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NHS Hospitals England
Percentage change
|1969 |1979 |1988-89 |1969-79 |1979-88-89
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In-patient cases treated |4,968,391 |5,400,120 |6,585,982 |+8.7 |+22.0
New out-patient attendances |7,462,807 |7,713,465 |8,406,254 |+3.4 |+9.0
NHS hospital-based medical and non-medical staff
England at 30 September<1><2>
Change 1969-79 Whole-time equivalent<1>
change 1979-89
|<3>1969 |1979 |1989 |WTE |Per cent.|WTE |Per cent.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total |538,900 |733,400 |749,100 |194,600 |36.1 |15,700 |2.1
<1> All figures are independently rounded to the nearest hundred (100). Percentages are
calculated on unrounded figures.
<2> These data have not been adjusted to take into account reductions in the standard
working week, e.g. the reduction in nurses working hours from 41 to 37.5 per week which
took place in 1980-81. There is therefore a discontinuity in the time series and the
figures should be interpreted with caution.
<3> Comparability affected by the NHS re-organisation that took place in 1974. Figures
include data relating to ambulance personnel employed by the Local authorities.
Sickness Statistics
Mr. Ralph Howell : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the number of days lost through sickness by employees of the NHS in the last year for which figures are available ; and what is the number of statutory sick days allowed in each section.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : Precise details about the number of days lost through sickness and payments made are not held centrally. Control of sickness absence is a matter for local management. It is estimated that in 1989-90 about 4 per cent. of the time of all NHS employees was lost due to sickness.
NHS employees are eligible for statutory sick pay subject to satisfying certain requirements.
Alzheimer's Disease
Mr. Gregory : To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the reference made by the Minister of State to a new drug for those with Alzheimer's disease, in the debate on 17 April, Official Report, columns 515-16, what is the current position with regard to the testing and possible licensing of this drug.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : Section 118 of the Medicines Act 1968 precludes the disclosure of information relating to clinical trials or the processing of product licence applications.
Pesticides
Dr. Thomas : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information he has regarding the extent of and dangers posed by the poisoning of people by organophosphate pesticides.
Mr. Dorrell : Before pesticides can be used legally in the United Kingdom, they must be approved by Ministers who are advised by the Advisory Committee on Pesticides. Approved organophosphate (OP) pesticides must be used in accordance with the directions and conditions specified on the product label in order to safeguard workers, consumers of the treated produce and others.
The Department has copies of the reports of the Health and Safety Executive's agricultural and factory inspectorates on poisoning incidents attributed to pesticides. The last one was for a 15-month period from January 1989 to
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March 1990 and shows that out of a total of 95 suspected poisoning incidents investigated, 25 have been identified as involving OP pesticides. None related to consumption of food from treated crops. One fatality was reported in circumstances where no evidence was available as to how ingestion occurred and the coroner returned an open verdict. Copies of the report are in the Library. The next one is due to be published on 16 July 1991.Child Minders
Ms. Armstrong : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate the Department has of the number of child minders who are exempt from registration because they work in the family home.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : This information is not available centrally.
Children Act 1989
Mr. Michael : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what he estimates as being the total additional cost that will fall on local authorities in order to implement the Children Act 1989 in full (a) in the present financial year and (b) in a full financial year.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : Central Government do not specify in detail how local authorities should allocate the overall resources available to them but rather indicate their view of appropriate spending through standard spending control totals. The total covering personal social services for children (including specific grants) was £1,540.9 million for 1991-92, an increase of £139.9 million (18.4 per cent.) over the equivalent figure for 1990-91. This increase allows for the part- year implementation of the Children Act from October 1991. The equivalent figure for 1992-93 will not be available until details of the settlement are known.
Terrapins
Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information he has on the number of reported cases of salmonellosis arising from the handling of terrapins.
Mr. Dorrell : No cases of human salmonellosis in England and Wales have been associated with the handling of terrapins.
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East Birmingham Hospital Trust
Mr. Terry Davis : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he has had with Mr. John Bettinson about the chairmanship of the proposed East Birmingham hospital trust.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : None. No formal appointments can be made in advance of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State's decision to approve a unit for NHS trust status.
Aids
Sir Michael McNair-Wilson : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he has had with publishers and editors of soft porn and gay magazines about their assisting in the educational campaign to warn young people and others of the AIDS risk in promiscuous sex and drug taking.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : The Health Education Authority (HEA) has since February 1989 run a series of educational advertising campaigns in the gay press to alert homosexual and bisexual men to the risks of HIV infection and how they can be avoided. A further series of advertisements for placement in the gay press and a wider range of publications read by men is in production. The HEA discusses strategy for this series of campaigns with an advisory group drawn from organisations representing gay men and with representatives of the Gay Business Association.
We welcome the contribution that all sections of the press and media make, to strengthen the effectiveness of the AIDS public education effort.
Sefton General Hospital
Mr. Alton : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what has been spent on refurbishment of Sefton general hospital in Liverpool since 1979 ; how many patients have been treated at Sefton general hospital since 1979 ; what timetable has been established for the relocation of services provided at Sefton general hospital ; and where the individual clinical specialties will be relocated from Sefton general hospital.
Mr. Dorrell [holding answer 7 June 1991] : The information about the number of patients treated is given in the table. The hon. Member may wish to contact Mr. Emberton, the district chairman, for the additional information which is not held centrally.
Number of patients treated at Sefton General Hospital since 1979 Year |<1>In-patients |<1>Day cases |<2>Out-patients -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1979 |4,419 |159 |30,655 1980 |3,856 |0 |23,598 1981 |4,144 |0 |22,678 1982 |3,522 |0 |22,013 1983 |2,448 |0 |8,258 1984 |2,485 |0 |9,693 1985 |2,478 |0 |8,654 1986 |1,850 |0 |8,132 1987-88 |n/a |0 |n/a 1988-89 |<3>1,993 |0 |n/a 1989-90 |<3>2,484 |0 |n/a <1> Source: 1979-1986 DH Form SH3, 1987-88-Discharges and deaths. <2> Source: 1979-1986 DH Form SH3 <3> Finished ward stays: Form KP20.
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Waiting Lists
Mr. Terry Davis : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people had been waiting for more than a year for an operation in east Birmingham district on (a) 31 December 1989 and (b) 31 March 1991.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley [holding answer 11 June 1991] : There were 458 people waiting over a year for in-patient operations in east Birmingham district at 31 December 1989 and 456 at 30 September 1990, the latest date for which fully validated waiting list information is held centrally.
Since March 1979 the number waiting over a year for an operation in east Birmingham has fallen by 78 per cent. whilst numbers treated have increased in the order of 32 per cent.
This information is on a "provider" basis and does not relate to the districts' resident population.
Mr. Terry Davis : To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he will identify and list the 20 waiting lists for operations in the west midlands region with more than 25 per cent. of cases waiting for a year or more.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley [holding answer 11 June 1991] : The information as at 30 September 1990 is given in the table. In west midlands region as whole 23 per cent. of the total number waiting were waiting over one year. In the 12 months to September 1990 the number waiting over a year for in-patient treatment has fallen by 12 per cent. and by 37 per cent. since March 1979. At the same time more patients are being treated. Two and a half per cent. more in-patients were treated in the region in 1989-90 than in 1988-89 and in the order of 29 per cent. more than in 1979.
Districts within West Midlands RHA where
the percentage of
patients waiting for an operation in
specific specialties for more than
12 months is greater than 25 per cent.
of the total number of
patients waiting.
Position as at 30 September 1990.
District and Specialty
-----------------------------------------
Bromsgrove and Redditch
Trauma and Orthopaedics
Oral Surgery
Obs and Gyn
(Gynaecology)
Herefordshire
General Surgery
Trauma and Orthopaedics
ENT
Plastic Surgery
Kidderminster and District
General Surgery
Obs and Gyn
(Gynaecology)
Worcester and District
General Surgery
Trauma and Orthopaedics
Shropshire
Ophthalmology
Oral Surgery
Mid-Staffordshire
Trauma and Orthopaedics
North Staffordshire
Neurosurgery
Plastic Surgery
South East Staffordshire
Urology
ENT
Rugby
General Surgery
Oral Surgery
North Warwickshire
Urology
Plastic Surgery
South Warwickshire
General Surgery
Oral Surgery
Central Birmingham
Urology
Trauma and Orthopaedics
ENT
Neurosurgery
Paediatric Surgery
North Birmingham
Trauma and Orthopaedics
South Birmingham
Urology
Trauma and Orthopaedics
Oral Surgery
Plastic Surgery
Coventry
Oral Surgery
Cardiothoracic Surgery
Dudley
Urology
Ophthalmology
Plastic Surgery
Sandwell
Urology
Neurosurgery
Wolverhampton
General Surgery
Trauma and Orthopaedics
Oral Surgery
Source: KHOT SM12 Demand for elective
admission.
Health Service (Capital Spending)
Mr. Robin Cook : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the total level of hospital and community health services net capital expenditure, excluding receipts from land and property sales in (a) cash, (b) constant prices adjusted by the gross domestic product deflator and (c) constant prices adjusted by the changes in the input unit costs since 1973- 74.
Mr. Waldegrave [holding answer 17 June 1991] : The information requested is given in the table. In order to give a complete picture of capital investment in the NHS, spending financed through property and land sales is also shown as this is a valuable extra resource which health authorities are able to retain and spend in addition to their cash limits.
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Cash prices Adjusted by the GDP Adjusted for change in
deflator 1990-91 prices input unit costs 1990-91
prices
|A |B |A |B |A |B
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Net HCHS capital
1973-74 |236 |1,280 |1,398
1974-75 |243 |1,101 |1,157
1975-76 |327 |1,181 |1,192
1976-77 |356 |1,132 |1,159
1977-78 |315 |881 |897
1978-79 |358 |903 |913
1979-80 |395 |854 |834
1980-81 |540 |987 |906
1981-82 |651 |1,085 |1,058
1982-83 |682 |1,061 |1,091
1983-84 |692 |1.029 |1,086
1984-85 |767 |1,085 |1,155
1985-86 |899 |803 |1,207 |1,078 |1,278 |1,142
1986-87 |915 |1,187 |1,239
1987-88 |914 |1,126 |1,177
1988-89 |922 |1,057 |1,123
1989-90 |1,206 |1,299 |1,345
1990-91 |1,458 |1,458 |1,458
Gross HCHS capital
1973-74 |236 |1,280 |1,398
1974-75 |243 |1,101 |1,157
1975-76 |327 |1,181 |1,192
1976-77 |356 |1,132 |1,159
1977-78 |315 |881 |897
1978-79 |<1>8 366 |923 |933
1979-80 |<1>10 405 |876 |855
1980-81 |<1>16 556 |1,016 |933
1981-82 |<1>20 671 |1,118 |1,091
1982-83 |<1>19 701 |1,091 |1,122
1983-84 |<1>33 725 |1,078 |1,137
1984-85 |<1>50 |817 |1,156
1985-86 |<1>85 985 |<1>85 888 |1,322 |1,192 |1,400 |1,262
1986-87 |<1>149 1,064 |1,380 |1,441
1987-88 |<1>201 1,115 |1,373 |1,436
1988-89 |<1>279 1,201 |1,377 |1,462
1989-90 |<1>232 1,438 |1,549 |1,603
1990-91 |<1>220 1,678 |1,678 |1,678
<1> Capital receipts-mainly from land sales.
Note:
Because of transfers between programmes it is not possible to produce a consistent run of figures over
the whole period. Figures in presentation A have been adjusted to reflect the transfer to HCHS of FHS
administration, disablement services authority and FHS cash limited spending and for the redefinition
of capital. The figures in presentation A do not reflect these transfers and are therefore not
comparable with those for later years.
ENERGY
Energy Projections
Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he has any plans to revise the projections set out in Energy Paper 55.
Mr. Moynihan : Yes, as part of the review of renewable energy strategy.
Nuclear Power Stations
Dr. Thomas : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy on how many occasions in 1991 the nuclear installations inspectorate has reported on interruptions of fuel supply to valves controlling cooling gases at Hinkley B nuclear power station ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : I understand that no such incident has been reported. However, there was an incident at Hinkley Point B, on 1 May, which involved the incorrect closure of a valve controlling fuel supplies to the gas turbines. These turbines provide standby electrical supplies to the site. There was no immediate danger and the error was found and rectified during a routine test. The Health and Safety Executive's nuclear installations inspectorate is considering what enforcement action should be taken.
Power Line, Canford Heath
Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy (1) if he will place in the Library a copy of the consent he gave for the construction of an electricity power line across the site of special scientific interest at Canford Heath, Dorset ;
(2) whether an environmental impact assessment was submitted with the application to construct an electricity power line at Canford Heath, Dorset ;
(3) what assessment he made of the effect of the proposed electricity power lines across Canford Heath, Dorset on the site of special scientific interest, prior to granting consent ;
(4) what consultations he had with the European Commission concerning the application of the European Community directive on the Conservation of Wild Birds (79/409/EEC) to the proposed electricity power line across Canford Heath, Dorset, prior to giving consent.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Energy, has today placed in the
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Library of the House copies of the decision letter and the two consents which were issued on 17 June. As is explained in the decision letter he considered carefully whether to require an environmental statement but decided that he already had sufficient environmental information to enable him to reach a decision. As the decision letter also makes clear he considered very carefully the environmental effects of the proposals, particularly in the light of the requirements of the EC directive on the conservation of wild birds, in reaching his decision. No consultations were held with the European Commission since implementation of the directive is the responsibility of member states.WALES
Public Conveniences
Mr. Grist : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many and what representations have been made to his Department during the last 12 months regarding the provision of public conveniences.
Mr. Nicholas Bennett : None, except for those made by my hon. Friend in February and March this year.
Mr. Grist : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what policy guidance is given by his Department to local authorities regarding the provision of public conveniences.
Mr. Nicholas Bennett : Since the provision of public conveniences is a matter for local authorities, no policy guidance has been issued by the Welsh Office.
Immunology
Mr. John Morris : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will provide funding for the appointment of a consultant immunologist in Wales.
Mr. Nicholas Bennett : The funding and appointment of a consultant immunologist in Wales is a matter for the appropriate district health authority. The Department has not received an application for approval or funding of a consultant post in this specialty.
NHS Staff
Mr. Butler : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will give the percentage change in the number of administrative and clerical staff in the national health service in Wales between September 1979 and the latest available date.
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Mr. Nicholas Bennett : It is not possible to give wholly accurate information on this matter. There is uncertainty about the information base. With this proviso it is calculated that between September 1979 and May 1991 there was a 36.5 per cent. increase in whole time equivalent administration and clerical staff employed by the NHS in Wales. This figure includes a large clinically related element.Factors leading to growth include :
Introduction of general management and recategorisation of some staff ;
Strengthening of certain functions (eg finance, IT) associated with White Paper implementation ;
New initiatives, eg health education, drug abuse, administration support for professional staff ;
Organisational developments eg Planning Forum, VFM, HIU.
Housing Consultancy Contact
Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, pursuant to his parliamentary reply of 6 June, Official Report, column 311 , if he will give the total amount paid in consultancy fees to Aldbourne Associates Ltd. or its predecessor for each financial year since 1983.
Mr. Nicholas Bennett : As promised in my answer of 6 June, I shall write to the hon. Gentleman as soon as this information is available and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.
Students (Finance)
Mr. Ieuan Wyn Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent estimate he has made of the number of students in Wales who give up courses in further and higher education colleges due to financial difficulties.
Sir Wyn Roberts : Colleges of further and higher education in Wales have been asked to provide information on the number of students who did not start or continue a course for financial reasons. This information is being collected as part of the monitoring of
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access funds and relates to students who have been refused support. Information relating to the current academic year will be available this autumn.Radon
Mr. Barry Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many measurements he has made of radon concentrations in dwelling houses in Wales ; what plans he has to make further radon measurements and if he will make a statement on radon levels in dwelling houses in Wales.
Mr. Nicholas Bennett : Over 1,000 dwellings are included in a survey of radon levels in Wales which the National Radiological Protection Board is carrying out on behalf of the Department. Preliminary indications are that most Welsh homes are not adversely affected by radon although a very small perecentage of houses may have levels of radon above the action level.
The full results of the survey are expected shortly and I will consider the need for further investigation at that time.
Children (Accidents)
Mr. Barry Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many accidents there were to children in each of the counties of Wales in each of the years 1985 to 1991.
Mr. Nicholas Bennett : The information requested is not available in the exact form requested.
The information given in table 1 relates to the number of children aged 0 to 16 years admitted to hospitals in each of the counties as a result of an accident, including road traffic accidents, accidents at work, at home or elsewhere. Figures for 1990 and 1991 are not yet available.
Table 2 gives the numbers of children aged 0 to 16 years who were casualties of road traffic accidents in Wales and includes all severities of injury. Complete data for 1991 are not available. Those casualties of road accidents who were admitted to hospital in Wales, other than at accident and emergency departments, are included in both tables 1 and 2.
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Table 1
Children aged 0-16 years admitted to hospital as
result of an accident<1>
|1985 |1986 |1987 |1988 |1989
----------------------------------------------------
Clwyd |1,582|1,604|1,425|1,390|1,389
Dyfed |1,253|1,307|1,241|1,160|1,127
Gwent |1,842|1,683|1,744|1,507|1,444
Gwynedd |890 |749 |775 |850 |812
Mid Glamorgan |2,367|2,276|2,450|1,803|1,502
Powys |48 |55 |50 |50 |34
South Glamorgan |1,420|1,346|1,419|1,334|1,440
West Glamorgan |1,018|1,115|1,235|1,241|1,235
<1> Based on information supplied by hospitals.
Excludes children seen at an accident and emergency
department who were not admitted to hospital.
Table 2
Road accident casualties aged 0-16 years
|1985 |1986 |1987 |1988 |1989 |<1>1990
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Clwyd |403 |416 |467 |476 |516 |451
Dyfed |326 |336 |289 |277 |349 |389
Gwent |394 |399 |344 |362 |407 |434
Gwynedd |250 |231 |224 |243 |258 |223
Mid Glamorgan |465 |448 |459 |550 |519 |503
Powys |87 |100 |107 |79 |86 |118
South Glamorgan |366 |317 |340 |345 |375 |382
West Glamorgan |335 |326 |323 |311 |392 |357
<1>Provisional.
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Mental Handicap
Mr. Barry Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many severely mentally handicapped patients there are in each of the counties of Wales ; how many such patients were resettled from hospital into the community accompanied by hospital nurses ; what funds he has made available to enable such patients to be resettled ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Nicholas Bennett : The following table shows the number of people with a mental handicap who are
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registered with a county joint planning team, registration and service provision not being dependent on the definition of the severity of mental handicap. Also shown are the actual numbers of people resettled by the end of March 1991 and those planned for resettlement during 1991-92. The expenditure shown excludes the funding to be made available by district health authorities. Information about the number of people with a mental handicap who have been resettled from hospital into the community accompanied by a hospital nurse is not held centrally.Column 321
|Number of people |Number resettled |Number planned |Planned Welsh
|by 31 March 1991 |for 1991-92 |Office funding under
|mental handicap
|strategy in 1991-92
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Clwyd |1,430 |40 |12 |1,128,000
Dyfed |1,290 |- |- |-
Gwent |1,750 |94 |44 |1,370,000
Gwynedd |893 |3 |19 |729,000
Mid Glamorgan |2,089 |14 |20 |400,000
Powys |674 |13 |24 |140,000
South Glamorgan |1,025 |37 |20 |250,000
West Glamorgan |1,300 |12 |12 |573,000
|------- |------- |------- |-------
Total |10,406 |213 |151 |4,590,000
I congratulate everyone involved in the all-Wales mental handicap strategy on the excellent work being done under this pioneering initiative to resettle people with a mental handicap in the community.
Children Act 1989
Mr. Michael : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what he estimates as being the total additional cost that will fall on local authorities in Wales in order to implement the Children Act 1989 in full (a) in the present financial year and (b) in a full financial year.
Mr. Nicholas Bennett : My right hon. Friend does not lay down in detail how local authorities should allocate the overall resources available to them but rather indicates his view of appropriate spending through the indicative service distribution of total standard spending. The total covering personal social services (including specific grants) is £224 million for 1991-92, an increase of £37.2 million (19.9 per cent.) over the equivalent figure for 1990-91. This increase allows for the part-year implementation of the Children Act from October 1991. The equivalent figures for 1992-93 will not be available until details of the settlement are announced in the autumn.
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Energy Efficiency
Mr. Dobson : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, pursuant to the answer of 3 June, Official Report, columns 21-22, whether the figures given for 1990-91 are consistent with the figures given for 1988-89 in the answers of 30 April 1990, Official Report, columns 426-27, and 10 May 1990, Official Report, column 191 ; and when figures for 1989-90 will be available.
Mr. David Hunt : The figures for energy consumption are not comparable. Those given in the answer of 30 April 1990 related to total consumption for buildings where my Department was in occupation but not in all cases the sole occupant. Those given in the answer of 3 June related to the precise areas of accommodation occupied by my Department and are a more accurate reflection of its consumption. The energy cost figures given in the answer of 3 June 1991 and 10 May 1991 are consistent, as both relate to areas occupied. Figures are available for 1989-90 but they are unreliable.
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Women Civil Servants
Mr. Barry Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what action he is taking to encourage promotion of women civil servants within his Department.
Mr. David Hunt : My Department is committed to a policy of equality of opportunity. It has introduced a range of measures to enable women to develop their careers. These include flexible working hours, part-time working, job-sharing, re-instatement, career breaks, holiday play schemes and, shortly, a nursery. Guidance to staff emphasises that there must be no discrimination against women in decisions about recruitment, promotion, staff reporting, allocation to duties or selection for training. An annual report monitors these areas in detail. My Department also runs single-sex training courses for women to improve their opportunities for progression into senior grades.
Treatment Centres
Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what arrangements he has made for the payment of transport costs of patients attending for surgery, consequential treatment and examination at the three treatment centres set up in 1989-90 and in the proposed new ophthalmology treatment centre.
Mr. Nicholas Bennett : Travel arrangements to all the treatment centres is the responsibility of the referring health authority. When an authority is not prepared to accept this cost it is for the patients to decide whether to meet the cost themselves. Patients in receipt of income support, family credit or with a low income entitlement may reclaim their costs under the hospital travel costs scheme.
Housing
Mr. Gwilym Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales when he expects to issue planning policy guidance on affordable housing for local needs.
Mr. Nicholas Bennett : We are today publishing guidance in a circular describing the role the planning system can play in securing the provision of affordable housing, and advising how additional land may be released to meet local needs in rural areas. The circular follows similar advice issued to local authorities in England last month and announced in the House by my hon. Friend the Minister for Housing and Planning at the Department of the Environment. Copies of the circular have been placed in the Library of the House.
THE ARTS
Community-based Projects
Mr. Michael : To ask the Minister for the Arts what assessment he has made of the impact of Government policy on opportunities for (a) adults and (b) young people to be involved in community-based arts projects.
Mr. Renton [holding answer 18 June 1991] : The Government's support for community arts is channelled through the Arts Council of Great Britain and the regional arts associations. Both provide financial support for the
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Arts Development Association which represents those involved in the provision of community-based arts projects. The regional arts associations also support a wide range of individual projects, usually in partnership with local authorities. These provide many opportunities for involvement by all sections of the community.NATIONAL FINANCE
Income Tax
Mr. Nicholas Brown : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate for 1991-92 and for a full year the effect on Treasury revenues of introducing an indexed 1987-88 regime of higher rates and bands of income tax.
Mr. Maude : If, for 1991-92, the higher rate of 40 per cent. was replaced by the basic rate limit and higher rate bands indexed from their 1987-88 levels, the yield would be about £2 billion in 1991-92 and about £4 billion in a full year. All other aspects of the 1991-92 income tax regime are assumed unchanged. The rates of tax would be :
Taxable income |Per cent. (£) ---------------------------------------------- 1 - 23,400 |25 23,401 - 26,700 |40 26,701 - 33,300 |45 33,301 - 43,700 |50 43,701 - 54,100 |55 Over 54,100 |60
Taxable income is income subject to tax from all sources after deducting allowances and reliefs. No account is taken of possible behavioural changes or of any effect on receipts of capital gains tax.
Business Taxes
Mrs. Gorman : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what information he has on the level of business taxes as expressed as a percentage of gross natural product in (a) the United States of America, (b) Germany, (c) Japan and (d) the United Kingdom for 1978-79 and for the most recent year for which figures are available ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Maude : The latest available information in respect of direct taxes paid by corporations can be obtained from page 92 in the November 1990 issue of "Economic Trends" (No. 445) which is available in the Library of the House. It is not possible to distinguish separately indirect taxes paid by corporations.
European Community Budget
Sir Richard Body : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his latest estimate of the United Kingdom contribution to the EC budget for the current year.
Mr. Maude : The latest estimate of the United Kingdom's net contribution to the European Community budget in 1991 is £1,225 million. This was published in the "Statement on the 1991 Community Budget" (Cm. 1490).
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Security Vetting
Mr. Terry Davis : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many posts in the Inland Revenue in Northern Ireland are subject to counter- terrorist checks under the new procedures for security vetting announced by the Prime Minister on 24 July 1990.
Mr. Maude : All new recruits to posts in the Inland Revenue in Northern Ireland are subject to counter-terrorist checks. In the period 1 October 1990 to 18 June 1991 a total of 150 posts have been filled.
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