| Previous Section | Home Page |
Vehicle Air Bags
Mr. Fearn : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what studies his Department has undertaken to examine the feasibility of introducing air bags into vehicles for safety purposes.
Mr. Chope : The Department is currently studying the experiences of USA and Canada in the application of air
Column 23
bags, in both research conditions and production vehicles. Information from this study will be considered in the development of proposals for an improved European standard for vehicle occupant protection in frontal impacts.There is no restriction on the introduction and use of air-bags in cars in the United Kingdom. It would not be sensible, however, to make fitment compulsory in the absence of an agreed European standard. Meanwhile, seat belts, which are both effective and cheaper to fit than air bags, will remain the main secondary safety feature in vehicles in the United Kingdom.
Disabled Rail Passengers
Mr. Fearn : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make it part of British Rail's quality of service objectives that all British Rail stations are fully accessible to disabled passengers.
Mr. McLoughlin : British Rail already does much to make its network accessible to those with disabilities. I expect BR's commitment to improving the existing arrangements to be set out in the forthcoming BR passengers charter.
Column 24
Mr. Fearn : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what consultations he has had with British Rail over the funding of disabled access to stations.
Mr. McLoughlin : The funding of access to stations for disabled people is not considered as a separate issue. Rather, British Rail is expected to take account of the needs of people with disabilities whenever it plans the modification or refurbishment of stations.
Road Fatalities
Ms. Ruddock : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many people were killed and how many people were injured in road accidents by age group and sex in (a) the Greater London area and (b) central London in each of the last 15 years.
Mr. Chope : The information requested is given in the tables. It is given for the years 1979 to 1990 only, as information for earlier years is not readily available. It is possible to break down the information only to the level of London boroughs. Data for the greater London area are for all the London boroughs, while figures for the cities of London and Westminster are given separately to cover central London.
Column 23
Casualties killed in road accidents in London: By age and sex: 1979 to 1990
Age 0-15 Age 16-59 Age 60 and over All ages<2>
|Male |Female |Total<1>|Male |Female |Total<1>|Male |Female |Total<1>|Male |Female |Total<1>
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1979
Greater London |37 |18 |55 |260 |71 |331 |113 |100 |213 |410 |192 |602
Westminster/City of London |- |- |- |14 |3 |17 |7 |2 |9 |21 |5 |26
1980
Greater London |41 |16 |57 |234 |59 |293 |110 |95 |205 |388 |170 |558
Westminster/City of London |1 |- |1 |5 |6 |11 |5 |3 |8 |11 |9 |20
1981
Greater London |30 |14 |44 |235 |60 |295 |104 |88 |192 |374 |163 |537
Westminster/City of London |- |- |- |11 |5 |16 |2 |1 |3 |13 |6 |19
1982
Greater London |39 |14 |53 |240 |74 |314 |87 |80 |167 |377 |176 |553
Westminster/City of London |1 |- |1 |11 |3 |14 |3 |3 |6 |15 |7 |22
1983
Greater London |38 |14 |52 |219 |61 |280 |100 |97 |197 |366 |175 |541
Westminster/City of London |- |- |- |5 |3 |8 |3 |8 |11 |8 |13 |21
1984
Greater London |32 |15 |47 |237 |54 |291 |93 |104 |197 |390 |181 |571
Westminster/City of London |1 |- |1 |11 |5 |16 |4 |8 |12 |18 |15 |33
1985
Greater London |31 |5 |36 |218 |60 |278 |100 |76 |176 |351 |142 |493
Westminster/City of London |- |- |- |9 |3 |12 |4 |4 |8 |13 |7 |20
1986
Greater London |20 |8 |28 |238 |62 |300 |106 |78 |184 |372 |148 |520
Westminster/City of London |1 |- |1 |14 |4 |18 |3 |4 |7 |18 |8 |26
1987
Greater London |23 |10 |33 |207 |52 |259 |86 |74 |160 |319 |137 |456
Westminster/City of London |- |- |- |16 |4 |20 |6 |5 |11 |22 |9 |31
1988
Greater London |30 |13 |43 |188 |55 |243 |77 |60 |137 |310 |136 |446
Westminster/City of London |1 |- |1 |10 |4 |14 |3 |2 |5 |15 |6 |21
1989
Greater London |34 |9 |43 |196 |46 |242 |77 |74 |151 |328 |132 |460
Westminster/City of London |3 |- |3 |6 |4 |10 |5 |2 |7 |14 |7 |21
1990
Greater London |20 |7 |27 |176 |39 |215 |83 |56 |139 |300 |108 |408
Westminster/City of London |- |- |- |9 |1 |10 |2 |5 |7 |12 |7 |19
<1> Includes sex not reported.
<2> Includes age not recorded.
Casualties injured<1> in road accidents in London: By age and sex: 1979 to 1990
Age 0-15 Age 16-59 Age 60 and over All ages<3>
|Male |Female |Total<2>|Male |Female |Total<2>|Male |Female |Total<2>|Male |Female |Total<2>
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1979
Greater London |5,069 |3,061 |8,170 |26,449 |12,563 |39,067 |2,753 |3,171 |5,935 |37,183 |20,594 |58,076
Westminster/City of London |142 |111 |255 |2,090 |1,111 |3,207 |237 |265 |502 |2,771 |1,684 |4,484
1980
Greater London |4,764 |2,666 |7,480 |25,274 |11,967 |37,320 |2,806 |3,091 |5,917 |35,451 |19,411 |55,238
Westminster/City of London |126 |77 |204 |1,927 |991 |2,921 |233 |230 |465 |2,532 |1,470 |4,023
1981
Greater London |4,580 |2,548 |7,193 |24,555 |12,112 |36,738 |2,597 |2,976 |5,589 |34,226 |19,220 |53,837
Westminster/City of London |130 |87 |222 |2,029 |1,008 |3,044 |226 |223 |449 |2,617 |1,477 |4,129
1982
Greater London |4,711 |2,667 |7,378 |27,527 |13,486 |41,013 |2,813 |3,172 |5,985 |36,884 |20,424 |57,308
Westminster/City of London |138 |68 |206 |2,209 |1,111 |3,320 |245 |248 |493 |2,798 |1,582 |4,380
1983
Greater London |4,574 |2,486 |7,060 |24,537 |12,651 |37,188 |2,657 |2,989 |5,646 |33,514 |19,149 |52,663
Westminster/City of London |125 |72 |197 |1,977 |1,101 |3,078 |232 |259 |491 |2,497 |1,559 |4,056
1984
Greater London |4,597 |2,567 |7,164 |24,524 |12,724 |37,248 |2,613 |3,129 |5,742 |33,659 |19,641 |53,300
Westminster/City of London |126 |82 |208 |2,064 |1,064 |3,128 |238 |257 |495 |2,637 |1,546 |4,183
1985
Greater London |4,145 |2,357 |6,502 |23,206 |12,306 |35,512 |2,459 |2,923 |5,382 |32,050 |18,926 |50,976
Westminster/City of London |140 |71 |211 |1,998 |1,051 |3,049 |222 |225 |447 |2,564 |1,462 |4,026
1986
Greater London |3,943 |2,323 |6,266 |23,257 |12,738 |35,995 |2,381 |2,859 |5,240 |31,774 |19,316 |51,090
Westminster/City of London |117 |72 |189 |1,917 |985 |2,902 |197 |224 |421 |2,445 |1,409 |3,854
1987
Greater London |3,581 |2,240 |5,821 |22,475 |12,749 |35,224 |2,182 |2,593 |4,775 |30,140 |18,858 |48,998
Westminster/City of London |88 |70 |158 |1,901 |951 |2,852 |183 |205 |388 |2,355 |1,352 |3,707
1988
Greater London |3,631 |2,330 |5,961 |22,628 |13,016 |35,644 |2,243 |2,695 |4,938 |30,400 |19,268 |49,668
Westminster/City of London |105 |72 |177 |1,948 |956 |2,904 |181 |204 |385 |2,424 |1,344 |3,768
1989
Greater London |3,850 |2,422 |6,272 |23,895 |13,748 |37,643 |2,286 |2,699 |4,985 |32,045 |20,274 |52,319
Westminster/City of London |117 |66 |183 |2,054 |954 |3,008 |181 |203 |384 |2,584 |1,371 |3,955
1990
Greater London |3,864 |2,408 |6,272 |23,273 |13,598 |36,871 |2,284 |2,686 |4,970 |31,399 |20,064 |51,463
Westminster/City of London |101 |72 |173 |1,871 |856 |2,727 |150 |163 |313 |2,328 |1,229 |3,557
<1> Excludes those killed.
<2> Includes sex not reported.
<3> Includes age not recorded.
Crash Cushions
Mr. Day : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will adopt the draft CEN specification for the use of crash cushions in the United Kingdom as soon as possible.
Mr. Chope : Working group 1 of CEN technical committee TC226 is preparing draft standards covering terminology, performance classes, testing methods and test acceptance criteria for vehicle safety restraint systems, including crash cushions.
Column 26
Further examination is taking place of the required testing criteria for crash cushions. This will delay the preparation of the draft standard covering performance classes for this type of device. When these standards are agreed, the United Kingdom will consider their adoption.Edinburgh-Aberdeen Line
Mr. Wilson : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make it the policy of Her Majesty's Government to electrify the Edinburgh- Aberdeen railway line.
Column 27
Mr. Freeman : It is for the British Railways Board to determine investment priorities within the funds made available to it by the Government. It is not for Ministers to tell BR when a specific project should be brought forward.CIVIL SERVICE
Public Opinion Surveys
Mr. Dobson : To ask the Minister for the Civil Service if he will list the public opinion surveys carried out by his Department since 15 July 1991.
Mr. Renton : No public opinion surveys have been carried out by my office since 15 July 1991.
FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS
Rights of the Child Convention
Mrs. Ray Michie : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress has been made towards ratification of the United Nations convention on the rights of the child ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : Considerable progress has been made towards ratification of the United Nations convention on the rights of the child. We hope to be in a position to ratify in the coming months.
Western Sahara
Sir Peter Blaker : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement about the latest position regarding the United Nations efforts to secure a solution to the problems of the western Sahara.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : A ceasefire in the territory took effect on 6 September. A referendum on the future of the territory, envisaged in the United Nations Secretary General's plan, is scheduled for January 1992. The United Nations mission supervising the
referendum--MINURSO--has been deployed. It is now drawing up a list of voters. The United Kingdom is contributing to the cost of MINURSO and has provided 15 military observers.
Press and Publicity Staff
Mr. Dobson : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether any member of his Department's press and publicity staff accompanied him in Blackpool during the Conservative party conference.
Column 28
Publicity
Mr. Dobson : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether his Department has sent unsolicited direct mail as part of the distribution of publicity material.
Mr. Dobson : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will provide an up-to-date list of each television advertising campaign carried out, or to be carried out, by his Department during 1991-92, and of each other publicity campaign costing more than £100,000, giving for each (a) the topic, (b) the commencement date, (c) the duration and (d) the advertising, promotional and public relations companies involved.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : I have nothing to add to the answers I gave to the hon. Member on 1 July at column 24 and 11 July at columns 421-22.
Mr. Dobson : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will give separate figures for the spending by his Department on (a) television advertising, (b) radio advertising, (c) newspaper advertising and (d) other promotional material in 1979-80 and in each following year ; and what are his latest estimates for 1991-92 and budgets for 1992-93.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : Total expenditure by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office on advertising and other promotional material for the years 1979-80 to 1990-91, latest estimates for 1991-92 and budget provisions for 1992-93 are :
|FCO |FCO
|Diplomatic|ODA wing
|wing
|£ |£
--------------------------------------------
1979-80 |100,266 |214,739
1980-81 |116,532 |145,697
1981-82 |162,998 |207,964
1982-83 |229,711 |135,506
1983-84 |205,247 |252,691
1984-85 |149,932 |234,050
1985-86 |160,535 |271,084
1986-87 |335,754 |228,347
1987-88 |195,000 |351,000
1988-89 |289,184 |689,631
1989-90 |395,842 |1,066,447
1990-91 |926,610 |902,000
1991-92 |638,000 |1,031,000
1992-93 |1,063,000 |1,057,000
These figures cannot be disaggregated to identify the medium used without incurring disproportionate cost.
Mr. Dobson : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what was the total expenditure by his Department on press and public relations in 1979-80 and in each following year ; and what is his estimate for 1991-92 and budget for 1992-93.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : The information is as follows :
Column 29
Total expenditure by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office on press and public relations from 1983-84 to 1990-91,
latest estimates for 1991-92 and budget provisions for 1992-93 are (£ million)
|1983-84|1984-85|1985-86|1986-87|1987-88|1988-89|1989-90|1990-91|1991-92|1992-93
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Payments to Central Office of
Information for overseas information
material and related activities |17.4 |18.8 |18.3 |18.7 |19.2 |18.3 |18.1 |15.7 |12.3 |12.0
Other information services |0.9 |0.8 |0.9 |0.7 |0.9 |0.9 |3.3 |5.8 |4.8 |4.9
Running costs of Diplomatic Wing
Information/News Department |1.8 |1.4 |1.9 |1.9 |2.0 |1.8 |2.4 |3.6 |4.1 |4.3
Running costs of ODA
Wing Information Department |0.3 |0.3 |0.3 |0.2 |0.2 |0.3 |0.4 |0.4 |0.4 |0.4
Costs of information staff at
overseas posts |12.4 |12.8 |13.6 |14.6 |17.6 |17.5 |18.8 |23.2 |24.8 |25.9
|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------
Total |32.8 |34.1 |35.0 |36.1 |39.9 |38.8 |43.0 |48.7 |46.4 |47.5
Figures for the period before 1983-84 are not available on a comparable basis.
Vietnam
Mr. Allen : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions have been held with the United States Government about joint efforts to promote and monitor observance of human rights in Vietnam and the implications for Her Majesty's Government's policy on repatriation of the boat people in Hong Kong.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : We remain in close touch with the United States Government about the situation in Vietnam, and welcome the recent Vietnamese reaffirmation that no Vietnamese migrant returning to Vietnam will be persecuted. The Vietnamese have also agreed to continue to facilitate the monitoring of conditions of all returnees to Vietnam by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
Public Opinion Surveys
Mr. Dobson : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the public opinion surveys carried out by his Department since 11 July 1991.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : One such poll has been conducted.
Diplomatic Missions (Parking Fines)
Sir John Wheeler : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will publish up-to-date figures recording the number of unpaid parking fines incurred by each diplomatic mission in London in the first six months of the current year ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : The information requested by my hon. Friend is given in the table. The table also includes those international organisations which incurred unpaid fines. The figures may be reduced by late payments.
The total of 3,000 for the first six months of 1991 represents a 22 per cent. reduction from the figure of 3,842 for the same period in 1990. It compares with nearly 67,000 in the first six months of 1984 before publication of the 1985 White Paper. We welcome this further reduction in unpaid parking fines that has been achieved during 1991 and appreciate the co-operation of diplomatic missions since the introduction of the parking policy. We shall
Column 30
continue to monitor carefully the level of unpaid fines and bring pressure to bear on diplomatic missions to reduce this still further.
Unpaid Parking Fines
Diplomatic Mission |January- |January-
|June |June
|1991 |1990
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Saudi Arabia |194 |176
Soviet Union |167 |171
Kuwait |165 |100
UAE |140 |104
Poland |115 |344
Cameroon |110 |96
Israel |92 |62
Greece |80 |70
Pakistan |78 |120
Morocco |78 |87
Thailand |77 |67
China |74 |57
Turkey |73 |49
Korea |71 |74
France |69 |53
Jordan |62 |55
Bulgaria |61 |52
Ghana |59 |20
Sudan |51 |110
Nigeria |47 |29
Egypt |44 |133
Oman |42 |31
Cote d'Ivoire |41 |105
Zambia |38 |68
Canada |35 |27
Brazil |33 |27
Portugal |33 |34
Iraq, Interests Sec. |32 |77
FRG |30 |41
Cyprus |30 |60
Barbados |27 |25
Yugoslavia |27 |70
Guyana |26 |11
Brunei |25 |47
Tanzania |25 |5
India |24 |74
Gambia |23 |24
Hungary |22 |58
Spain |22 |61
Guatemala |22 |9
Gabon |22 |13
Bahrain |21 |7
Romania |20 |31
Italy |20 |21
Zimbabwe |19 |20
Sierra Leone |18 |30
Tunisia |18 |13
Bangladesh |18 |27
Uruguay |17 |18
Jamaica |15 |25
Algeria |15 |21
Yemen |14 |12
Ethiopia |14 |12
Finland |13 |9
Chile |12 |10
Honduras |12 |9
Malaysia |11 |65
Venezuela |10 |7
Malawi |10 |5
Myanmar |10 |7
Zaire |10 |12
Liberia |10 |18
Vietnam |9 |12
Iran |9 |0
Togo |8 |5
Panama |8 |2
Cuba |8 |14
Japan |7 |18
Czechoslovakia |7 |16
Trinidad |7 |5
Peru |7 |1
Bolivia |7 |2
Austria |6 |9
USA |6 |8
Uganda |5 |5
Somalia |5 |9
Mongolia |5 |8
Mauritius |5 |13
Lesotho |5 |8
Eastern Caribbean States |5 |2
Sweden |4 |2
South Africa |4 |1
Seychelles |4 |25
Paraguay |4 |7
Lebanon |4 |5
Belgium |4 |11
Australia |3 |4
Syria |3 |0
Singapore |3 |4
Norway |3 |9
Luxembourg |3 |3
Indonesia |3 |16
Fiji |3 |0
Argentina |2 |0
Mozambique |2 |0
Philippines |2 |19
Papua New Guinea |2 |0
Netherlands |2 |3
Iceland |2 |8
Bahamas |2 |0
Mexico |2 |3
Swaziland |1 |1
Sri Lanka |1 |4
Nepal |1 |1
Malta |1 |0
Ireland |1 |6
Ecuador |1 |7
Costa Rica |1 |0
Qatar |0 |111
Angola |0 |55
Denmark |0 |2
Senegal |0 |8
Antigua |0 |0
Tonga |0 |1
Afghanistan |0 |2
Switzerland |0 |0
Botswana |0 |3
Belize |0 |0
Nicaragua |0 |11
New Zealand |0 |0
Kenya |0 |12
Grenada |0 |0
El Salvador |0 |0
Dominica |0 |4
Colombia |0 |0
Benin |0 |0
International Organisations
Commonwealth Secretariat |13 |24
Cocoa |3 |3
INMARSAT |1 |0
IMO |1 |0
EC |1 |0
WEU |1 |0
UN |0 |0
Coffee |0 |1
Sugar |0 |0
|------- |-------
|3,000 |3,842
NATIONAL FINANCE
Private Health Insurance (Tax Relief)
Mrs. Beckett : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what is the estimated level of deadweight on tax relief for private health insurance ;
(2) what is the total cumulative cost of the tax relief for private health insurance ;
(3) for each year of the scheme's existence, what is (a) the number of people receiving tax relief for private health insurance, (b) the number of these that are pensioners and (c) the cost per pensioner for whom the tax relief has been claimed.
Mr. Maude : Of those cases benefiting from tax relief for private medical insurance in 1990-91, the proportion not previously covered by this form of insurance is not known, but is thought to be relatively small. The estimated cost of the relief in respect of 1990-91 was £55 million and for 1991-92 is expected to be about £60 million.
In 1990-91 relief was available in respect of about 330,000 contracts covering about 600,000 people aged over 60. The revenue cost per insured person was about £90.
Unemployment
Mrs. Beckett : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish the full cost including revenues forgone to the Exchequer of every extra 100,000 unemployed people in (a) 1991-92 and (b) 1992-93.
Mr. Mellor : A rise of 100,000 in unemployment is estimated directly to add around £305 million to benefit expenditure in 1991-92 and £325 million to benefit expenditure in 1992-93 as shown in table 24 of the DSS Departmental Report, Cm 1514. Estimates of the effects on tax receipts and public finances as a whole would depend on the assumptions made.
Public Expenditure
Mrs. Beckett : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) if he will publish the figures in table 7.3 in Cm. 1520, including the latest estimated outturn for 1990-91, (a) in cash prices, (b) in 1990-91 prices and (c) as a percentage of gross domestic product ; (2) if he will publish the figures in table 7.2 in Cm. 1520, including the latest estimated outturn for 1990-91, with a back series to 1978-79 (a) in cash prices, (b) in 1990-91 prices and (c) as a percentage of gross domestic product.
Column 33
Mr. Mellor : The information requested is not currently available. Updated versions of the two tables will be included in the "Statistical Supplement to the 1991 Autumn Statement" which is due to be published at the end of January 1992. Figures for the years 1978-79 to 1984-85 on a basis consistent with the figures given in table 7.2 of the "Statistical Supplement to the 1990 Autumn Statement", Cm. 1520, could be provided only at disproportionate costs.Mrs. Beckett : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish the figures for the public sector borrowing
requirement/public sector debt repayment for each year back to 1978-79, (a) including privatisation proceeds, (b) excluding privatisation proceeds and (c) both of these as a percentage of gross domestic product.
Mr. Mellor : The figures are in the table.
PSBR PSBR excluding
privatisation proceeds
|£ million |as percentage|£ million |as percentage
|of GDP<1> |of GDP<1>
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1978-79 |9,174 |5.4 |9,174 |5.4
1979-80 |9,926 |4.9 |10,303 |5.0
1980-81 |12,519 |5.4 |12,729 |5.5
1981-82 |8,631 |3.4 |9,124 |3.6
1982-83 |8,904 |3.2 |9,359 |3.3
1983-84 |9,678 |3.2 |10,817 |3.6
1984-85 |10,134 |3.1 |12,184 |3.7
1985-86 |5,622 |1.6 |8,329 |2.3
1986-87 |3,559 |0.9 |8,019 |2.1
1987-88 |-3,406 |-0.8 |1,734 |0.4
1988-89 |-14,657 |-3.1 |-7,584 |-1.6
1989-90 |-7,932 |-1.6 |-3,777 |-0.7
1990-91 |-472 |-0.1 |4,837 |0.9
(negative numbers indicate debt repayment).
<1> Adjusted for the abolition of domestic rates.
Books (VAT)
Mr. Wilson : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent proposals have been made by the European Commission concerning the rate of value added tax levied on books ; and if he will make a statement.
Mrs. Gillian Shephard : At the 24 June meeting of ECOFIN, agreement was reached that member states which apply zero rates of VAT will be able to retain them, during a transitional period to December 1996, provided that they were in force on 1 January 1991 and are in accordance with Community law. The current zero rating of books is, therefore, safeguarded until at least December 1996, without prejudice to the position thereafter.
Incomes
Mr. Meacher : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish in the Official Report a table giving the percentage increase in real terms in (a) income from employment, (b) income from self-employment, (c) rent, dividends, interest, (d) social security benefits and (e) personal disposable income after deduction of taxes and interest between1978-79 and 1990-91 giving the contribution of each towards personal disposable income in the United Kingdom.
Mr. Maude : There are no official estimates of individual components of personal disposable income measured at constant prices. Between financial years 1978-79 and
Column 34
1990-91 real personal disposable income as a whole increased by 41.6 per cent. Estimates of the various components expressed as percentages of personal disposable income, measured at current prices, are given in the table.
As percentage of real
personal disposable
income
|1978-79|1990-91
-----------------------------------------------------------
Income from employment |86.6 |82.5
Income from self-employment |12.0 |14.8
Rent, dividends and interest (net) |11.1 |14.7
Social security benefits |13.7 |12.8
Parent-Teacher Associations
Mr. Paice : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer under what circumstances fund- raising by parent-teacher associations and similar bodies for use by schools would become liable to VAT.
Mrs. Gillian Shephard : Only those organisations whose turnover is in excess of £35,000 per annum are required to register and account for tax on their activities.
HOME DEPARTMENT
Vertebrate Animals
Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make it his policy to sign the European convention for the protection of vertebrate animals ; and if he will make a statement.
Mrs. Rumbold : We have signed the convention and hope to ratify it shortly. The Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 fully complies with the convention and in a number of ways exceeds its requirements.
Publicity
Mr. Dobson : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will give separate figures for spending by the office of the Data Protection Registrar on (a) television advertising, (b) radio advertising, (c) newspaper advertising and (d) other promotional material in 1979-80 and in each following year ; and what are his latest estimates for 1991-92 and budgets for 1992-93.
Mrs. Rumbold : For the years up to 1991-92, I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to him by my right hon. Friend on 8 May 1991 at columns 483-84, save that the newspaper advertisting budget for this financial year has been revised from £50,000 to £195,000. I understand that the budgets for 1992-93 have not yet been determined.
Mr. Dobson : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will provide an up-to-date list of each television advertising campaign carried out, or to be carried out, by (a) the Home Office and (b) the Metropolitan police during 1991-92, and of each other publicity campaign costing more than £100,000, giving for each (i) the topic, (ii) the commencement date, (iii) the duration and (iv) the advertising, promotional and public relations companies involved.
Mr. Kenneth Baker : Details of Home Office television campaigns and each other publicity campaign costing more than £100,000 during 1991- 92 are as follows.
Column 35
Television advertising
|Start date |Duration |Companies involved
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Crime Prevention (General Awareness) |1 April 1991 |19 days |Collett Dickenson Pearce Advertising;
|Clarke Hooper Consulting Promotions
Crime Prevention (Car Security) |12 January 1992 |N.A. Media plan |Leagus Shafron Davis Chick Advertising;
|not yet devised |Clarke Hooper Consulting Promotions
Fire Safety (Smoke Alarms ownership) |January or |6 weeks |FCO Advertising
|February 1992
Absent Voting Rights |When a General |2-3 days |FCO Advertising
|Election is
|announced
Non-Television publicity campaigns costing more than £ 100,000
|Start date |Duration |Companies involved
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Electoral Registration |Mid-September 1991 |1 month |FCO Advertising
Civil Protection Magazine |N.A. |Every quarter |N.A. (Home Office/COI publication)
Police Recruitment Graduate: |1 September 1991 |4 months |Riley Advertising
Ethnic: |1 April 1991 |3 weeks |Riley Advertising
Police (Special Constable Recruitment) |31 July 1991 |3 months |Riley Advertising
Crime Prevention (General Awareness, |1 April 1991 |19 days |Collett Dickenson Pearce Advertising;
Press, Poster and Radio Advertising) |Clarke Hooper Consulting Promotions
Crime Prevention (Car Security, Press, |12 February 1992 |N.A. Media plan |Leagus Shafron Davis Chick Advertising;
Poster and Radio Advertising) |not yet devised |Clarke Hooper Consulting Promotions
Fire Prevention and Safety A range of publicity material is available all None
|year round
Passport renewal |October 1991 |6 weeks |FCO Advertising
Prison Service Recruitment |January 1992 |3 months |Riley Advertising
Mr. Dobson : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether his Department has sent unsolicited direct mail as part of the distribution of publicity material.
Mr. Kenneth Baker : My Department has not sent unsolicited direct mail as part of the distribution of publicity material.
Mr. Dobson : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the total expenditure by his Department on press and public relations in 1979-80 and in each following year ; and what is his estimate for 1991-92 and budget for 1992-93.
Mr. Kenneth Baker : The full cost of staff, accommodation and administration for the Home Office press office from 1979-80 to 1990-91 was :
|£
------------------------
1979-80 |283,140
1980-81 |392,532
1981-82 |381,799
1982-83 |424,290
1983-84 |516,362
1984-85 |560,512
1985-86 |606,996
1986-87 |548,136
1987-88 |599,282
1988-89 |674,945
1989-90 |715,646
1990-91 |786,519
Notes:
1. Figures supplied
before 1986-87 were the
costs estimated by the
Treasury. After
devolved budgets the
estimates are based on
Home
Office costs.
2. Press Office figures
include the costs for
staff, accommodation
and administration
costs.
The estimated cost for 1991-92 is £800,275.
The budget for 1992-93 has not been confirmed but the estimate is for the same amount of staff and the projected figure is £832,285.
Mr. Dobson : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will give separate figures for the spending by his Department on (a) television advertising, (b) radio advertising, (c) newspaper advertising and (d) other promotional material in 1979-80 and in each following year ; and what are his latest estimates for 1991-92 and budgets for 1992-93.
Mr. Kenneth Baker : Figures for expenditure on advertising and other promotional material for the years from 1986-87 to 1990-91 are as follows :
Column 37
Year |TV advertising |Radio advertising|Newspaper |Other promotional|Total
|advertising |material
|£ million |£ million |£ million |£ million |£ million
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1986-87 Total advertising=5.0 1.40 6.40
1987-88 Total advertising=4.7 2.10 6.80
1988-89 Total advertising=5.4 2.80 8.20
1989-90 Total advertising=5.5 3.70 9.20
1990-91 |2.024 |0.109 |3.595 |6.75 |12.47
1991-92 estimates |1.131 |0.236 |2.172 |6.46 |11.89
Note: £ 1.9 million for crime prevention remains to be committed.
1992-93 cannot yet estimate
It would not be possible to provide more detailed information on advertising except at disproportionate cost.
Mr. Dobson : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the total expenditure by the office of the Data Protection Registrar on press and public relations in 1979-80 and in each following year ; and what is his estimate for 1991-92 and budget for 1992-93.
Mrs. Rumbold : For the years up to 1991-92, I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to him by my right hon. Friend on 3 May 1991 at column 339. I understand that the budget for 1992-93 has not yet been determined.
Murderers
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make it his general policy to release the relevant medical records of convicted murderers prior to their release.
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list all those convicted murderers since 1979 who have been released from prison and subsequently were convicted for another murder.
Mrs. Rumbold : I assume that the question relates to convicted murderers released since 1979. There have been five : J. W. Charlton ; K. Pollard ; J. Johnson ; M. N. Robinson ; and M. J. Green.
Column 38
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what factors were considered in the decision to release convicted murderers from prison after serving sentence for a first murder.
Mrs. Rumbold : My right hon. Friend may release a life sentence prisoner only if recommended to do so by the Parole Board and after consultation with the Lord Chief Justice and the trial judge if available. The main factors which are taken into account are whether the prisoner has been detained long enough to satisfy the requirements of retribution and deterrence for the offence, and whether it is considered safe to release him to the community.
Party Conferences
Mr. Pendry : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish a table showing the cost of policing the party conferences for (a) the Labour party, (b) the Conservative party and (c) the Liberal Democrats, for each year from 1987 to 1991, giving the percentage increase in costs between each year and the percentage increase between 1987 to 1991 ; and if he will give an estimate of the full economic cost of policing each conference.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : I understand from the chief officers of the forces concerned that the additional costs of policing the party conferences for the Labour party, the Conservative party and the Liberal Democrats for each year from 1987 to 1991 were estimated as follows :
Column 37
Year |Force |Additional cost |Percentage increase
|£ |in costs between
|each year
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(a) Labour
1987 |Sussex |23,000 |-
1988 |Lancashire |61,000 |+ 165
1989 |Sussex | 4,000 |- 93
1990 |Lancashire |97,545 |+ 2,339
1991 |Sussex |10,000 |- 90
Percentage change between 1987 and 1991= -57 per cent
(b) Conservative
1987 |Lancashire | 829,000 |-
1988 |Sussex |1,400,000 |+ 69
1989 |Lancashire |1,080,000 |- 23
1990 |Dorset |2,000,000 |+ 85
1991 |Lancashire |1,379,000 |- 31
Percentage change between 1987 and 1991= +66 per cent
(c) Liberal Democrats
|No identifiable
1987 |N.A. |policing costs |-
|No identifiable
1988 |Lancashire |policing costs |-
|No identifiable
1989 |Sussex |policing costs |-
|No identifiable
1990 |Lancashire |policing costs |-
|No identifiable
1991 |Dorset |policing costs |-
Information about full economic costs is not available.
Press and Publicity Staff
Mr. Dobson : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether any member of his Department's press and publicity staff accompanied him in Blackpool during the Conservative party conference.
Betting Shops
Mr. Pendry : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he has had any approaches from members of the public or punters' associations in favour of evening opening of betting shops.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : In the year ending 30 September 1991, we received no direct representations in favour of evening opening of licensed betting offices from members of the public or any association representing punters.
Mr. Pendry : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many representations he has had in favour of the evening opening of betting offices ; and what interests they represent.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : In the year ending 30 September 1991, we received one direct representation from an independent bookmaker in favour of evening opening of licensed betting offices. We are also aware that a number of organisations expressed their support for evening opening in the course of the Home Affairs Committee's recent inquiries into the levy on horseracing.
| Next Section
| Home Page |