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Publicity
Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to his answer of 2 June 1992 to the hon. Member for Holborn and St. Pancras (Mr. Dobson), Official Report, columns 510-11, what is his Department's (a) current outturn estimate for publicity expenditure for 1992-93 and (b) budgeted publicity expenditure for 1993-94.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : The current estimated outturn for publicity expenditure for 1992-93 by my Department is £8.78 million. The 1993-94 estimates will be considered by Parliament on 9 March, after which budgets will be published. The budget for 1993-94 is expected to be in line with 1992-93 expenditure in real terms. These estimates do not include publicity expenditure by the Department's executive agencies.
Cyclists
Mr. Cox : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if his Department will introduce a public campaign on the need for cyclists to have both a front and rear light when riding a pedal cycle during the hours of darkness ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : My Department is planning to launch a cycling safety campaign in March and our publicity material will include advice on the use of lights by cyclists.
Mr. Hall : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he proposes to introduce to stop motorists driving too close to motor cyclists and pedal cyclists.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : Advice to motorists to give cyclists plenty of room is contained in the "Highway Code", "The Driving Manual", "Your Driving Test" and a leaflet currently being issued with vehicle excise duty reminders.
Pedestrian Crossings
Mr. Clifton-Brown : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what conclusions the Transport Research Laboratory has come to for the criteria which need to be applied to the installation of pedestrian crossings and islands to meet the needs of vulnerable people ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : The Transport Research Laboratory has carried out research into pedestrians' use of crossings, the effectiveness of the crossings and accidents which occur. As a result, the assessment criteria for the provision of pedestrian crossing facilities are being revised to remove the existing numerical criteria and encourage more account to be taken of local needs.
The new Puffin pedestrian crossing which is being developed makes it easier and safer for all pedestrians. it automatically extends the crossing time as needed for elderly and disabled pedestrians. The TRL is continuing to monitor and assess the new crossing design. Advice has been issued to local authorities on the provision of dropped kerbs and tactile paving at pedestrian crossing points to improve the safe and independent mobility of wheelchair users and visually impaired people.
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Severn Crossing
Mr. Llwyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many representations he has received since May 1992 concerning developing (a) the current Severn bridge and (b) the second Severn crossing as toll-free bridges.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : We have received since May 1992 some 150 representations about the reduction or removal of the tolls specified in the Severn Bridges Act 1992. Very few of them distinguish between the two bridges.
Electric Cars
Mr. Dafis : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what research has been undertaken by his Department on the possible use and development of electric cars in the United Kingdom.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : The Transport Research Laboratory is soon to complete a review of worldwide research and experience in the use and environmental impact of alternative fuels including electricity. This covers various road vehicles including cars. It will draw on earlier TRL work on electric vehicles which included published reports on their market prospects, energy consumption and refuelling infrastructure.
The Department is also funding a study examining the feasibility of limited in-service field trials of vehicles using a range of alternative fuels including electricity.
In addition, engineers in the Department continue to keep abreast of electric vehicle developments worldwide, and I welcome the continuing efforts by manufacturers to develop advanced batteries and more competitive electric vehicles.
British Rail (Public Service Obligation)
Mr. Wilson : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is the relationship between the public service obligation grant for 1993-94 and the 1988 public service obligation directive to British Rail ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Freeman : Public service obligation grant is paid to meet the cost to British Rail of compliance with the obligation laid down, which is currently defined in the Secretary of State's direction of 30 March 1988. Payments made in the years since the direction was issued have varied according to need. The Government's initial estimate of grant needed for 1993-94 is £850 million, but the amount to be paid will be settled in the light of the board's budget, still in preparation, and may be subject to subsequent adjustment.
Coaches
Mrs. Anne Campbell : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is the difference between the minimum standards of construction for coaches registered in the United Kingdom for coaches which do not exceed 60 mph and those for coaches which travel at speeds up to 70 mph ; and if he will exempt coaches which do not exceed 60 mph from the requirement to have seat belts fitted even in exposed seats.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : Coaches and large buses that can exceed 60 mph are required to have anti-lock brakes and
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seat belts on exposed seats and, from 1 April 1993, to comply with European superstructure strength requirements.These features are not required for large buses that cannot exceed 60 mph. They operate normally at low speed on short town and city routes. The need for belts and the likelihood of their being used are less than on faster long-distance coaches and we have no plans to make them compulsory.
Mrs. Anne Campbell : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make it his policy to tighten up regulations on the construction of coaches registered in the United Kingdom which travel at speeds not exceeding 60 mph.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : No, but I intend to monitor the situation. If it becomes apparent that coach operators are generally using vehicles of lower than appropriate safety standards, I will consider new measures.
Mrs. Anne Campbell : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport from what year coaches will be restricted to a maximum speed of 100 kilometres per hour (a) on the continent and (b) in the United Kingdom ; what effect these restrictions will have on the safety standards of coaches manufactured in the United Kingdom ; and what representations he has received from coach manufacturers on this subject.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : EC directive 92/6 requires speed limiters on new coaches to be set at 100 km/h from 1 January 1994. It will also apply to coaches registered after 1 January 1988 from 1 January 1995 if the coach is used for international transport and from 1 January 1996 if the coach is used for national transport. We will be consulting shortly on draft regulations to implement the directive. The safety standards applying to the construction of coaches are not directly affected by the directive.
I have been approached on the subject of safety by one United Kingdom coach manufacturer.
Rail Privatisation
Mr. Wilson : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what are the costs so far to (a) British Rail and (b) his Department of preparing for the privatisation of railways ;
(2) what are (a) the staff costs and (b) the consultancy fees he expects (i) British Rail and (ii) his Department to incur in 1992-93 and 1993-94 in preparing for privatisation ;
(3) what sums (a) British Rail and (b) his Department have budgeted for 1993-94 to meet the cost of preparing for rail privatisation.
1
|£ million
-------------------------------------------------
1991-92 |0.5
1992-93 estimated outturn |1.5
1993-94 expected expenditure |9.5
Consultants' costs:
1991-92 |0.5
1992-93 estimated outturn |5.2
1993-94 expected expenditure |12.0
British Rail's costs and estimates are a matter for British Rail.
NATIONAL HERITAGE
Listed Buildings
Mrs. Anne Campbell : To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what plans he has to transfer the responsibility for grade I listed buildings from English Heritage to local authorities.
Mr. Brooke : English Heritage's forward strategy, published last October, proposed certain changes to responsibilities for grade II listed building and conservation area casework in London. Revised proposals have recently been put to me following public consultation, and I am considering them. The strategy proposed no change in current responsibilities for grade II buildings outside London.
Football Licensing Authority
Mr. Brazier : To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage when the Football Licensing Authority will begin to issue licences ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Brooke : Licensing will be introduced in time for the start of the 1993-94 football season in August. Accordingly, section 9 of the Football Spectators Act, which creates the offence of admitting spectators to unlicensed premises, will be brought into force during the close season.
I also intend to use the powers conferred on me by section 11 of the 1989 Act to make an order ensuring that clubs in the Premier League and first division meet the August 1994 deadline for all-seater stadiums. I will therefore begin shortly the statutory consultations which will lead to the inclusion of seating requirements in next year's licences.
Initially, I intend to levy only a nominal fee of £100. The level of the fee will be kept under review, and is likely later to be raised to reflect more closely the full costs involved in determining the licence conditions.
The Government continue to support the principles of spectator safety and comfort as set out in the Taylor report. We remain firmly committed to the all seater requirement for the top two divisions, and to the implementation of safe terracing for those in the lower divisions that choose not to provide all-seating. The introduction of licensing will be a major step in achieving these aims.
HEALTH
Nursing Care Beds
Ms. Lynne : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many nursing care beds for elderly people were available in hospitals in each regional health authority in each of the last 10 years.
Mr. Yeo [holding answer 19 February 1993] : The average number of available beds in wards caring for elderly patients is given in the table. There is no separate classification of "nursing care beds".
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Average number of available beds in wards caring for elderly patients
|1982 |1983 |1984 |1985 |1986 |1987-88|1988-89|1989-90|1990-91|1991-92
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
England |55,646 |55,801 |55,571 |55,320 |54,588 |53,275 |51,042 |48,733 |45,902 |42,107
Northern |3,809 |3,885 |3,894 |3,940 |3,949 |4,075 |3,958 |3,834 |3,683 |3,435
Yorkshire |5,090 |5,041 |4,938 |4,960 |4,827 |4,621 |4,291 |4,136 |3,909 |3,575
Trent |5,204 |5,229 |5,233 |5,237 |5,263 |5,116 |4,901 |4,655 |4,411 |4,050
East Anglian |2,372 |2,417 |2,452 |2,467 |2,497 |2,539 |2,500 |2,432 |2,373 |2,240
North West Thames |3,366 |3,329 |3,380 |3,417 |3,460 |3,386 |3,305 |3,329 |3,173 |2,808
North East Thames |4,555 |4,574 |4,635 |4,636 |4,614 |4,260 |3,972 |3,878 |3,483 |3,179
South East Thames |4,237 |4,233 |4,088 |3,985 |3,740 |3,535 |3,384 |3,324 |3,212 |2,903
South West Thames |3,064 |3,035 |2,975 |2,907 |2,878 |2,832 |2,834 |2,555 |2,566 |2,422
Wessex |3,543 |3,510 |3,477 |3,468 |3,433 |3,203 |3,022 |2,923 |2,780 |2,765
Oxford |2,027 |2,006 |1,974 |1,866 |1,825 |2,054 |1,832 |1,819 |1,647 |1,457
South Western |3,771 |3,848 |3,807 |3,782 |3,720 |3,486 |3,464 |3,366 |3,240 |2,925
West Midlands |6,256 |6,230 |6,235 |6,176 |6,054 |6,004 |5,665 |5,084 |4,846 |4,434
Mersey |3,136 |3,171 |3,180 |3,120 |3,042 |2,909 |2,786 |2,523 |2,047 |1,870
North Western |5,135 |5,193 |5,175 |5,230 |5,161 |5,128 |5,001 |4,747 |4,406 |3,916
Special Health Authorities 102 127 130 126 128 128 128 127 127
Source: SH3 1982-1986
KHO3 1987-88 to 1991-92
NATIONAL FINANCE
Alcohol Imports
Mr. Nigel Evans : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what would the average tax saving be in (a) excise duty and (b) VAT to an individual buying the full indicative allowance of beer in France and importing into the United Kingdom for personal consumption, compared with purchasing the same amount in the United Kingdom.
Sir John Cope : The guidance level for duty paid beer is 110 litres. On beer of typical strength, the excise duty in the United Kingdom is 41p per litre or £45.10 for 110 litres compared with £2.57 for 110 litres in France. French duty is due to rise from 2p to 7.5p a litre or £8.25 for 110 litres in May. The United Kingdom applies a VAT rate of 17.5 per cent. on beer compared with 18.6 per cent. in France. The amount of VAT that is liable on 110 litres of beer in either country will vary according to the product.
Mr. Nigel Evans : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many arrests have been made by Her Majesty's Customs and Excise verification officers since 1 January of persons illegally selling alcohol bought in France or Belgium at lower excise duty rates and imported to the United Kingdom ostensibly for personal use.
Sir John Cope : In January, Customs detected 36 cases of illegal sales of excise goods. Of these, 13 related to alcohol. Customs take legal proceedings by way of arrest when appropriate, but other options, such as proceeding by way of information and summons, are also available. Two arrests were made. Other forms of offence action have been taken or are being considered in the remaining cases.
Manufacturing Investment
Ms. Harman : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what information he has about the level of manufacturing investment in (a) 1990, (b) 1991 and (c) 1992 ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Nelson : Estimates of manufacturing investment for 1990, 1991 and 1992 at constant prices were published in the 1992 fourth quarter capital expenditure press notice
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released by the Central Statistical Office on 11 February 1993. The 1992 figure is provisional. Copies of the press notice are available in the House of Commons Library.Monetary Policy
Ms. Harman : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which monetary aggregate takes precedence in the formation of policy in the event of M0 rising above and M4 falling below their respective target ranges.
Mr. Nelson : Current spending in the economy has in the past been more closely related to M0 than to M4. The authorities also take account of a number of other domestic indicators, as well as the exchange rate, in their monetary policy decisions.
Bank Notes
Mr. Bayley : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the cost of redesigning and issuing the new £5, £10 and £20 Bank of England notes ; and what will be the cost of redesigning and reissuing revised notes which are easier to distinguish from each other.
Mr. Nelson : The cost of designing the new £5, £10 and £20 Bank of England notes, including subsequent changes in design, falls within the normal research and development expenditure of the Bank of England printing works which amounts to some £750,000 a year. In introducing the new series of banknotes, the opportunity was taken to incorporate features in the design and in the printing processes which reduced the cost of producing notes. The cost of printing and issuing banknotes amounts to some £60 million a year. The revised versions of the new notes will be issued in the normal course of replacing worn notes, so there will be no additional issuing costs.
Imports
Ms. Harman : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the effect of the change in the value of the pound sterling since 14 September 1992 on the cost of imports in the last quarter of 1992.
Mr. Nelson : In addition to the external value of the pound, import prices depend on world prices and importers' profit margins. Thus, it is not possible precisely to isolate the impact of the change in the exchange rate.
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Publicity
Mr. Morgan : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his answer of 2 June 1992 to the hon. Member for Holborn and St. Pancras (Mr. Dobson), Official Report, column 397, what is his Department's (a) current outturn estimate for publicity expenditure for 1992-93 and (b) budgeted publicity expenditure for 1993-94.
Mr. Nelson : The estimated spending on publicity during 1992-93 is £32,000. This is lower than the figure given on 2 June and the difference mainly results from the transfer of Chessington computer centre from the Treasury to the Office of Public Service and Science. Budgeted expenditure for 1993-94 is £50,000.
Retail Sales
Ms. Harman : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what information he has about the level of retail sales in (a) November 1992 and (b) January 1993 ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Nelson : The estimate of the volume of retail sales--seasonally adjusted--in November 1992 is 121.6 ; 1985 = 100. The provisional estimate for January 1993 is 122.3. The level of sales volumes in the three months to January equalled the record level recorded in the three months to November.
Environmental Protection
Mr. Pawsey : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the impact on environmental protection of a windfall tax on the utility companies.
Mr. Dorrell : None, but in the absence of other changes, an increase in the tax burden on utilities would reduce the resources available to them.
Mr. Pawsey : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the scope and value of tax incentives for companies for environmental protection projects for the last year for which figures are available.
Mr. Dorrell : There are no specific incentives for companies' environmental projects, but the taxation system as a whole contains many incentives to protect the environment. These include the level of hydrocarbon oils duties and capital allowances which already cover energy saving investment.
Windfall Tax
Mr. Pawsey : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many times a windfall tax has been levied since 1961 ; which types of companies were affected ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Dorrell : The term "windfall tax" is not clearly defined. Development gains tax--1973--development land tax--1976--the tax on banks' interest-free deposits--1981--and supplementary petroleum duty--1981--were introduced in response to what were seen as exceptionally high profits. The first two applied to gains on disposals of development land by firms in any sector, the third to the banking sector and the last to the oil industry.
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Environmental Variables
Mr. Dafis : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what efforts have been made to date to integrate environmental variables into national accounting systems.
Mr. Nelson : I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Southwark and Bermondsey (Mr. Hughes) on 8 December 1992, at columns 571-72.
Cycle Helmets
Miss Lestor : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has received about zero rating cycle helmets for VAT purposes ; and if he will make a statement.
Sir John Cope : My right hon. Friend has received a number of representations on this subject and these will be carefully considered in the run-up to the Budget. The hon. Member will appreciate that it would be inappropriate for me to comment further at this stage.
EC Abatement Procedure
Mr. Booth : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer by how much the abatement procedure has reduced the United Kingdom net payments to the European Community since 1985.
Sir John Cope : By the end of 1992, the abatement had reduced the United Kingdom's net payments to the European Community budget by £11,843 million. The table shows the level of abatement received each year since 1985.
£ million Year |Abatement ------------------------------ 1985 |166 1986 |1,701 1987 |1,153 1988 |1,594 1989 |1,154 1990 |1,697 1991 |2,497 1992 |1,881
Capital Gains Tax
Mr. Jenkin : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the annual yield from capital gains tax in each year since 1979-80.
Mr. Dorrell : The requested information is given in table 1.2 of the 1992 edition of "Inland Revenue Statistics". A revised estimate for the yield in 1992-93 will be published on Budget day in the "Financial Statement and Budget Report 1993-94".
RPI Advisory Committee
Mr. Burns : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he expects to receive a report from the Retail Prices Index Advisory Committee.
Mr. Lamont [pursuant to the reply, 21 January 1993, c. 344] : I have today received a supplementary report from the Retail Prices Index Advisory Committee on the
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treatment in the index of council tax transitional relief. The supplementary report is being published this afternoon as Cm 2153 and copies are available in the Vote Office.Personal Income Tax
Mr. Milburn : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the net revenue forgone in each financial year as a result of the reductions in personal income tax for higher rate taxpayers introduced by the Finance Act 1988 in the light of Government receipts since then.
Mr. Dorrell [holding answer 22 February 1993] : The table shows the direct revenue costs in a full year compared with reintroduced tax rates of 45, 50, 55 and 60 per cent. The band widths for the tax rate schedule have been calculated by uprating the corresponding parts of the 1987-88 regime by movements in the retail prices index as in the statutory indexation formula. The estimates take account of the introduction of independent taxation from 1990-91 and the restriction of mortgage interest relief to the basic rate from 1991-92.
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Estimated change in tax revenue at rates in excess of 40 per cent. Year |£ billion ------------------------------- 1988-89 |2.6 1989-90 |3.2 1990-91 |3.7 <1>1991-92 |3.9 <1>1992-93 |3.8 <1>Provisional estimates.
The estimates do not allow for any behavioural effect that might have resulted had the tax rates above 40 per cent. been retained, and do not include capital gains tax.
Maastricht Treaty
Sir Trevor Skeet : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will update the table given in his answer of 21 January, Official Report , columns 339-40 , relating to the convergence criteria of the Maastricht treaty.
Mr. Nelson [holding answer 23 February 1993] : Following is the updated table as requested.
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|Latest inflation<1>|Budget balance<2> |General government |Long-term bond
|debt<3> |yield<4>
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Belgium |2.8 |-6.7 |130.6 |7.7
Denmark |1.5 |-2.3 |72.7 |8.7
France |2.0 |-2.8 |49.1 |7.8
Germany<5> |4.4 |-3.2 |47.6 |6.9
Greece |14.4 |-13.4 |104.0 |n.a.
Ireland |2.3 |-2.7 |96.4 |9.9
Italy |4.3 |-10.5 |105.4 |13.0
Luxembourg |2.6 |-0.4 |5.3 |7.7
Netherlands |2.5 |-3.5 |80.6 |6.8
Portugal |8.5 |-5.6 |66.7 |11.3
Spain |5.4 |-4.6 |46.6 |11.5
United Kingdom |1.7 |-6.1 |43.7 |7.9
<1>Latest percentage change in consumer prices on year ago.
<2>1992 general government financial balance (as a percentage of GDP). European Economy (January/February 1993).
<3>1992 gross debt of general government (as a percentage of GDP), estimates taken from European Economy (May 1992).
<4>Yield on fixed interest government securities on February 18th 1993, except Ireland (December 1992) and Portugal (
November 1992).
<5>Inflation and government debt figures are for western Germany.
Source: OECD and Eurostat.
Public Expenditure Programme
Mr. Campbell-Savours : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what meetings he or his departmental officials have had with representatives of the International Monetary Fund in the United Kingdom at which he or they have discussed with them the Government's public expenditure programmes.
Mr. Nelson [holding answer 23 February 1993] : Under article IV of the articles of agreement of the International Monetary Fund, fund staff carry out regular surveillance of the economies of the member countries. Fund staff visited the United Kingdom on 1 to 11 December 1992 for its annual article IV consultation. This consultation covered all aspects of the Government's economic policy, including public expenditure.
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AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD
Flood Prevention, Stanmore
Mr. Dykes : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will hold urgent discussions with the National Rivers Authority and the London borough of Harrow on the need for flood prevention remedial measures to protect residents in certain areas of Stanmore, Middlesex.
Mr. Curry : The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food makes grant available to the National Rivers Authority, local authorities and other bodies towards the cost of flood defence schemes which are technically sound, economically worth while and environmentally sympathetic. In the case referred to, the Ministry has indicated that any scheme put forward by the responsible local bodies will be sympathetically considered against the criteria laid down. I understand that the National Rivers Authority is working on designing a suitable scheme and is in contact with the Ministry's river and coastal engineers.
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Marine Laboratories
Mr. Salmond : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) what consultations he has had with (a) staff, (b) the fishing industry, (c) local councils, and (d) hon. or right hon. Members regarding the possibility of conferring next steps agency status on the marine laboratory in Lowestoft ; and if he will make a statement ;
(2) what consideration he has given to conferring next steps agency status on the marine laboratory in Lowestoft ; and if he will make a statement ;
(3) what plans he has for the rationalisation or amalgamation of services provided by the marine laboratory facilities in Aberdeen and Lowestoft ; and if he will make a statement ;
(4) what assessment has been made of the implications for organisational and departmental responsibilities of the assumption of next steps agency status by one or both of the present marine laboratory facilities in Aberdeen and Lowestoft ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Curry : Staff representatives were informed last July that a study group had been established to review the merits of a move to next steps agency status for the MAFF directorate of fisheries research. My right hon. Friend is currently considering the issues raised by this review in consultation with colleagues and will report his decision to the House in the normal way.
Salmonella
Mr. Spring : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what further advice he has on salmonella in eggs ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Gummer [pursuant to his reply, 9 February 1993, c. 556-58] : I have today made an order revoking the Poultry Laying Flocks (Testing and Registration etc) Order 1989, as amended. Commercial egg laying flocks will no longer be required to be registered or tested for the presence of salmonella.
I previously announced that, in the light of the expert advice from the committee chaired by Professor Heather Dick, and in accordance with the new EC zoonoses directive, the compulsory slaughter of commercial egg-laying flocks infected with salmonella enteritidis would no longer be required : this change will take effect tomorrow.
Pea Crop
Mr. Clifton-Brown : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what are the precise criteria for the derogation for this season's vining pea crop from the set-aside regime.
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