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Mr. Win Griffiths : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the ratio between the pensions of single people and couples ; and when it was last reviewed.
Miss Widdecombe : There is no basic retirement pension rate for married couples as such. The full category A pension for a single person stands currently at £46.90. A married man on this rate of pension can claim an adult
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dependency increase (ADI) of £28.20 for a wife under 60 years of age ; a wife over pensionable age could receive a category BL pension in her own right at the same rate, based on her husband's contributions. Since 1973, both the ADI and the category BL pension have been uprated in line with the single category A pension. This has meant that the ratio of the ADI or category BL to the single category A retirement pension has remained at about 60 per cent. since 1973.Local Government Finance
Mr. Colvin : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will make a statement on the reasons for his decision to reduce the level of specific grant assistance to direct housing benefit and community charge benefit from 1991-92 for the district councils in the counties of Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.
Miss Widdecombe : The reduction in the rate of direct benefit subsidy from 97 per cent. to 95 per cent. which will apply to all authorities in Great Britain, is a modest adjustment in the balance between direct and indirect subsidy, designed to promote economy and efficiency in the handling of public funds.
Attendance Allowance
Mr. Alfred Morris : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many awards of attendance allowance were for periods of (a) two years, (b) one year, (c) nine months, (d) six months, and (e) any other period of less than three years, in the last year for which figures are available.
Mr. Scott : The information is not available in the precise form requested. Such information as is available is in the table. I understand that it is not the normal practice for the attendance allowance board to issue certificates to new beneficiaries for less than a year. The vast majority of short period certificates are issued on occasions when we need to ensure that there is no break of entitlement on renewal claims or during the processing of a review.
Awards made during period 1 October 1989 to 30 September 1990
|Lower rate |Higher rate|Total
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Under 1 year |228 |138 |366
1 to 2 years |11,942 |7,536 |19,478
2 to 3 years |9,641 |5,777 |15,418
|--- |--- |---
Total under 3 years |21,811 |13,451 |35,262
Disability Living Allowance
Mr. Alfred Morris : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) what is his estimate of the cost of the reduction of the five- year age limit for the mobility component of disability living allowance to (a) three years and (b) two years ; and if he will make a statement ;
(2) what is his estimate of the cost of abolition of the five-year age limit for the mobility component of disability living allowance ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Scott : The number of potential beneficiaries from a reduction in the lower age limit for the mobility component cannot be predicted with any great degree of certainty. Our best estimate, however, based on analyses of
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the OPCS disability surveys is that the abolition of the age limit would cost about £35 million a year ; a reduction in the age limit to three years would cost about £25 million and a reduction to two years about £30 million.Mr. Alfred Morris : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is his estimate of the cost of reduction of the three-month waiting period for disability living allowance to (a) two months and (b) one month ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Scott : The costs would be (a) about £35 million a year and (b) about £65 million a year.
Mr. Alfred Morris : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is his estimate of the cost of abolition of the three-month waiting period for disability living allowance ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Scott : The cost would be about £100 million a year.
Benefit Values
Mr. Meacher : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) if he will give the cash level of benefits in November 1979 and April 1991, and the real-terms change in the value using the change in the retail price index or Rossi index, as appropriate, between November 1979 and September 1990, using November 1979 as 100 for(i) retirement pension, (ii) unemployment benefit,(iii) sickness benefit, (iv) industrial disablement benefit,(v) industrial death benefit, (vi) maternity allowance,(vii) war disablement pension, (viii) war widows pension, (ix) attendance allowance, (x) invalid care allowance,(xi) severe disablement allowance, (xii) child benefit for first and second and subsequent children separately and (xiii) one parent benefit giving, where appropriate, the single and couple and higher and lower rate separately ;
(2) if he will give the cash level of benefits in November 1979 and April 1991, and the real-terms change in the value using the change in the index for average gross weekly earnings, all full-time workers on adult rates in all industries and services, excluding those whose pay was affected by absence between November 1979 and September 1990, using November 1979 as 100 for(i) retirement pension, (ii) unemployment benefit,(iii) sickness benefit, (iv) industrial disablement benefit,(v) industrial death benefit, (vi) maternity allowance,(vii) war disablement pension, (viii) war widows pension, (ix) attendance allowance, (x) invalid care allowance,(xi) severe disablement allowance, (xii) child benefit for first and second and subsequent children separately and (xiii) one parent benefit giving, where appropriate, the single and couple and higher and lower rate separately.
Miss Widdecombe : It is not yet possible to calculate the "real- terms" change in the value of benefits that are due for payment in April 1991, and it would not be meaningful to make calculations to average benefit rates over a particular period on the basis of movements in prices over a different period. Nor is it meaningful to calculate a "real-terms change" by reference to an index of earnings.
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NORTHERN IRELAND
Speech Therapy
Mr. Beggs : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) what is the annual cost incurred through purchasing special speech therapy services etc. for Northern Ireland children provided outside the United Kingdom in each of the last five years ;
(2) how many children required special speech therapy which has to be obtained outside Northern Ireland in each of the last five years.
Mr. Hanley : The information is not held centrally, but I understand that such referrals as do occur are extremely rare.
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Chernobyl Accident
Mr. William Ross : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list the areas, and the size of each of those areas in acres, together with the number of sheep affected, which are still under restrictions arising from the nuclear accident at Chernobyl in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and indicate the percentage fall of radioactivity in (a) the peat, (b) the vegetation and (c) the sheep, since the accident occurred ; and when he now expects to be able to remove restrictions on the movement of sheep in those areas.
Mr. Hanley [holding answer 4 December 1990] : Restrictions on movement and slaughter of sheep in Northern Ireland apply in the following areas :
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|Glenshane |Belraugh |Glenwherry
|County |County |County
|Londonderry |Londonderry |Antrim
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Acreage |10,744 |2,247 |8,620
Estimated number of breeding sheep |11,300 |3,000 |7,000
Monitoring of radioactivity levels in survey flocks has demonstrated no significant fall in radioactivity levels. The available research data from sampling of vegetation and soil/peat does not allow firm conclusions to be reached.
It is not possible to predict how long restrictions will need to stay in force. They will be lifted as soon as it is possible to do so without compromising the safety of the food chain.
Chernobyl Accident
Mr. William Ross : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what investigations have been carried out to determine the effect of the Chernobyl accident on those rivers in Northern Ireland which drain the areas affected by the accident ; if any rise in radioactivity has been observed in the waters of those rivers and streams during (a) drought conditions and (b) flood conditions ; whether any rise in radioactivity has been observed in the flesh of (i) trout, (ii) coarse fish, (iii) salmon or sea trout and (iv) smelts of salmon or sea trout ; and if there has been any attempt to discover whether the spawn of such fish has been affected.
Mr. Hanley [holding answer 4 December 1990] : Radioactivity levels in Northern Ireland waters and in fish following the Chernobyl incident were low and have since declined to very low levels. These levels would have no impact on fish populations. The specific investigations referred to have not therefore been considered necessary.
Mr. William Ross : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what investigations have been carried out into the effect on (a) hares and rabbits, (b) red grouse, snipe pheasant and woodcock, (c) rooks and jackdaws, (d) grey crows, ravens, magpies and buzzards and (e) falcons and hawks, of the nuclear accident at Chernobyl in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics ; and if he will indicate the amount of radioactivity present in the flesh of the various species as a result of that accident in those areas of Northern Ireland affected by that accident.
Mr. Hanley [holding answer 4 December 1990] : Monitoring of the levels of radioactivity in wild species
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subsequent to the Chernobyl incident was discontinued when levels were found to be well below the control limit of 1,000 bq/kg.Social Fund
Mr. William Ross : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will publish a table in the Official Report to show for each year since the present system came into operation and the current year to date how many times the social fund commissioner has referred appeals back to the local office and in how many of such cases of referral in each year the local office refused to pay.
Mr. Hanley [holding answer 4 December 1990] : The readily available information is as follows :
Social Fund Review
Applications
|1988-89 |1989-90 |<2>1990
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Cases referred back by Social Fund
Inspectors to Social Fund
Officers for redetermination |81 |595 |395
Cases in which no payment was
made as a result of
redetermination |<1>- |208 |208
<1>Not available
<2>April-October
Loans and Grants
Mr. William Ross : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will publish a table in the Official Report to show for each Department of Health and Social Services office in Northern Ireland what sums were available for (a) crisis loans, (b) budgeting loans and (c) community care grants in each year since the system was introduced and the current year to the latest available date ; how much was expended in each area in each year ; and what was the percentage under or overspent in each area and year.
Mr. Hanley [holding answer 4 December 1990] : The information is not available in the precise format requested as in the allocation of resources for loans from
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the social fund no distinction is made between crisis and budgeting loans. Otherwise the details for each office are shown in the following tables :Column 199
Year ended 31 March 1989
Social Security OffiLoans Community care grants
|Budget |Expenditure |Percentage |Budget |Expenditure |Percentage
|(over)/under |(over)/under
|spend |spend
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Andersonstown |905,619 |835,186 |7.78 |471,353 |441,620 |6.31
Antrim |435,034 |393,813 |9.48 |227,975 |127,348 |44.14
Armagh |322,985 |256,080 |20.72 |170,219 |91,105 |46.48
Ballymena |379,364 |328,289 |13.47 |199,742 |70,666 |64.63
Ballymoney |271,671 |195,554 |28.02 |142,756 |44,901 |68.55
Ballynahinch |41,788 |30,725 |26.48 |22,590 |22,537 |0.24
Banbridge |159,069 |128,283 |19.36 |84,721 |56,825 |32.93
Bangor |177,038 |165,034 |6.78 |94,874 |80,094 |15.58
Carrickfergus |165,336 |158,956 |3.86 |87,156 |46,653 |46.48
Coleraine |428,571 |334,107 |22.05 |224,795 |103,022 |54.17
Cookstown |260,206 |231,603 |11.00 |136,787 |133,318 |2.54
Corporation Street |1,078,670 |1,002,369 |7.08 |565,760 |359,933 |36.38
Downpatrick |164,193 |155,620 |5.25 |86,599 |44,425 |48.70
Dungannon |405,542 |346,935 |14.48 |213,702 |130,350 |39.01
Enniskillen |301,787 |264,600 |12.33 |161,813 |132,945 |17.84
Falls |753,462 |717,088 |4.83 |392,588 |144,096 |63.30
Holywood Road |489,148 |448,035 |8.41 |258,404 |209,835 |18.80
Kilkeel |58,162 |37,235 |35.98 |31,118 |23,337 |25.01
Knockbreda |253,421 |243,974 |3.73 |137,060 |131,105 |4.35
Larne |163,604 |163,595 |0.01 |85,372 |43,962 |48.51
Limavady |142,863 |138,857 |2.81 |73,986 |65,599 |11.34
Lisburn |730,380 |514,827 |29.52 |385,532 |124,677 |67.66
Londonderry |1,164,923 |1,103,178 |5.30 |606,217 |606,217 |Nil
Lurgan |848,299 |469,567 |44.65 |445,083 |347,560 |21.92
Magherafelt |435,749 |227,776 |47.73 |229,896 |218,354 |5.02
Newcastle |76,819 |63,520 |17.32 |40,816 |19,783 |51.53
Newry |697,358 |441,005 |36.76 |366,163 |179,437 |51.00
Newtownabbey |273,545 |267,913 |2.06 |143,538 |47,940 |66.60
Newtownards |142,875 |138,180 |3.29 |76,297 |59,471 |22.06
Omagh |395,880 |347,434 |12.24 |208,563 |91,740 |56.02
Portadown |209,130 |206,933 |1.05 |111,211 |111,201 |0.09
Shaftesbury Square |584,247 |455,628 |22.02 |305,219 |151,991 |50.21
Shankill |381,282 |368,042 |3.48 |201,247 |164,104 |18.46
Strabane |402,120 |376,556 |6.36 |210,940 |109,666 |48.01
Year ended 31 March 1990
Loans Community care grants
Social security office |Budget |Expenditure |Percentage |Budget |Expenditure |Percentage
|(over)/under |(over)/under
|spend |spend
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Andersonstown |932,410 |932,409 |- |442,394 |442,384 |-
Antrim |461,317 |455,925 |1.16 |225,670 |225,664 |-
Armagh |318,737 |318,735 |- |169,258 |168,686 |0.33
Ballymena |385,109 |352,864 |8.38 |197,790 |186,791 |5.56
Ballymoney |268,617 |248,006 |7.68 |138,228 |137,904 |0.23
Ballynahinch |44,710 |44,650 |0.14 |25,629 |25,608 |0.08
Banbridge |160,814 |158,489 |1.45 |86,686 |86,653 |0.03
Bangor |187,166 |183,394 |2.02 |94,295 |90,095 |4.45
Carrickfergus |171,258 |169,961 |0.76 |94,626 |93,085 |1.62
Coleraine |427,065 |415,569 |2.69 |225,561 |225,560 |-
Cookstown |257,932 |226,143 |12.33 |147,724 |147,683 |0.02
Corporation Street |1,065,039 |1,039,844 |2.37 |566,210 |566,210 |-
Downpatrick |168,476 |162,151 |3.76 |87,131 |87,126 |-
Dungannon |406,060 |387,119 |4.67 |218,442 |218,534 |(0.04)
Enniskillen |311,496 |304,279 |2.32 |185,626 |185,622 |-
Falls |801,039 |801,023 |0.01 |391,347 |391,341 |-
Holywood Road |522,199 |517,724 |0.85 |274,270 |270,605 |1.33
Kilkeel |59,062 |56,975 |3.53 |32,365 |32,362 |-
Knockbreda |283,005 |282,139 |0.30 |156,027 |156,068 |(0.02)
Larne |170,264 |170,307 |(0.02) |86,575 |85,355 |1.40
Limavady |152,072 |150,787 |0.84 |83,371 |83,370 |-
Lisburn |698,751 |504,315 |27.82 |298,379 |286,797 |3.88
Londonderry |1,186,623 |1,174,356 |1.03 |619,379 |619,379 |-
Lurgan |794,217 |552,882 |30.38 |416,837 |416,775 |0.01
Magherafelt |413,409 |337,665 |18.32 |241,428 |241,427 |-
Newcastle |78,413 |69,357 |11.54 |41,673 |41,570 |0.24
Newry |679,813 |679,785 |0.01 |383,001 |382,994 |-
Newtownabbey |296,905 |296,884 |0.01 |143,676 |143,602 |0.05
Newtownards |153,776 |150,343 |2.23 |82,283 |81,884 |0.48
Omagh |394,289 |366,896 |6.94 |196,030 |185,720 |5.25
Portadown |219,015 |218,933 |0.03 |123,249 |123,220 |0.02
Shaftesbury Square |584,744 |557,399 |4.67 |297,163 |293,675 |1.17
Shankill |397,224 |397,549 |(0.08) |209,008 |209,008 |-
Strabane |405,014 |386,768 |4.50 |218,761 |218,488 |0.12
Current year to 31 October 1990
Loans Community care grants
Social Security Office |Budget |Expenditure |Per cent. |Budget |Expenditure |Per cent.
|spent year to |spent year to
|date |date
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Andersonstown |915,636 |546,402 |59.67 |424,212 |220,989 |52.09
Antrim |448,499 |252,974 |56.40 |229,953 |118,573 |51.56
Armagh |317,106 |178,753 |56.37 |166,613 |83,719 |50.25
Ballymena |383,728 |171,570 |44.71 |192,327 |101,451 |52.75
Ballymoney |265,554 |157,798 |59.42 |136,757 |61,184 |44.74
Ballynahinch |48,703 |26,075 |53.54 |29,384 |16,897 |57.50
Banbridge |162,037 |98,793 |60.97 |92,455 |52,810 |57.12
Bangor |196,414 |101,006 |51.43 |108,115 |44,341 |41.01
Carrickfergus |175,273 |95,395 |54.43 |92,650 |45,183 |48.77
Coleraine |429,403 |208,141 |48.47 |226,051 |113,536 |50.23
Cookstown |254,167 |134,632 |52.97 |143,750 |71,949 |50.05
Corporation Street |1,059,369 |607,133 |57.31 |601,174 |350,683 |58.33
Downpatrick |172,124 |97,529 |56.66 |88,394 |48,495 |54.86
Dungannon |400,736 |223,775 |55.84 |214,197 |134,082 |62.60
Enniskillen |327,961 |211,835 |64.59 |194,388 |137,324 |70.64
Falls |799,911 |486,250 |60.79 |387,353 |223,462 |57.69
Holywood Road |529,377 |306,695 |57.94 |291,329 |168,377 |57.80
Kilkeel |61,022 |33,713 |55.25 |34,267 |14,034 |40.95
Knockbreda |286,501 |156,001 |54.45 |168,729 |105,763 |62.68
Larne |178,239 |103,031 |57.80 |92,327 |51,461 |55.74
Limavady |162,347 |81,359 |50.11 |84,517 |45,695 |54.07
Lisburn |652,879 |261,125 |40.00 |339,746 |170,752 |50.26
Londonderry |1,204,827 |707,300 |58.71 |650,955 |368,909 |56.67
Lurgan |730,837 |309,606 |42.36 |400,229 |226,086 |56.49
Magherafelt |394,742 |196,717 |49.83 |237,957 |108,271 |45.50
Newcastle |80,162 |30,004 |37.43 |45,232 |22,733 |50.26
Newry |678,334 |357,937 |52.77 |362,648 |257,951 |71.13
Newtownabbey |304,808 |161,170 |52.88 |145,336 |82,457 |56.74
Newtownards |163,269 |91,184 |55.85 |89,635 |56,915 |63.50
Omagh |394,944 |233,628 |59.15 |199,907 |110,044 |55.05
Portadown |221,537 |123,855 |55.91 |121,907 |64,759 |53.12
Shaftesbury Square |586,871 |313,012 |53.34 |294,472 |167,657 |56.93
Shankill |403,126 |198,728 |49.30 |214,459 |107,092 |49.94
Strabane |409,558 |202,904 |49.54 |218,574 |126,559 |57.90
HOME DEPARTMENT
Broadcasting
Mr. Paice : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will seek a meeting with the chairman of the Independent Broadcasting Authority and the shadow ITC to discuss the case for assurances from British Satellite Broadcasting, British Sky Broadcasting and News International about the expeditious honouring of contractual commitments of British Satellite Broadcasting to its customers, manufacturers and retailers ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : No. It would not be right for Ministers to become involved in contractual issues of this kind which must be for the parties concerned to pursue direct with the new company.
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Police Firearms
Sir John Wheeler : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department in how many operations firearms were issued to police officers in England and Wales for the years 1983 to the present ; in how many of those operations shots were fired by police officers ; how many police officers are currently qualified to carry firearms ; and what were the equivalent figures for each of the previous seven years.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : Information relating to the police use of firearms in operations against criminals or others known or believed to be armed is given in the following table.
Year |Number of |Number of |Number of
|authorised|operations|occasions
|firearms |when shots
|officers |fired
-------------------------------------------------------
1983 |13,044 |3,180 |3
1984 |11,873 |2,667 |6
1985 |10,244 |2,488 |7
1986 |8,395 |2,453 |1
1987 |7,349 |2,185 |7
1988 |7,194 |2,227 |2
1989 |7,311 |2,583 |4
Despite a small increase in 1989, the trend over the period shows a significant reduction in the number of authorised firearms officers. The decrease reflects the emphasis placed by chief officers on having highly trained firearms officers in numbers no greater than is operationally necessary.
Purchasing
Mr. Devlin : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement about the purchasing policy of his Department.
Mr. Kenneth Baker : The Department follows the Government's policy that purchasers should base all procurement of goods and services on value for money, including quality, or fitness for purpose and delivery against price. In accordance with that policy, goods and services are acquired by competition unless there are convincing reasons to the contrary. Under EC rules, and the GATT Government agreement (GPA) where appropriate, my Department is obliged to award relevant contracts in accordance with the prescribed procedures aimed at avoiding discrimination on the grounds of nationality.
Mr. Devlin : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what were the 10 worst purchases made by his Department in the month of October as measured against the Government's supply index ; (2) what were his Department's (a) best and (b) worst purchases made in the current month as compared with the Government's supply index.
Mr. Kenneth Baker : Information on my Department's best and worst purchases made in the current month as compared with the Governments supply index is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Administrative Costs
Mr. Devlin : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the administrative costs of his Department rose by more or less than the retail price index in the last financial year.
Mr. Kenneth Baker : Gross running costs expenditure on Home Office administration was 10.3 per cent. higher in 1989-90 than in the previous year. During the same period the retail prices index increased by 7.8 per cent.
Political Advisers
Mr. Vaz : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the names and salaries of each political adviser working in his Department.
Mr. Kenneth Baker : Mr. Tony Kerpel. It is not the practice to disclose the salaries of special advisers as they are negotiated individually in relation to previous outside earnings and are therefore confidential.
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Derbyshire Constabulary
Mr. Oppenheim : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will publish the report of Her Majesty's Inspector of Constabulary on Derbyshire constabulary.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : The report has been published today and copies have been placed in the Library.
Distress Warrants
Mr. Nellist : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the reply to the hon. Member for Huddersfield (Mr. Sheerman) on 22 November 1990 Official Report, column 175, on distress warrants, if he will classify by type the numbers of distress warrants issued in each of the last three years ; and how many of these led to property seizure and sale.
Mr. John Patten [holding answer 3 December 1990] : Information on the number of distress warrants is obtained from the magistrates courts' management information system, and the only breakdown available is as follows :
Distress warrants issued in respect of arrears on:
|Fine and Fee accounts|Maintenance accounts
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1987 |185,000 |200
1988 |560,000 |600
1989 |587,000 |2,800
Information is not available on the action occurring after the issue of a warrant.
OVERSEAS DEVELOPMENT
Angola
Mr. Rowe : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when the Government plan to make available further humanitarian assistance to Angola.
Mrs. Chalker : I very much welcome the agreement of all parties in Angola to the United Nations special relief programme. I have this week approved a further £500,000 of relief assistance for the victims of drought and civil war in Angola. This is in addition to our earlier agreement to help meet the cost of a team of United Nations relief co- ordinators and brings the total of our relief assistance to Angola to £1.5 million since September last year.
NATIONAL ASSISTANCE
Inflation
14. Mr. Grocott : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he intends to start publishing the rate of inflation excluding mortgage interest rates and the poll tax in the retail prices index press release.
Mrs. Gillian Shephard : My right hon. Friend has no plans to do so. Data for the retail prices index excluding mortgage interest payments and the community charge are available upon request from the Central Statistical Office press office.
19. Mr. Corbyn : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the current level of inflation ; and what are the predictions for the next 12 months.
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Mr. Maples : The all-items retail prices index inflation rate was 10.9 per cent. in October. The autumn statement forecast is for a sharp fall to 5 per cent. by the fourth quarter of next year.Mr. Harry Greenway : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the average rate of inflation from 1979 to the latest convenient date ; and what was the comparable figure for the preceding five years.
Mr. Maples : Between October 1979 and October 1990, the latest available date, the retail prices index increased by an average of 7.3 per cent. per annum. The corresponding average annual increase between October 1974 and October 1979 was 15.8 per cent.
Inflation (European Community Countries)
15. Mr. Corbett : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many countries in the European Community have a higher rate of inflation than the United Kingdom.
Privatisation
16. Mr. Boyes : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the total gross costs to the Exchequer associated with the privatisation programme have been to date.
Mr. Norman Lamont : £1 billion has been paid in fees and other costs to privatisation advisers and contractors.
Interest Rates
17. Mr. Bernie Grant : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has received from the Confederation of British Industry on the current level of interest rates.
Mrs. Gillian Shephard : My right hon. Friend has seen the CBI's latest economic situation report.
22. Mr. Duffy : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the current level of interest rates.
Mrs. Gillian Shephard : Bank base rates are 14 per cent.
Departmental (Expenditure)
18. Dr. Reid : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which Departments are planned to have less money in real terms in 1993-94 than they spent in 1990-91 on estimated outturns.
Mr. Mellor : I refer the hon. Gentleman to table 1A.10 of the 1990 autumn statement.
Taxes and National Insurance
20. Mr. Morgan : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the percentage of gross income paid in total taxation including national insurance by a married couple with one earner and two children on average wages and treating child benefit as negative income tax in 1978-79 and 1989 -90.
Mrs. Gillian Shephard : Approximately 35 per cent. and 36 per cent. respectively. Over the same period, measured
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at 1990 prices, the same family has enjoyed an increase in real net income of over £58 per week, compared with a rise of less than £1.40 under the last Labour Government.25. Dr. Kim Howells : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of non-oil gross domestic product non-oil taxes and national insurance contributions represented in (a) 1978-79 and (b) 1989-90.
Mr. Maples : In 1978-79 it was 34 per cent. and 37 per cent. in 1989 -90.
Child Benefit
21. Mr. Watson : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he last met representatives of the Trades Union Congress to discuss child benefit.
Mr. Norman Lamont : I have not met representatives of the Trades Union Congress to discuss child benefit.
Growth Forecast
23. Mr. Tom Clarke : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has received from the Confederation of British Industry about his forecast for growth in 1991.
Mr. Mellor : None, but I have seen the Confederation of British Industry's latest economic situation report.
Charities
24. Mr. Wallace : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has received regarding the future status of charities with regard to liability for value added tax.
Mrs. Gillian Shephard : My ministerial colleagues and I receive numerous representations about the future VAT position of charities. We make it clear in reply that we are committed to securing the right conditions for charitable activity to flourish, both now and in the single market after 1992.
Public Spending
26. Mr. Battle : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has received from the Confederation of British Industry about the public spending total for 1992-93.
Mr. Mellor : My right hon. Friend receives representations from the Confederation of British Industry from time to time on a variety of economic matters, but none has specifically addressed the public spending total for 1992-93.
European Central Bank
27. Mr. Ted Garrett : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what response he has made to the report of the EC committee of central bank governors concerning a European central bank.
Mr. Norman Lamont : As the hon. Member knows, the work of the central bank governors was to establish what the arrangements might be if Governments decide that there should be such a bank. The Governor of the Bank of England has placed clearly on record the fundamental
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reservations of the United Kingdom authorities--that is, the Government and the bank--about a single currency and a single monetary authority.Income Tax
28. Mr. Carrington : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the percentage of personal income taken by income tax in 1979 and 1990.
Mr. Maples : The percentage of personal income taken by income tax has fallen from 20 per cent. in 1978-79 to 17 per cent. in 1990-91.
Oil Prices
Mr. Barry Field : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment has been made of the implications for monetary and budgetary policy of the increase in oil prices caused by the continuing crisis in the Gulf.
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Mr. Mellor : Tight monetary and fiscal policies are required to ensure that the effect of higher oil prices on inflation is not accommodated.
Business Expansion Scheme (Housing)
Mr. Soley : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the estimated cost to the Exchequer of each unit of accommodation under the business expansion scheme for housing.
Mr. Maude [holding answer 5 December 1990] : The cost per unit of accommodation of BES tax relief on residential property in 1988-89 is provisionally estimated as about £20,000. Information for 1989-90 is not yet available.
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