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Logica--Consultants to assist in system testing.RI--To assist with benchmarking.
Coopers and Lybrand--Support to project manager in the development of plans and progress measurement tools to monitor the status of the training and enterprise councils implementation project.
SBS--Ingress application developer.
The Instruction Set--Development of system standards.
Ernst and Young--Design review.
Yale--Assistance with system testing.
SBS--Applications developers.
RTI--Application developer.
Digitus Applications developers.
LBMS--System Testing.
Yale Data--Applications developers.
Yale--System testing.
Easams--Applications developer.
Yale Data--Unix and Ingres support for field systems.
RTI--Ingress development.
System Reliability--Application software for call logger. Ernst and Young-- To advise training agency on support to training and enterprise councils after April 90.
Yale Data Management--Systems analyst record trainee volumes. Oscar Communications--Marketing.
Novatek--Manuals.
Digital--Linking training and enterprise Councils to the network. NCC-- Communications consultancy.
The Instruction Set--Consultant to discuss report on system management.
Computer Search and Select--Analyst/developer.
Marketing Perspective--Marketing the field system.
Ingres--Ingres training.
Yale Data--Analyst/developer.
Lorien--Analyst/developer.
Marketing Perspective--Account manager training.
P-E International--Analyst/developer.
THE ARTS
Disabled People
Mr. Alfred Morris : To ask the Minister for the Arts if he will make a statement on British Telecom's forthcoming A-Z business and services phone book as it affects reference to access for people with disabilities to arts and leisure venues, and the role played by Arts Access in encouraging this and other provision of facilities for disabled people.
Mr. Luce [holding answer 28 March 1990] : I welcome the initiative to include a reference guide for disabled people in the London business and services phone book. I was pleased to be present at the launch and to be able to congratulate Arts Access and British Telecom for putting this simple but effective idea into practice. It will certainly help to improve access to the arts for disabled people.
Consultancies
Mr. Tim Smith : To ask the Minister for the Arts what was the total amount spent by his Department in 1989 on management and computer consultancy contracts, excluding hardware and software purchases; if he will list each management or computer consultancy contract awarded by his Department in 1989, giving in each case the name of the consultancy firm and the subject of the assignment; and what is the total amount that his Department has budgeted to spend in the current year.
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Mr. Luce [holding answer 28 March 1990] : The Office of Arts and Libraries had no management and computer consultancy contracts in 1989- 90, and has no present plans for any in 1990-91.
Works of Art
Sir Hal Miller : To ask the Minister for the Arts if there have been any items accepted in lieu of tax or allocated since he last made an announcement on the subject to the House.
Mr. Luce : Since my announcement on 14 February Official Report, column 239, I am pleased to announce that three further offers have been accepted in lieu of tax: a woodcut by Edward Munch, "Two People -- the Lonely Ones" and two paintings, one by Corot entitled "Richmond pres Londres", and one by Jan van der Heyden, "The Westerkerk". The tax satisfied was £57,539, £361,500 and £2,800,000 respectively. The acceptance of the van der Heyden painting was made possible by a call on the Reserve.
No decision has yet been taken on the allocation of the Corot painting, but in accordance with the conditions on which they were offered the Munch woodcut will go to the Whitworth art gallery, Manchester and the van der Heyden painting will be allocated to the National gallery. Finally, I would like to inform the House that because of a change in the tax liabilities due on the estate concerned, the cost of the acceptance of the Kirckman harpsichord, announced on 14 February, has been reduced to £25,276.95.
NATIONAL FINANCE
Taxation
Mr. Nigel Griffiths : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish a table showing tax and national insurance contributions, less child benefit, where appropriate, for 1990-91, and comparable figures for 1989-90 and 1978-79, with the multiples of average earnings of half, two thirds, one, five and 10 times for (a) a married couple with part-time working spouse, (b) a married couple plus two children with part-time working spouse and (c) a single person.
Mr. Lilley : The information requested for a single person is given in the table. Figures for married couples with part-time working spouse will depend on how much the part-time worker earns.
|c|Payments of income tax and national insurance contributions
by a|c|
|c|single person (£ per week at current prices)|c|
|c|Multiples of average male earnings<1>|c|
|1/2 |2/3 |1 |5 |10
-----------------------------------------------------------------
1978-79 |10.93 |17.04 |29.25 |242.17 |625.97
1989-90<2> |32.71 |48.60 |80.31 |506.61 |1,066.61
1990-91 |33.98 |51.23 |85.62 |553.05 |1,160.65
<1> Full time males on adult rates (all occupations), using
illustrative assumption of 8" per cent. growth in earnings
between 1989-90 and 1990-91.
<2> Financial year average of pre- and post-October regimes for
employees national insurance contributions.
Ivory
Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if any ivory is currently being held by Her Majesty's Customs and Excise.
Mr. Ryder : Yes. Quantities of ivory are regularly seized by customs and held pending disposal.
Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he is now in a position to produce records of ivory seizures since 12 April 1989.
Mr. Ryder : No. As I said in my reply of 23 October 1989, Official Report, columns 286-87 to an earlier question on this topic, detailed information about such seizures is compiled only periodically. Customs will be doing so in connection with publication of the commissioners' annual report for the year ending 31 March 1990.
Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will give details of the fate of the five consignments of ivory held at Heathrow airport and referred to in his reply to the hon. Member for Newham, North- West on 6 June 1989, Official Report, column 118.
Mr. Ryder : All five consignments have now been seized. No further details can be given at this stage because court proceedings in relation to forfeiture of the goods are in prospect.
Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many consignments of ivory were detained or seized by customs officers in 1989 and 1990 to date.
Mr. Ryder : Records of detentions which do not result in seizure are not maintained centrally and information about them could be obtained only at disproportionate expense. Information about seizures is compiled only periodically. Customs will be doing so in connection with publication of the commissioners' annual report for the year ending 31 March 1990.
Income Tax Mrs. Ray Michie : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what was the revenue from income tax in Scotland, broken down by district and islands authorities, in (a) the period between April 1987 and April 1988 and (b) the period between April 1988 and April 1989 ;
(2) what was the total revenue from income tax raised in Scotland in (a) the period between April 1987 and April 1988 and (b) the period between April 1988 and April 1989.
Mr. Lilley : The latest information is for the 1987-88 tax year and covers the income tax liabilities of residents of Scotland. The estimates in the table are based on samples, which places limitations on their reliability, particularly in the case of smaller districts.
|c|Income tax liability of
residents-1987-88|c|
Districts |£ million
------------------------------------------
Borders |90
Central |192
Dumfries and Galloway |121
Fife |231
Grampian |351
Highland |150
Lothian |559
Strathclyde |1,410
Tayside |224
Island Authorities |59
Scotland |3,380
Banking Services
Mr. David Davis : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he proposes to publish the Government's response to the report of the review committee on banking services law and practice.
Mr. Major : The Government's full response to the report of the review committee is published today in a White Paper "Banking Services : Law and Practice" Cm1026.
The review committee was commissioned by the Government, jointly with the Bank of England, in January 1987 to undertake a full review of the legal framework for banking services. The committee was chaired by Professor Robert Jack CBE, and the other members were Mrs. Liliana Archibald and Mr. Geoffrey Taylor. Their report, which was published on 23 February 1989 (Cm622), provided a very clear and comprehensive critique of the existing law. The Government are extremely grateful to the committee for all its work in producing the report.
The committee found that the legislative framework had stood the test of time remarkably well, despite the very rapid changes seen in banking in recent years ; there were no major deficiencies or gaps, but the committee indentified a number of areas where banking practice could be improved and where they felt the law might be usefully clarified or tightened up. The Government made it clear when the committee's report was published that in considering their response to its recommendations, they would wish to take full account of the views of those who would be affected by the proposals, and would, therefore, consider carefully the implications for bankers, their customers and the general public interest. This the Government have done. The names of those who submitted comments on the review committee's report are set out in the White Paper.
The Committee's central recommendation was, in fact, addressed to the banks and building societies, rather than to the Government. It was that they should prepare and adopt a code of banking practice, aimed at ensuring that customers were made fully aware of the basis on which banks or building societies would conduct their dealings. The code would, for example, specify that customers should be given information in clear and simple language about the terms of their contract with the banker and the rights and obligations that apply on both sides ; customers would be told of their rights to privacy under the law and the very limited circumstances in which any information about their personal finances may be passed on ; customers would be told how to lodge a complaint if that proved necessary, how such complaints would be dealt with, and how matters might be referred to the relevant ombudsman ; they should be told what banking charges might be levied in what circumstances ; and they should be given a simple explanaton of the timing of the clearing cycle and when they might normally expect funds from a cleared cheque to be available.
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The Banking Information Service announced on 1 March 1990 that an independent committe under the chairmanship of Sir George Blunden (former deputy governor of the Bank of England) had been set up to oversee the preparation of such a code by the British Bankers' Assocation, the Building Societies Association and the Association for Payment Clearing Services. The aim would be to get the main sections of the code in place by early 1991. The Government warmly welcome this initiative, and in particular welcomes the fact that the banks and building societies have undertaken to consult the consumer interests fully before the code is introduced. The White Paper comments on a number of issues which the Goverment expect the banks and building societies to wish to consider in the preparation of the code, in line with the recommendation of the review committee. These include notification of bank charges, credit marketing and customer privacy.The review committee made a large number of other recommendations, some of them on highly technical points of banking law, and some involving codification of existing case law or consolidation of existing legislation. In drawing up their response, the Government have carefully considered the comments of interested parties and proposed legislation only where some change is justified and where the intended effect cannot be achieved in another way, such as through the proposed code of banking practice. In general, the Government have accepted the spirit, if not the detail, of most of the committee's recommendations.
The points on which the Government will legislate in due course are set out in annex 9 of the White Paper. They include extending to all payment cards the present £50 limit on customer liability for losses and the ban on unsolicited mailing of cards and PINs which at present applies only to credit cards ; tightening up banks' liability for the failure of electronic funds transfer equipment ; clarifying the legal status of the various crossings and markings such as "account payee" on cheques ; allowing for the "truncation" of cheques (that is, allowing banks to exchange electronic information about cheques and not the actual pieces of paper) ; amending and updating the Bills of Exchange Act ; and dealing with a number of other detailed points raised by the Committee. These proposals will be implemented when other pressures on the legislative timetable permit.
The review committee made the key point in their report that in considering any proposals in the field of banking services it is important, above all, to preserve flexibility, and to avoid cramping competition and innovation by excessive regulation. The Government wholeheartedly endorse that view. In recent years, it has been competition within a flexible regulatory framework that has benefited the customer most. It is from this source that further improvements are most likely to come ; and that is the primary principle underlying the Government's response to the review committee's report.
Child Benefit
Mr. Squire : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the savings would be of taxing the child benefit for taxpayers at the 40 per cent. tax rate in 1990-91.
Mr. Lilley [holding answer 26 March 1990] : The direct revenue yield for 1990-91 from taxing child benefit--which is paid to the mother--at 40 per cent. for those married
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women and single parents liable to higher rate tax is estimated to be about £20 million. If child benefit were taxed at the higher marginal rate of either spouse the yield, including that from single parents, is estimated at £175 million.Consultancies
Mr. Tim Smith : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what was the total amount spent by Her Majesty's Treasury in 1989 on management and computer consultancy contracts, excluding hardware and software purchases ; if he will list each management or computer consultancy contract awarded by Her Majesty's Treasury in 1989, giving in each case the name of the consultancy firm and the subject of the assignment ; and what is the total amount that Her Majesty's Treasury has budgeted to spend in the current year ;
(2) what was the total amount spent by the Central Computer and Telecommunications Agency in 1989 on management and computer consultancy contracts, excluding hardware and software purchases ; if he will list each management or computer consultancy contract awarded by the Central Computer and Telecommunications Agency in 1989, giving in each case the name of the consulting firm and the subject of the assignment ; and what is the total amount that the Central Computer and Telecommunications Agency has budgeted to spend in the current year.
Mr. Ryder [holding answer 28 March 1990] : We estimate that our expenditure in the financial year 1989-90 will be some £5.1 million, including some £4.7 million by the Central Computer and Telecommunications Agency. Figures given include the cost of development studies, which in turn include the cost of associated hardware and software ; the latter items are not separately indentifiable.
The budget for the financial year 1990-91 is some £6.9 million, including some £6.3 million for the Central Computer and Telecommunications Agency.
Firm and subject of assignment :
Roger Tym & Partners--Freeports study.
Transtech Consultancy services--Preparation of seminar on Transport and Distribution ; production of technical guidance on car contract hire and model contract and employee agreements.
KPMG Peat Marwick--Contribution to the development of the Treasury's initiative on policy evaluation.
Coopers & Lybrand Assoc--Contribution to the development of the Treasury's initiative on policy evaluation.
Arthur Young--Contribution to the development of the Treasury's initiative on policy evaluation.
Moody International Developments--Materials handling.
Brian Farrington Ltd--Preparation of CUP guidance on purchasing procedures.
Linzey Associates--Advice on strategic and practical aspects of purchasing and supply.
C. D. Boylan--Advice on issues relating to project sponsorship and "untying" of services from PSA.
P. N. Parry--Preparation of CUP guidance on the management of works projects.
R. W. White--Advice on the implementation of the new recruitment and personnel management arrangements for the Purchasing and Supply Function in Government.
Logica (UK) Ltd--Consultancy Support for Government IT Infrastructure Management Methodology.
National Computing Centre--Consultancy for GOSIP Support. Robert Wilmot-- Consultancy for GOSIP Support.
Security and Standards Consultancy Ltd--Consultancy for GOSIP Support.
PA Consulting Group--Consultancy Support on IS (Information Systems) Guide.
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Ashpier Ltd--Consultancy Support to Government Telecommunications Network (GTN).Eosys--Consultancy Support to Government Telecommunications Network (GTN).
Butler Cox--Consultancy for GDN-SIGNET.
Kermon Associaties--Consultancy for GDN-SIGNET.
Touche Ross & Co--Consultancy for GDN-SIGNET.
Ernst and Young--Consultancy for GDN-SIGNET.
Fastcharm Ltd--Provision of Consultancy Support.
Rollstest Ltd--Provision of Consultancy Support.
Grafton Dale Associates--Provision of Consultancy Support. GSB Computer Projects Ltd--Provision of Consultancy Support. Yale Data Management Consultants Ltd--Provision of Consultancy Support.
Coopers and Lybrand--Provision of Consultancy Support.
Quality Business Systems--Consultancy assistance with development of IT Infrastructure Library.
M Davighi--Consultancy assistance with development of IT Infrastructure Library.
Protocol International--Consultancy assistance with development of IT Infrastructure Library.
DJH Consultancy Services Ltd--Consultancy Assistance with development of IT Infrastructure Library.
Civil Service College--Consultancy assistance with development of IT infrastructure Library.
Crown Suppliers--Consultancy assistance with development of IT Infrastructure Library.
Babelease Ltd--Development of PROMPT and Configuration Management Method.
Kermon Associates Development of CCTA Telecommunications Guide. Kermon Associates--Scoping Study on Automation of CCTA Standing Arrangement Procedures.
Logica (UK) Ltd--Development Study into NSAP Address Allocation Requirements in Government.
Praxis--Technical Authorship of CT5 Procurement Manual.
Rede Group--Development of CT3 Quality Management System for use within Government organisations.
Logica (UK) Ltd--Development of CT3 Quality Management System for use within Government organisations.
BIS Applied Systems--Development Study for phase 1 of CRAMM software.
Electronic Facilities Design--Review of Procurement Process. Ingham Partnership--Assistance with User Interface Work. Husat Consultancy-- Production of Reference Model for I.S.E. CSM--University of Durham--Survey of Software Maintenance. Computer Sciences Co Ltd--Specialist technical support for Computer Supported Co-operative Working Study (CSAW).
Sunderland Polytechnic--Development of an SSADM and SDM Interface. Metier Management Systems Ltd.--Enhancement to ADEPT Version 2. J. Chittenden (FORMAT)--Assistance with Desktop Publishing for SSADM Version 4.
Ipsys Software plc.--Assistance with Process Logic Definition (PLD) Project.
Calyx--Consultancy for Computer Operations Management Module. Logica (UK) Ltd.--Office Document Architecture (CODA) Scoping Study.
DMW Group Ltd.--Value Added Data Services (VADS) Security Development System.
Deuce Systems--Amendments to the CRAMM User Guide.
Admiral Management--Feasibility Study into the use of ISO9000 in connection with a Quality Management System.
DJH Consultancy Ltd.--Development of IT Infrastructure Management Codes of Practice.
Systems Assurance--Review of Guidelines for top management on Human Factors.
Systems Concepts--Review of Guidelines for top management on Human Factors.
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