :
|Million tonnes
---------------------------------------------
1990 |85-110
1991 |80-110
1992 |80-110
1993 |85-115
1994 |80-120
As in previous years, the forecasts are presented in the form of a range of outcomes for each year. These take into account the many uncertainties involved. The figures comprise stabilised crude oil, natural gas liquids and condensates. NGL and condensate production is expected to contribute between 5 and 10 million tonnes annually to the above.
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PRIME MINISTER
Exchange Rate Mechanism
Q40. Mr. Teddy Taylor : To ask the Prime Minister which of the conditions which were agreed at the Madrid meeting of the European Council as a basis for the United Kingdom joining the exchange rate mechanism of the European monetary system have not yet been met ; and if she will make a statement.
The Prime Minister : There has been significant progress on capital liberalisation, in competition policy and liberalisation of financial services, but further important decisions have yet to be taken. Further progress is needed to get inflation down.
German Unification
Q84. Dr. Godman : To ask the Prime Minister if she has held recent discussions with (a) Chancellor Kohl and (b) other European Community state leaders on the subject of the unification of the two German states.
The Prime Minister : I last met Chancellor Kohl at the European Council in Strasbourg in December. Other EC Heads of State or Government were also present. We had a useful discussion of the question of German unity. This was reflected in the Council's declaration.
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