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London Boroughs Grant Scheme
Mr. Spearing : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he expects to approve a budget for the London boroughs grant scheme ; and what steps he is taking to ensure the future well-being of those schemes approved for the current financial year.
Mr. Portillo [holding answer 6 March 1991] : My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has no power to approve a budget for the London boroughs grants scheme. This is a matter for agreement by the constituent boroughs. However, at the request of the London boroughs grants committee, he has agreed to exercise his power to set a limit on the maximum expenditure of the scheme in 1991-92 and has set it at £30.155 million.
Planning Applications
Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment on how many occasions in the current parliamentary Session he has had local authority planning applications referred to him which contravened both the local county structure plan and the local rural areas plan ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Yeo [holding answer 8 March 1991] : Information in the form requested is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
At present, local authorities are required to report to my right hon. Friend only those proposals which would materially conflict with or prejudice the implementation of the development plan. In 1990 local authorities reported to my right hon. Friend 278 proposals which, in their opinion, materially conflicted with a development plan.
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Benzene
Mr. Butler : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what information he has on the legal benzene limits in petrol in other countries of the world ; and what is the legal benzene limit in petrol in the United Kingdom.
Mr. Moynihan : I have been asked to reply.
The benzene content of petrol in the United Kingdom, in common with all the other EC member states, is limited to a maximum of 5 per cent. by volume by EC directive 85/210/EEC. The Department of Energy does not hold information on legal benzene limits in non-EC countries, but we understand that there is no country which imposes a lower legal limit.
Mr. Butler : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what information he has on the level of benzene in (a) four-star petrol, (b) three-star petrol and (c) unleaded petrol.
Mr. Moynihan : I have been asked to reply.
In 1988 petrol quality surveys in the United Kingdom market suggested a range of benzene contents for leaded petrol of 2.9 to 4.7 per cent. and for unleaded petrol of 3.4 to 4.5 per cent. Three-star petrol is no longer sold in the United Kingdom.
Genetically Modified Organisms
Mrs. Ann Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many genetically modified organisms have been released to the environment in the United Kingdom in the years 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990 and 1991.
Mr. Forth : I have been asked to reply.
The number of releases of genetically modified organisms into the environment since 1986 are as follows :
Year |Number of
|releases
------------------------------
1986 |1
1987 |3
1988 |6
1989 |5
1990 |<1>13
1991 |<2>Nil
<1> In 1990, in addition to
13 small-scale field trials,
one product-a genetically
modified bakers yeast-was
cleared for marketing.
<2> In 1991, no releases have
taken place to date. One
trial has been cleared to
take place later in 1991.
NATIONAL FINANCE
Community Charge
Mr. Maxton : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much he expects to save from community charge benefit in Scotland as a result of the introduction of the community charge reduction scheme.
Mr. Mellor : Some £15 million.
Mr. Dover : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if community charge reductions operative from 1 April will be taken into account in the calculation of future retail prices indices.
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Mr. Favell : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what would be the reduction in the retail prices index, if the community charge were abolished and the expenditure transferred to the central Exchequer.
Mr. Maples : It is not the practice to provide estimates of the effects on the retail prices index of such hypothetical changes to the public finances. The effects would depend on how the expenditure currently financed by the community charge would subsequently be funded and how the Central Statistical Office would treat the abolition of the community charge in the RPI.
Exchange Rates
Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the change in the real and the nominal exchange rate of sterling against (a) the deutschmark, (b) the United States dollar and (c) the yen, between the last quarter of 1986 and the last quarter of 1990.
Mr. Maples : The nominal and real exchange rate changes between the last quarter of 1986 and the third quarter of 1990 are shown in the table. There are several ways in which changes in the real exchange rate can be measured. The table shows the changes indicated by the different increases in GDP deflators over the relevant period.
Change 1986Q4 to 1990Q3
per cent.
DM/Sterling |$/Sterling |Yen/Sterling
----------------------------------------------------
3.38 |30.15 |17.93
<1>21.36 |<2>45.73 |<3>45.82
<1>Real DM/Sterling.
<2>Real $/Sterling.
<3>Real Yen/Sterling.
Data are not yet available to calculate real exchange rates up to the fourth quarter of 1990.
Child Care
Dr. Marek : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what has been the cost of provision for child care for civil servants.
Mrs. Gillian Shephard : In 1989 the Treasury gave Departments discretion to contribute towards the costs of child care facilities where this offered value for money and could be contained within existing departmental running costs limits. Information on how much has been spent on child care is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Birds and Animals (Seizures)
Mr. Dalyell : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will state any conveniently available figures for the number of occasions in the past five years when Customs officers have delivered seized specimens of birds or animals to airlines for return to their country of origin.
Mrs. Gillian Shephard : Live creatures seized by Customs under endangered species legislation are, whenever feasible, returned to their country of origin for
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eventual release back into the wild. This is in accordance with one of the principles established in the Washington convention on international trade in endangered species of wild fauna and flora. Figures are held centrally, in conveniently accessible form, only from 1989 onwards. In that time there has been one operation involving the return of birds to Turkey.Mr. Dalyell : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what quarantine arrangements have been made in the new Stansted terminal for wild birds and other animals confiscated in accordance with the Endangered Species (Import and Export) Act 1976.
Mrs. Gillian Shephard : None. Quarantine facilities are not generally available at, ports and airports. Their absence does not impair Customs ability to enforce the controls on endangered species.
Mr. Dalyell : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what action was taken by Customs and Excise officials in relation to the unlawful concealment of goldfinches in the luggage of Mr. I. H. of Wood Green, Essex, discovered at Stansted airport on 18 September 1990.
Mrs. Gillian Shephard : Action was taken to seize and forfeit the birds under the Customs and Excise Management Act 1979.
Civil Servants, South Wales
Mr. Morgan : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to improve the career structure for civil servants employed in south Wales.
Mrs. Gillian Shephard : Although there are no central plans specific to south Wales, my right hon. Friend keeps all aspects of the staffing of the civil service under review.
Members of the European Parliament
Dr. Godman : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many letters he has received since 4 January 1990 from Members of the European Parliament concerning local or national matters ; and if he will make it his practice where the former are concerned to provide the hon. Member for the local constituency with copies of any such correspondence for his or her information.
Mr. Norman Lamont : Since 4 January 1990 Treasury Ministers have received 79 letters from Members of the European Parliament concerning local or United Kingdom matters. Where Members of the European Parliament raise matters in correspondence which are exclusively of local interest, the practice is to reply suggesting that the MEP should refer the matter to the hon. Member for the constituency concerned. As with other correspondence, replies to such communications would normally be copied to the hon. Member concerned only if the MEP had himself copied his letter in this way.
Alcohol Duties
Mr. Cartwright : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer on what he bases his February forecast of a 13.3 per cent. increase in the revenue from alcohol duties for 1990-91 ; and if he will make a statement.
Mrs. Gillian Shephard : Several factors were taken into account in deriving the forecast which is based on the
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Chancellor's 1990 autumn statement. The most important of these were the forecast growth in real consumers' expenditure in 1990, the 1990 Budget changes in excise duties on alcoholic drinks and the path of revenue receipts in the year to date at the time the forecast was made.An estimate of the revenue outturn in 1990-91 will be available when the Chancellor issues his 1991 Financial Statement and Budget Report.
Tobacco Taxation
Mr. Amos : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has received in favour of (a) an increase in the taxation of tobacco products and (b) decreasing the taxation of tobacco products in his forthcoming Budget ; if he will list them ; and if he will make a statement.
Mrs. Gillian Shephard : I have received many letters this year about the taxation of tobacco products. Those asking for a freeze outnumber those asking for an increase. I do not propose to list all those that have written. However, most of those asking for a freeze consist of small shopkeepers acting on a campaign organised by the Tobacco Alliance while the majority of those asking for an increase consist of various health organisations, regional health authorities and members of the public.
Mr. Amos : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the yield, in current and in real terms, from tobacco tax in each of the last five years for which figures are available ; what is the estimated yield for the current year ; and if he will make a statement.
Mrs. Gillian Shephard : Following is the available information :
£ million
Tobacco Duty Receipts Estimates of VAT on
Tobacco Expenditure
|At Current|At 1989-90|At Current|At 1989-90
|prices |prices |prices |prices
------------------------------------------------------------------
1985-86 |4,459 |5,470 |920 |1,130
1986-87 |4,755 |5,650 |990 |1,180
1987-88 |4,767 |5,450 |1,000 |1,150
1988-89 |4,990 |5,380 |1,050 |1,130
1989-90 |5,035 |5,035 |1,080 |1,080
The 1990 autumn statement forecast of receipts in current prices from tobacco duty for 1990-91 was £5.5 billion. Comparable forecasts for the other elements shown in the table are not available. The next estimate for the yield from tobacco duty in 1990-91 will be published in the Financial Statement and Budget Report.
Mr. Amos : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what would be the effect on the retail prices index of raising the tax on a packet of 20 cigarettes by (a) 20p, (b) 32p and (c) 50p ; and if he will make a statement.
Mrs. Gillian Shephard : If the increases in tax were fully reflected in cigarette prices the direct effects on the retail prices index would be approximately as follows :
Increases |Percentage in tax on |points effect 20 cigarettes |on RPI ------------------------------------------ 20p |+0.4 32p |+0.6 50p |+0.9
Mr. Amos : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much revenue would arise in a full financial year from raising the tax on a packet of 20 cigarettes by (a) 20p, (b) 32p and (c) 50p ; and if he will make a statement.
Mrs. Gillian Shephard : The revenue yield from these tax increases can be estimated by using the tax revenue ready reckoner in table 4.7 of chapter 4 of the 1990 autumn statement.
Capital Transfers
Mr. Gordon Brown : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) if he issued any instructions in the period 1982 to 1987 to allow exemption by the Inland Revenue on capital transfers between companies from capital duties ; and when such transfers were treated as gifts ; (2) if he will publish the guidelines used in exempting capital transfers between companies from capital duty in the period 1982 to 1987 ;
(3) if he will furnish an estimate of the value of capital transfers between United Kingdom stockbrokers and their parent banks exempted from capital duty in the period 1982 to 1987 by the Inland Revenue.
Mr. Maude [holding answer 8 March 1991] : Capital duty was charged not on capital transfers but on contributions of capital to a company--for example on the formation of the company. The scope of the duty was laid down in legislation.
It is not clear what information the hon. Member has in mind. If he will write to me I shall be able to consider his points in more detail.
Mobility Allowance
Mr. Alfred Morris : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will specify the circumstances in which a person in receipt of mobility allowance is not required to pay (a) VAT or (b) car tax on the purchase of a motor vehicle ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Norman Lamont [holding answer 7 March 1991] : All handicapped persons, including those in receipt of mobility allowance, are eligible for VAT and car taxrelief when they purchase a motor vehicle, but only ifthat vehicle has been designed or substantially and permanently adapted for their use.
Cigarette Prices
Mr. Amos : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the ratio of the price of an average priced packet of 20 cigarettes to the average weekly wage in each of (a) 1961, (b) 1971, (c) 1981 and (d) the latest year for which figures are available ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Maples : The table shows the average price of 20 cigarettes as a percentage of average gross weekly wages for adult male manual workers in manufacturing industries.
--------------------- October 1961 |1.4 October 1971 |0.9 October 1981 |0.8 October 1990 |0.7
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EMPLOYMENT
Disabled People
Mr. David Nicholson : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list the measures taken by Her Majesty's Government since 1979 to assist in the employment of disabled people.
Mr. Jackson : The Government have an impressive record over recent years on measures which assist people with disabilities to find and keep employment and to develop within it. My Department has lead responsibility within government for this matter and in 1989-90 the Department spent around £400 million on helping 225,000 people with disabilities through its general and special programmes and services.
Initiatives aimed at improving the prospects for people with disabilities, including their employment prospects, are promoted by Government Departments in co-operation with a range of agencies and organisations. Measures taken since 1979 by my Department and other Government Departments are listed in the table. Other measures introduced before 1979 have also been continuing since then. People with disabilities can also participate alongside non-disabled people wherever possible in much mainstream provision as is not mentioned here.
1979 : The Fit for Work Award Scheme was introduced by the Department of Employment Group.
1981 : The Department of Employment Group replaced Disablement Advisory Committees by Committees for the Employment of Disabled People.
1981 : A review of the Department of Employment Group's Employment Rehabilitation Service was undertaken.
1982 : Report by the Department of Employment Group on its Review of Assistance to Disabled People.
1982 : The Department of Social Security's Mobility Allowance, for people who are unable to walk or virtually unable to walk due to physical disablement, was made tax free.
1982 : The Department of Trade and Industry introduced support for Information Technology projects for people with disabilities. 1983 : The Department of Employment Group guaranteed a one year training place under the Youth Training Scheme to all those leaving school without a job to go to regardless of race, sex, religion, or disability up to the age of 18 years.
1983 : The Department of Employment Group introduced the Disablement Advisory Service which helps advise employers on how to integrate people with disabilities into their workforce and promote good employment and development policies.
1983 : The Department of Employment Group's Individual Training Throughout with an Employer scheme was introduced under which people with disabilities were placed with an employer and given training in a skill or semi-skill on an individual basis.
1983 : The Department of Employment Group introduced its Release For Training scheme which provided support for people with disabilities already in employment who were experiencing difficulties which required a period of essential training.
1983 : The Department of Employment Group introduced the Professional Training Scheme which provided assistance, to a maximum of three years, for people with disabilities who had been refused an LEA grant, to help meet the costs of courses of higher level study, including university courses.
1984 : The Department of Employment Group launched the Code of Good Practice on the Employment of Disabled People.
1984 : The Department of Employment Group published a report on Proposals for the Development of the Employment Rehabilitation Service.
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1984 : The Department of Employment Group's Asset Centres were set up to provide assessment and rehabilitation services in areas not well served by Employment Rehabilitation Centres.1984 : Introduction in Scotland under the Building Standards (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 1984 of Part T Facilities for Disabled Persons' which ensures that account is taken of the needs of people with disabilities in the construction of most new buildings and during alterations and extensions of certain existing buildings. 1985 : The Department of Employment Group introduced the Sheltered Placement Scheme to enable individuals with severe disabilities to work in open employment alongside non-disabled workers.
1985 : The Department of Employment Group introduced the Wider Opportunities Training Programme aimed to help unemployed people, including people with disabilities, to improve their competitiveness for employment or further vocational training.
1985 : The Department of Employment Group introduced the Job Training Scheme which provided vocational training to those who were unemployed to help them compete in the labour market and had relaxed eligibility rules for people with disabilities.
1985 : The Department of Employment Group set up the Residential Training Unit to provide funds centrally for Residential Training. Four residential training colleges and a number of private training colleges are supported to provide training in a wide range of courses and catering for a variety of disabilities, most offering qualifications.
1985 : The Department of Employment Group introduced the Other Training Arrangements scheme which provided additional funding to purchase training for people with disabilities where mainstream training precluded certain skill areas or specialist provision was needed.
1985 : The Building (Fourth Amendment) Regulations 1985 require new offices, shops, single storey independent educational buildings and other single story buildings in England and Wales to which the public is to be admitted to be constructed with suitable means of access for people with disabilities.
1985 : The Companies Act introduced a requirement for Directors' Reports for companies with over 250 employees to state company policy on the recruitment, retention and development of staff with disabilities.
1985 : The Office for the Minister for the Civil service issued a Code of Practice on the Employment of People with Disabilities in the Civil Service which aimed to help departments and agencies to achieve equality of opportunity for people with disabilities and to make full use of the skills and abilities they possess.
1986 : The Department of Trade and Industry launched the Concerned Technology' scheme which supported Information Technology projects such as information provision (e.g. through computer databases) for people with disabilities and the purchase of home work units for people with disabilities.
1986 : The Department of Employment Group introduced two year Youth Training Scheme providing vocational training leading to specific qualifications. Premium grants were available for a number of high quality training places for young people with special needs, with additional funding for young people with disabilities with particular training needs. Other special arrangements for people with disabilities included extension of the YTS guarantee up to the age of 21 years for people with disabilities who needed to stay in full time education, relaxed eligibility criterial and residential training where appropriate.
1986 : The Health and Safety Commission's action programme on occupational health encouraged employers to have access to occupational health advice. This assists job retention and job adaptation when people in work become disabled.
1987 : The Building (Disabled People) Regulations 1987 came into force applying access regulations for people with disabilities to three additional categories of multi-storey premises : namely, factories, independent educational establishments and premises to which the public is admitted.
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1987 : Under the Department of Employment Group's New Job Training Scheme four special schemes were introduced to help people with disabilities gain maximum benefit from training. These were : Special Aids to Employment ;Adaptations to Premises and Equipment ;
Personal Reader Service for the Blind ; and
Communication Service for the Deaf.
1987 : The Department of Employment Group published its Asset Evaluation Report which identified the strength and weakness of Assets and Employment Rehabilitation Centres.
1987 : The Department of Employment Group published its report on the Development of the Employment Rehabilitation Service. 1988 : The Department of Health made available sophisticated "Environmental Control" equipment designed to be used in employment or education with the users' own computer.
1988 : The Department of Employment Group evaluated its Sheltered Placement Scheme.
1988 : Employment Training was introduced by the Department of Employment Group to help unemployed people gain the skills and experience needed to compete for jobs locally. Aspects of Employment Training which particularly assist people with disabilities, include relaxed eligibility criteria ; individual training plans ; in depth assessment ; part-time training ; residential training ; and special help and provision where necessary.
1988 : The Department of Employment Group's Special Training Provision was introduced as part of Employment Training to pay for the more specialised assessment and training needs of people with disabilities and could also be used for training lasting up to a maximum of two years where extra time was necessary.
1989 : Local housing authorities given wide discretion under the Local Government Housing Act 1989 to approve disabled facilities grants for works to make a dwelling or building suitable for the accommodation, welfare or employment of a disabled occupant. 1989 : The Department of Transport's "Transport and Disability--A Statement of Aims and Priorities" was issued setting out the improvements to public and private transport which have opened up new opportunities for people with disabilities and identifies the aims for the future.
1989 : The Department of Employment Group published Building on Ability, a guide for training people with disabilities.
1990 : The Department of Employment Group introduced Youth Training with new flexibilities for young people with disabilities. 1990 : The Office for the Minister for the Civil Service updated its Code of Practice on the Employment of People with Disabilities in the Civil Service.
1990 : The Department of Employment Group published a consultative document "Employment and Training for People with Disabilities" aimed at ensuring the Department's services meet the needs of people with disabilities in the 1990s.
1990 : The Department of Employment Group published an evaluation of their special schemes for people with disabilities and consulted on the need for change.
1990 : "Employment and Handicap" was published, reporting on research funded by the Department of Employment Group which was undertaken by the Social and Community Planning Research to estimate the size of the population of people with disabilities who might be eligible for or need help from Department of Employment Group services.
1990 : The Department of Employment Group published a research paper on the policies and practices of employers entitled "The Employment of People with Disabilities".
1990 : The Department of Social Security published "The Way Ahead" announcing its proposals for a new benefit (Disability Working Allowance) to provide better help and opportunities for people with disabilities wishing to work.
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