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Written Answers to Questions
Monday 18 February 1991
ATTORNEY-GENERAL
Legal Aid
Mr. Terry Fields : To ask the Attorney-General what provisions exist to ensure that solicitors engaged to represent DSS claimants on legal aid at early stages of appeal do not cease to represent them when their appeals reach critical stages and legal aid runs out ; and if he will make a statement.
The Attorney-General : Civil legal aid is granted by the legal aid board for most business in the county courts and the High Court subject to the applicant satisfying the board's financial eligibility and merits tests. The merits test is applied at the outset of a case to determine whether it is worth pursuing. Legal aid is not available for representation before social security appeal tribunals or the social security commissioners, but green form advice is available to prepare for the hearing.
ENVIRONMENT
Accommodation
Mr. Fearn : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what information his Department has on the number of people without permanent accommodation or temporary accommodation for each local authority area (a) in the last quarter of 1990 and (b) in January 1991.
Mr. Yeo : My Department has no information on the numbers of people without permanent or temporary accommodation by individual local authority area. A count of persons sleeping rough is to be carried out in April as part of the 1991 population census.
Bed-and-Breakfast Accommodation
Mr. Fearn : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what information his Department has on the number of people in temporary bed-and -breakfast accommodation for each local authority area (a) in the last quarter of 1990 and (b) in January 1991.
Mr. Yeo : Local authorities have a statutory duty to secure accommodation for households who have been found to be homeless, or threatened with homelessness, under part III of the Housing Act 1985. Information on households dealt with under these provisions is reported quarterly to the Department.
The latest available figures for the number of homeless households in bed- and-breakfast accommodation are for the end of September 1990. They appear in table 7 of "Households found accommodation under the homelessness provisions of the 1985 Housing Act : England. Results for the third quarter 1990. Supplementary Tables", a copy of which is in the Library.
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Private Sector Leasing
Mr. Fearn : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what information he has on the number of people in private sector leasing provided by each local authority area (a) in the last quarter of 1990 and (b) in January 1991.
Mr. Yeo : Local authorities reported the number of dwellings leased by them with an original lease of less than three years in their annual housing investment programme returns for 1 April 1990. The information appears in "1990 HIP1 All Items Print", column A81, a copy of which is in the Library. My Department has no information on the number of people occupying these dwellings.
Maybury School, Woking
Mr. Onslow : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when his Department first became aware of the appeal against his decision in favour of Woking borough council's compulsory purchase order on the former Maybury school site in Woking ; and when he now expects to send instructions on this matter to the Treasury Solicitor.
Sir George Young : My Department was made aware of the appeal to the High Court against the decision to confirm the Woking BC (former Maybury County School Annexe) (No. 2) CPO 1989, by letter dated 25 October 1990. We have already instructed the Treasury Solicitor in the matter.
County Council Staff
Mr. Mans : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish a list showing the number of full-time equivalent staff employed by each individual shire county in England during 1990-91.
Mr. Key : I will write to my hon. Friend.
County Hall, London
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will take immediate steps to facilitate the use of county hall, London, for sheltering the homeless during the winter months ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Yeo : The London residuary body is preparing to dispose of county hall at the earliest convenient opportunity. The suggested use would not be consistent with the discharge of LRB's statutory duty to dispose of surplus property. A total of 700 places in emergency shelters are available for rough sleepers in London and will remain open while the very cold weather continues. Most of the shelters have been full, but some still have free spaces for rough sleepers to use.
Union Flags
Mr. Dunn : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what restrictions there are on the circumstances and numbers of occasions on which union flags can be flown from civic buildings at the direction of local authorities ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Key : There are no restrictions on the circumstances and numbers of occasions on which union flags can be
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flown from civic buildings. It is for local authorities to exercise their discretion for which they are answerable to their electorates.Housing
Mr. Fearn : To ask the Secretary of State for the Evironment what major research his Department has conducted or commissioned into the future housing needs in Britain.
Mr. Yeo : A significant part of the housing research programme is devoted to assessing the housing needs of specific groups. These include surveys of the housing needs of elderly and disabled people, of ethnic minorities, of low-income migrants and of those with AIDS and HIV infection. The Department is also examining the numbers and characteristics of those on local authority and housing association waiting lists compared with those who are allocated social housing and the needs and aspirations of concealed households and of those who share their accommodation.
Sites of Special Scientific Interest
Mr. Hardy : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many sites of special scientific interest have been damaged or destroyed since the passing of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 ; and what is the total area of such sites.
Mr. Baldry : I refer the hon. Member to the answers I gave to him on 10 December 1990, Official Report , column 267 .
Private Rented Properties
Mr. Fearn : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will provide incentives to private sector landlords to improve the conditions of their properties.
Mr. Yeo : The main incentive a private landlord has to improve his property is that it will command a higher rent. If the additional rental income which can be expected is insufficient to pay for the works a house renovation grant may be available. A landlord will be entitled to such a grant if a repairs notice is served by the local housing authority.
Mr. Fearn : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will introduce legislation to improve the minimum conditions standards for privately rented accommodation.
Mr. Yeo : The minimum standard of fitness of dwellings for human habitation in section 604 of the Housing Act 1985 was replaced by an improved standard set out in paragraph 83 of schedule 9 to the Local Government and Housing Act 1989. This applies to all properties, including those in the private rented sector, and includes provisions relating specifically to buildings containing flats. There are no plans for further legislative changes at present, although the matter is being kept under review.
Mortgage Possession Orders
Mr. Nellist : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many mortgage possession orders have been made in Coventry and the west midlands in each of the last five years to the latest available date and for each of the last 12 months.
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Mr. Yeo : Comprehensive information on mortgage possessions in the city of Coventry and west midlands conurbation, including properties surrendered without a court order, is not available. The available figures for possession orders made by the courts covering Coventry and the west midlands conurbation, not all of which are executed, are as follows :
Mortgage possession orders Year |Coventry |West midlands conurbation -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1987 |385 |2,702 1988 |536 |2,454 1989 |500 |2,434 1990 |325 |2,217
Parish and Town Councils
Mr. O'Brien : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he expects the university of Aston business school to report on the national survey of parish and town councils ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. O'Brien : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what are the terms of reference given to the university of Aston business school for the survey of parish and town councils on behalf of his Department ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Key : The aim of the survey is to produce a comprehensive picture of what parish and town councils are doing and how they are doing it, and what are their finances.
Community Forums
Mr. O'Brien : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he has any plans to extend community forums of those districts and city areas where there are no parish or town councils ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Key : The Secretary of State has power only to change the present coverage of parishes as a result of recommendations of the Local Government Boundary Commission for England. Other changes are within the scope of the current review of local government.
Cash Limits
Mr. Squire : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he has any changes to announce to his Department's cash limits for 1991-92.
Mr. Yeo : Yes. Subject to parliamentary approval of the necessary revised supplementary estimate, the cash limit for class VIII vote 15 will be increased by £829,000 from £1,000 to £830,000. This increase is required because there will be no receipts from the sale of the Crown Suppliers' vehicle hire and maintenance business in 1990-91. This increase is within the forecast outturn for the planning total published in the statistical supplement to the 1990 autumn statement.
Local Government Finance
Mr. Gould : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list for each authority in England his estimate of the numbers who will benefit from the community charge reduction scheme.
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Mr. Heseltine [holding answer 8 February 1991] : My Department does not hold community charge registers for individual authorities and I am not, therefore, at present able to make detailed estimates by local authority area. On the basis of information from the family expenditure survey, I estimate that more than 18 million charge payers in England should receive some reduction in 1991-92. Estimates for individual local authority areas will become available once local authorities make their grant claims in respect of 1991-92. I have today placed in the Library a table showing the percentage of the average rateable value for an area below which a two-adult household will benefit from the community charge reduction scheme, provided that they have not moved since 1 April 1990. This shows that, in most areas, couples with rateable values of less than 75 per cent. of the average for their local authority will have a reduction. In many areas, couples with rateable values well above the average for their area will benefit.Mr. Blunkett : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish his best estimates of the amount actually paid out in poll tax transitional relief in 1990-91.
Mr. Portillo [holding answer 14 February 1991] : My best estimate, given in the Chancellor's autumn statement, is that charge payers will benefit from transitional relief by £320 million in 1990-91. I shall be in a position to publish a final figure for the amount of relief given when local authorities submit their final grant claims later this year.
Housing and Urban Renewal
Mr. George Howarth : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make available details of any contracts awarded by his Department to consultants to carry out work on housing or urban renewal projects, with information on the companies, principals involved, nature of project and value of project during 1989-90 and 1990-91.
Mr. Yeo [holding answer 11 February 1991] : Details of contracts awarded by the Department in 1989-90 and to date in 1990-91 to bodies outside government for research and consultancy projects on topics related to housing or urban renewal have been placed in the Library. The cost of individual projects is in some cases commercially confidential and in others not finally known. The information gives approximate figures for the aggregate cost of groups of projects.
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Bristol Channel
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what action his Department is taking to reduce the damage to the ecology of the Bristol channel that may be caused by the current oil slick ;
(2) what assessment he has made of the ecological effects of the oil slick that is currently polluting the Bristol channel.
Mr. Baldry [holding answer 15 February 1991] : I understand that the oil slick observed on the Bristol channel this week has resulted from a spillage of approximately 20 tons of fuel oil from Llanwern steelworks. While it is too early to give an overall assessment of its effects, reports have been received of 50 to 100, mainly lightly, oiled birds. At present the slick does not appear to have harmed major wildlife sites, although mud flats and salt marshes may suffer some short-term damage. Any attempt to clean up in such sensitive environments is likely to cause more damage than leaving oil to weather and degrade by natural processes. The Nature Conservancy Council, the Government's adviser on wildlife, is closely monitoring the situation and the Department of Transport's marine pollution control unit has provided advice on appropriate clean up techniques. The National Rivers Authority is leading the response to this incident together with the local authorities concerned and is currently working with the oil industry's oil spill service centre to recover oil at sea before it reaches the shore. There have been no reports of harm to the limited fishing grounds in the area.
Urban Programme
Mr. Frank Field : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list for each urban programme authority the total value of projects listed in their submissions for 1990-91 an 1991-92, the total value of these projects for urban programme grants and the ratio of bids to allocations.
Mr. Key [holding answer 15 February 1991] : The information requested is currently available only for 1990-91 and is shown in columns 1 -4 of the table. Information for 1991-92 will be available only after all urban programme submissions have been received and the approval process completed. Column 5 of the table shows the recently announced provisional allocations for 1991-92 for each authority.
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(1) |(2) |(3) |(4) |(5)
Authority |Total value of|Total value of|Ratio of |UP Allocation
|projects in |projects |approved to |1991-92
|1990-91 UP |approved for |submitted
|submission |grants 1990-91
|(£000) |(£000) |(Per cent.) |(£000)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Newcastle/Gatehead |23,286 |18,645 |80 |17,096
Hartlepool |2,332 |2,030 |87 |2,012
Langbaurgh |2,737 |1,962 |72 |2,059
Middlebrough |7,108 |5,303 |75 |5,450
North Tyneside |5,423 |4,562 |84 |3,560
South Tyneside |5,683 |5,308 |93 |5,025
Stockton |1,765 |1,285 |73 |1,669
Sunderland |6,122 |5,345 |87 |5,332
Manchester/Salford |29,648 |26,375 |89 |21,749
Blackburn |4,500 |4,100 |91 |4,010
Bolton |4,848 |4,050 |84 |4,010
Burnley |2,770 |2,133 |77 |2,173
Oldham |4,368 |3,814 |87 |3,965
Preston |2,588 |2,405 |93 |2,461
Rochdale |4,739 |3,915 |83 |3,975
Wigan |2,630 |2,630 |100 |2,722
Liverpool |23,009 |19,296 |84 |19,115
Halton |2,140 |1,720 |80 |1,537
Knowsley |4,170 |4,027 |97 |4,177
St. Helens |2,280 |2,133 |94 |1,882
Sefton |2,124 |2,074 |98 |1,742
Wirral |4,165 |4,206 |101 |3,713
Barnsley |1,992 |1,832 |92 |1,832
Bradford |6,294 |4,910 |78 |4,711
Doncaster |2,539 |2,000 |79 |2,000
Hull |6,045 |5,131 |85 |5,120
Kirklees |1,602 |1,068 |67 |1,136
Leeds |5,922 |5,432 |92 |5,490
Rotherham |2,438 |2,000 |82 |2,000
Sheffield |8,038 |6,124 |76 |6,182
Birmingham |34,000 |23,530 |69 |23,535
Coventry |5,261 |5,084 |97 |4,772
Dudley |1,856 |1,489 |80 |1,637
Sandwell |5,419 |4,802 |89 |4,776
Walsall |2,347 |2,033 |87 |1,763
Wolverhampton |6,008 |5,563 |93 |5,398
The Wrekin |1,206 |1,145 |95 |1,009
Derby |2,095 |1,783 |85 |1,312
Leicester |5,321 |5,201 |98 |4,990
Nottingham |8,241 |7,236 |88 |5,350
Bristol |1,553 |1,473 |95 |1,715
Plymouth |1,537 |1,260 |82 |1,380
Hackney |9,393 |7,428 |79 |5,585
Islington |10,380 |9,628 |93 |9,240
Lambeth |15,998 |11,152 |70 |9,084
Brent |4,315 |3,037 |70 |2,680
Greenwich |1,844 |1,336 |72 |1,536
Hammersmith & Fulham |3,227 |2,726 |84 |2,625
Haringey |3,925 |2,228 |57 |2,865
Kensington & Chelsea |1,825 |1,630 |89 |1,860
Lewisham |2,660 |2,453 |92 |2,584
Newham |3,599 |3,560 |99 |3,061
Southwark |4,866 |3,340 |69 |2,816
Tower Hamlets |8,173 |5,915 |72 |4,910
Wandsworth |2,880 |3,267 |113 |3,180
|---- |---- |-- |----
Total |331,234 |274,114 |83 |257,568
Snow
Mr. Blunkett : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what consideration he has given to additional funds being made available to those local authorities whose areas have been hardest hit by the effects of the recent heavy snow ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Portillo [holding answer 15 February 1991] : The information at present available to us does not suggest that local authority expenditure associated with the recent cold weather will have exceeded that for which prudent authorities could be expected to have budgeted. However, if any authority can demonstrate an undue financial burden as a result of recent weather conditions we will be prepared to consider whether special financial assistance should be given.
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Kirklees Metropolitan Council
Mrs. Peacock : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the standard spending assessment for housing for Kirklees metropolitan council for 1991-92 ; and what it was for 1990-91.
Mr. Key [holding answer 15 February 1991] : There is no standard spending assessment for housing. Government support for local authority rented accommodation is provided directly through the housing revenue account subsidy system. Other housing costs which fall to be met by local authorities are taken into account within the all other services SSA element. These include the provision of bed-and-breakfast accommodation for the homeless, administration of housing benefit and the proportion of housing benefit payments not met directly
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by central Government subsidy, management of housing improvement areas and the administration of improvement grants.TRADE AND INDUSTRY
Nuclear Technology
Mr. Harry Barnes : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what export control regulations exist to cover trade in nuclear technology, equipment and materials ; and what steps have been taken to inform United Kingdom companies of the arrangements covering nuclear exports.
Mr. Sainsbury : The United Kingdom gives effect to its obligations under the nuclear non-proliferation treaty through the Export of Goods (Control) Order. This requires a licence to export goods which are sensitive for nuclear purposes to any destination. My Department makes available to exporters guidance booklets describing the controls and how they are implemented. We have in addition organised a major programme of seminars to explain the control system to exporters.
Eastern Europe
Miss Emma Nicholson : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he has any plans to incorporate the eastern European countries within the portfolio of the Department of Trade and Industry's exports to Europe branch.
Mr. Sainsbury : No. The exports to Europe branch deals with trade between the United Kingdom and EC and EFTA countries. It would not be appropriate to include other countries within its sphere of work.
Bankruptcies, Wales
Mr. Ray Powell : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many firms have declared bankruptcy in Wales in the last 12 months, and what they were producing.
Mr. Redwood : The information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Export Guarantees Advisory Council
Mr. Cousins : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what was the exact date of appointment of Mr. A. G. Gormly, the hon. D. Douglas-Home, Mr. S. M. F. Harris, Professor K. Scholes, Mr. D. G. Eustace and Mr. F. M. P. Riding as members of the Export Guarantees Advisory Council in 1988.
Mr. Sainsbury : The information requested is as follows :
|1988
---------------------------------------------
Mr. A. G. Gormly |1 February
Hon. D. Douglas-Home |1 March
Mr. S. M. F. Harris |1 March
Professor K. Scholes |1 April
Mr. D. G. Eustace |1 August
Mr. F. M. P. Riding |1 August
Gulf Crisis
Mr. Teddy Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, pursuant to his reply of 11 February, Official Report, column 330, why Her Majesty's Government are not in a position to identify the nations from which supplies and expertise involved in the production of chemical and biological weapons, the preparation of nuclear weapons and the extension of Scud missiles in Iraq were provided.
Mr. Sainsbury : It is for each Government to monitor and control exports from its country. It would not be appropriate for Her Majesty's Government to comment publicly on the export policies of others.
Timesharing
Mr. Michael Brown : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether the Government are yet in a position to respond to the recommendations for legislation in the Director General of Fair Trading's report on timeshare of July 1990.
Mr. Leigh : Yes. The report was commissioned by my predecessor because of the number of complaints which he received about the marketing and selling of timeshare. The director general was asked to review the adequacy of existing controls. I should like to record the Government's appreciation for the thoughtful and thorough analysis which his report contained.
Timeshare is making a valuable contribution to jobs and earnings in the tourism industry in the United Kingdom and in a number of other countries. The report does not question that many timeshare owners are satisfied with the product and the industry continues to grow. Its problems must therefore be kept in perspective.
The report confirms the Government's original view that much of the complaint and concern stems from dubious marketing practices and high- pressure selling. Although existing legislation provides a measure of protection, the Government consider that it is at the marketing and selling end of the transaction where increased controls are needed. The director general made three recommendations for changes to the Trade Descriptions Act 1968 to tighten the controls on statements about services and to bring timeshare award schemes within the Act's powers. The Government accept these recommendations in principle. The detail of their implementation will be dealt with as part of the general review of the Trade Descriptions Act currently being undertaken.
I am glad that the responsible majority of the industry has recognised that certain marketing practices are unacceptable. The Government welcome the formation of the new Timeshare Council which aims to represent all those with an interest in the industry, including owners. The council plans to develop a code of practice and has introduced membership criteria which seek to secure greater protection for buyers.
This is very much a step in the right direction, but these efforts need to be backed by legislative measures which would ensure that every purchaser received a prospectus giving certain minimum information about the development before signing a contract ; a cooling-off period in which to cancel the contract without penalty ; and protection of deposit moneys through a bonding or escrow
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arrangement. These measures were recommended by the director general. Most of the timeshares which people in the United Kingdom buy are in developments abroad and most of the selling takes place abroad, too. Much of the activity is therefore outside United Kingdom jurisdiction. United Kingdom legislation would not, therefore, on its own provide effective protection, and could simply push the unscrupulous operator off-shore. For these reasons, this is an issue which can effectively be approached only on a European Community basis, and I shall be taking it up with the EC Commission. The Commission has already recognised the need for a cooling-off period for timeshare contracts in its recently issued proposal for a directive on unfair contract terms.The measures that I have proposed are designed to ensure that anyone interested in buying a timeshare can make an informed and considered choice. I do not believe that it is necessary for Government to intervene further through legislation in the detail of timeshare contracts, for instance in relation to the holding of management fees or rental or resale moneys, as recommended by the director general. These recommendations represent good practice and I hope that the industry will follow them, but it is up to the consumer to make sure that the contract he signs includes sensible and reasonable terms on the future management and organisation of the development.
Export Control
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list in the Official Report all items of industrial dual-use equipment, materials and technology subject to control in connection with the missile technology control regime.
Mr. Sainsbury [holding answer 12 February 1991] : The United Kingdom gives effect to its commitments as a member of the missile technology control regime through the Export of Goods (Control) Order. This requires a licence for the export to any destination of goods which are sensitive for missile technology reasons, a detailed list of which is published by my Department in "An Exporters Guide to Non-Proliferation Policy and Controls". I have placed the latest copy of the publication in the Library.
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will set out the reasons why China, Taiwan, Burma, Brazil and Cuba remain states subject to special licensing procedures for military sensitive exports from the United Kingdom.
Mr. Sainsbury [holding answer 12 February 1991] : All military equipment listed in group 1 of part 2 of the Export of Goods (Control) Order is subject to special licensing procedures irrespective of destination.
NATIONAL FINANCE
Northern Ireland Councils (VAT)
Mr. Peter Robinson : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what were the net yields of value added tax from each district council in Northern Ireland in the most recent financial year for which information is available.
Mrs. Gillian Shephard : Local authorities receive funds of value added tax rather than producing a net yield because they are generally not involved in large-scale
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business activities. Information about district councils in the form requested could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.1851 Exhibition
Mr. Barry Field : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when the holder of his office last attended a meeting of the royal commissioners for the exhibition of 1851.
Mr. Norman Lamont : Information on the date on which the holder of my office last attended a meeting of the royal commission for the exhibition of 1851 is not readily available and could be obtained only with a disproportionate expenditure of time and effort.
Value Added Tax
Mr. Kirkwood : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he has any plans to introduce further valued added tax relief for organisations with charitable status.
Mrs. Gillian Shephard : I cannot anticipate my right hon. Friend's Budget statement.
Sir Eldon Griffiths : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the approximate total of VAT received from the sale of bloodstock horses in each of the years 1980 to 1990 ; and what VAT revenue arises from such sales in Newmarket.
Mrs. Gillian Shephard : Complete records of the VAT yield from all United Kingdom bloodstock sales are not available for the 10-year period 1980-90. The auctioneering sector of bloodstock industry generally is currently estimated to yield approximately £0.5 million VAT annually. Bloodstock sales in Newmarket give rise to a net payment of VAT from the Exchequer.
Sir Eldon Griffiths : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what regulations apply to the levying of VAT on the breeding of livestock and the artifical insemination of pedigree cattle and bloodstock horses.
Mrs. Gillian Shephard : The VAT liability of supplies of breeding livestock follows the liability of the animals concerned. Supplies of breeding in connection with animals within the definition of item 4 of group 1 of schedule 5 to the VAT Act 1983 are zero-rated ; others are standard-rated. The separate supply of semen or artificial insemination services is standard-rated.
Borrowing Requirement
Mr. Denzil Davies : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the net borrowing requirement of the United Kingdom corporate sector in 1987, 1988, 1989 and 1990, respectively.
Mr. Norman Lamont : The net borrowing requirement of United Kingdom industrial and commercial companies is given in the January 1991 issue of "Financial Statistics", table 8.3, available from the Library.
Takeover Bids
Mr. Denzil Davies : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what percentage of takeover bid expenditure was financed (a) by shares and (b) by borrowing in the years 1987, 1988, 1989 and 1990, respectively.
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Mr. Norman Lamont : The available information on expenditure by United Kingdom industrial and commercial companies on acquiring United Kingdom companies for cash or shares is given in table 3 of the business bulletin "Acquisitions and Mergers within the UK"--issue 9/91. No information is available on how the cash expenditure is financed. Analyses of types of transaction in cross- border acquisitions and mergers are given in tables 3 and 5 of the business bulletin "Cross Border Acquisitions and Mergers"--issue 96/90. Analyses comparable with that for acquisitions and mergers within the United Kingdom are not available. Copies of these two business bulletins are available in the Library.Column 14
Civil Service
Mr. Ralph Howell : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, further to his reply of 24 January, Official Report, columns 281-82, if he will give the figures for civil service manpower and public sector manpower changes in actual and percentage terms with the exclusion from the relevant figures of nationalised industries and the armed forces.
Mr. Mellor : The information is as follows :
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|1978-79 |1988-89 |Thousands change|Percentage
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Public sector manpower (excluding nationalised industries and the armed
forces): total |4,396 |4,254 |-142 |-3.2
Civil Service manpower: total |734 |574 |-160 |-21.8
Source: Table 7.6, Public Expenditure Analyses to 1993-94 (Cm. 1520), February 1991.
Agriculture and Manufacturing
Dr. David Clark : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will give the general Government expenditure and gross domestic product being spent on and arising from (a) agriculture and (b) manufacturing in both cash and real terms since 1979 ; and if he will make a statement.
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