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NATIONAL FINANCE
Cigarette Duty
Ms. Primarolo : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the average amount of VAT and excise duty levied on a packet of cigarettes in real terms in each of the past five years ; and what was the total revenue from VAT and excise duty in real terms in each of the past five years.
Sir John Cope : The information is as follows :
Table 1
Average amount of VAT and
Excise duty in 1992
prices levied on a
packet of cigarettes (
pence)
|Duty |VAT
--------------------------
1987-88 |126.6|26.9
1988-89 |124.6|26.2
1989-90 |117.0|25.3
1990-91 |117.1|25.1
1991-92 |127.4|31.2
1992-93 |135.0|32.9
Table 2
Total VAT and Excise duty
revenue in 1992 prices
from tobacco
£ million
|Duty |VAT
--------------------------
1987-88 |6,178|1,307
1988-89 |6,000|1,267
1989-90 |5,532|1,187
1990-91 |5,850|1,212
1991-92 |6,290|1,324
Table 1 is based on
typical, post Budget
prices of a packet of 20
king size cigarettes. The
VAT figures in Table 2
are based on consumer
expenditure estimates.
These figures have all
been deflated by the RPI.
Petrol Duties
Ms Primarolo : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the total revenue from all taxes on leaded and unleaded petrol per gallon in each of the last five years.
Sir John Cope : The information is as follows :
Revenue per
gallon (pence)
|Duty |VAT |Total
--------------------------------------
Leaded
April 1988 |93 |22 |115
April 1989 |93 |24 |117
April 1990 |102 |26 |128
April 1991 |118 |33 |151
April 1992 |126 |34 |160
Unleaded
Estimate 1988 |84 |21 |105
April 1989 |81 |23 |104
April 1990 |89 |25 |114
April 1991 |102 |31 |133
April 1992 |107 |31 |138
April figures are used as the tables
are based on a post-Budget price.
Foreign Exchange Transactions
Mr. Cousins : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish tables showing the daily average value of foreign exchange transactions on the London markets each month from September 1992 to the end of January 1993 and the share of spot and forward market transactions in these daily averages ; and if he will give the shares of each major currency in these transactions.
Mr. Nelson : Data on foreign exchange transactions on the London markets are not collected at the frequency requested. However, in its November, 1992 Quarterly Bulletin, the Bank of England published data on the foreign exchange market in London, taken from a survey in April 1992.
Repayment of Bills
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what progress has been made in his policy of improving the prompt payment of bills by Government contractors to their sub-contractors.
Mr. Nelson : All Government Departments have confirmed that they have introduced a clause in their contracts for goods and services which requires the supplier or contractor to pay its suppliers or subcontractors promptly.
Column 418
Inheritance Tax
Mr. Gordon Prentice : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will take steps to ensure that landowners claiming full exemption from inheritance tax are obliged to publicise in the relevant local press on a periodic basis the full extent of public access to their land.
Mr. Dorrell : The owner of land that has been conditionally exempted from inheritance tax is already required to publicise the agreed public access arrangements. The extent of the publicity depends on the facts of each case. The owner will generally be required to take specific steps to publicise public access, for example by advertising the access arrangements in a local tourist office or town hall.
The appropriate heritage advisory agency, for example the Countryside Commission for scenic land in England, is able to supply information about public access to heritage land including conditionally exempt land, although land will not be identified as conditionally exempt. In addition, in England and Wales, a member of the public who wants information about public access in a specific area can contact the footpaths officer of the appropriate county council or national park authority. Details of footpaths and public access also often appear on maps and in commercial publications, particularly for major tourist areas.
Animal Skin Sales (Tax)
Mrs. Fyfe : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what investigations the Inland Revenue is undertaking into underpayment of income tax associated with earnings from the sale of animal skins by huntsmen.
Mr. Dorrell : The Inland Revenue is making inquiries about the possible failure by members of hunts to declare income from the sale of animal skins. Details of these inquiries are confidential.
Mrs. Fyfe : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate has been made of the amount of tax unpaid by failure to declare earnings from the sale of skins of dead animals acquired when obtaining raw meat for hounds.
Mr. Dorrell : No such estimate has been made.
Debt Servicing
Ms Harman : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the annual cost of servicing a debt requirement of £27 billion.
Mr. Portillo : The annual cost of servicing any particular borrowing requirement depends upon the level and structure of interest rates, the rate of inflation and the type of debt issued.
Developing Countries (Debt)
Mr. Burns : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what progress Her Majesty's Government has made in tackling the problem of developing countries' external debt during 1992.
Mr. Nelson [pursuant to his answer, 16 February 1993, c. 122-23] : An incorrect figure was shown in the third paragraph of the answer. For completeness the amended answer is restated in full as follows :
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Her Majesty's Government have made substantial progress in dealing with developing country debt issues during 1992.The Government are directly responsible for official bilateral debts. Proposals for rescheduling or restructuring such debts are dealt with multilaterally through the Paris Club of creditor countries.
The Paris Club reached agreements with 18 countries during 1992, involving the rescheduling or restructuring of over US$21.5 billion of bilateral official debt. Three agreements were with middle income countries (Argentina, Brazil, and Bulgaria), and a further four were with lower middle income countries (Cameroon, Ecuador, Jordan, and Morocco) who benefited from more generous rescheduling arrangements involving longer grace and repayment periods (known as "Houston" terms).
I am delighted to announce, however, that the majority of agreements, eleven in all, were concluded on Trinidad terms. The countries concerned were Bolivia, Ethiopia, Equatorial Guinea, Guinea Republic, Honduras, Mali, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, and Zambia. This follows from the Paris Club's decision in December 1991 to begin implementing the initiative of my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister for providing concessional relief to the very poorest indebted countries.
In addition to the countries listed above, Nicaragua and Benin benefited from Trinidad terms in 1991, and Mauritania in 1993, making 14 beneficiaries in all so far.
Trinidad terms provide for the equivalent of cancellation of up to half of the eligible debt consolidated by the agreements. Each agreement contains an undertaking by creditors to consider the case for a reduction in the whole stock of the debtor countries' eligible debt to the Paris Club after a period of proven economic and financial responsibility. During 1992 Trinidad terms agreements covered over US$3 billion of debt entailing the forgiveness of over US$1 billion over the life of the agreements. Including Nicaragua, Benin, and Mauritania, over US$4 billion of debt has been restructured under Trinidad terms, and about US$1 billion forgiven over the life of the agreements.
Maintenance Cases
Mr. Hall : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what information he has on the turn-over rate of maintenance cases by the courts in Warrington, South.
Mr. John M. Taylor : I have been asked to reply.
Table 1 shows the number of orders for maintenance made in matrimonial proceedings and under the Children Act in Warrington county court during 1992. Table 2 shows the total number of orders for maintenance made by the Warrington and Halton magistrates courts during 1991, the latest year for which information is available. The number of orders made in those courts under the Children Act are given for 1992. The 1992 figures are provisional and are liable to revision to take account of late amendments.
Orders made for maintenance in Warrington county court
during
1992
|Number
---------------------------------------------------------
Ancillary relief:
Orders made pending divorce |14
Fixed term orders |27
Orders made pending further order |27
Orders for child |136
Children Act applications for maintenance:
Orders made |1
=
Table 2
Orders made for maintenance by the Warrington and Halton
magistrates courts during 1991 and 1992
|Number
-------------------------------------------------------------
1991-not including Children Act figures
Orders made |11
1992-Children Act applications for maintenance
Orders made |78
SOCIAL SECURITY
Means-tested Benefits
Mr. Knox : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will publish figures showing the numbers and percentages of families receiving one or more means-tested benefits in 1979 and the latest available year.
Mr. Burt : The information is in the table.
Benefit |1979 Recipients |1991 Recipients
|(000)s per cent.|(000)s per cent.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Supplementary benefit income
support |488 (6.8) |1,320 (19.5)
Family income supplement/
family credit |76 (1.1) |435 (6.4)
Housing benefit |- |39 (0.6)
Community charge benefit |- |99 (1.5)
Notes:
1. For the purposes of the answer, families are defined as couples or single
people with children.
2. There are no statistics available for housing benefit and community charge
benefit for 1979 as no similar scheme existed at that time.
3. All figures have been rounded to the nearest thousand.
4. The figures give the numbers of families receiving each of the benefits.
Some families receive more than one of these benefits, but it is not possible
to give a reliable estimate of the numbers of such cases.
5. Income support replaced supplementary benefit in 1988.
6. Family credit replaced family income supplement in April 1988.
Child Support
Mr. Stern : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, pursuant to his answer of 9 March, Official Report, columns 530-31, on the Child Support Agency, if he will list all those benefits or payments administered by his Department to which a taper of 90 per cent. or greater can be applicable.
Mr. Burt : Income in excess of disregarded amounts is taken fully into account for the purposes of income support. None of the other income- related benefits attract a taper of 90 per cent. or more. However, where a number of other income-related benefits are in payment the combination of more than one benefit taper will occasionally produce a marginal deduction rate in excess of 90 per cent.
For the purpose of child support maintenance, where an absent parent falls within the protected income
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provision the income subject to the 90 per cent. deduction rate will include all social security benefits with the exception of attendance allowance, disability living allowance, pensioner's Christmas bonus, social fund payments and the first £10 of war disablement pension or war widow's pension.Mr. Stern : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, pursuant to his answer of 9 March, Official Report, column 530, on child support, if he will make a statement on the reasons for differentiating between corporate non-contributory pension schemes and all other pension schemes in framing the rules for the calculation of child support maintenance.
Mr. Burt : The child support maintenance system has followed the rules in the income-related benefits in allowing only half of any contribution to an occupational or personal pension scheme to be deducted from earnings.
An employee who is a member of a personal or occupational pension scheme pays a reduced national insurance contribution and less income tax in recognition of the separate pension contribution. If no account were taken of the pension contribution, the lower tax and national insurance contribution would produce a higher figure for net income and, therefore, a higher assessment of
Column 422
child support maintenance. Therefore, the Government believe it is reasonable to take some account of a parent's actual contributions to occupational or personal pension schemes.However, it would not be right to allow individuals to forgo current income in order to benefit themselves at a later date, and thereby to reduce the maintenance payable for their children. Taking some account of pension contributions is justified as the individual will stand to gain through enhanced pension entitlement.
There is no straightforward way of achieving a similar result for a person who is a member of a non-contributory scheme because actual contributions would be difficult to ascertain.
Pensioners
Mr. Frank Field : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, pursuant to his answer of 12 March, Official Report, column 751, if he will further break down the data showing the age of the pensioners with an income of less than £5,000 per year into separate tables for single pensioners and pensioner couples.
Miss Widdecombe : Estimates are in the table.
Column 421
|Age 60-64|65-69 |70-74 |75-79 |80+
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Percentage of single pensioners gross income less than £5,000 pa<1> |9 |24 |16 |28 |23
Percentage of pensioner couples gross income less than £5,000 pa<1> |0 |31 |22 |34 |13
Notes:
<1> Owing to small sample sizes, the estimates quoted are liable to a significant degree of error.
The age of a couple is taken to be the age of the husband.
Mr. Frank Field : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will give the percentage break down of all pensioner units in the age groups (a) 60 to 64 years, (b) 65 to 69 years, (c) 70 to 74 years, (d) 75 to 79 years and (e) 80 plus years.
Miss Widdecombe : Estimates are in the table.
N
|Age 60-64|65-69 |70-74 |75-79 |80+
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Percentage of all
pensioner units |7 |33 |18 |26 |16
Notes:
(a) A pensioner unit is a single person aged over state pensionable age (SPA)
or a couple where the husband is aged over SPA.
(b) The age of a couple is taken to be the age of the husband.
(c) The distribution of all pensioner units is an estimate based on the 1988
Family Expenditure Survey data adjusted to United Kingdom totals.
Fraud
Dr. Godman : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security on how many occasions social security fraud was detected in (a) Inverclyde, (b) Strathclyde and (c) Scotland as a whole in each of the past three years ; how many persons were proceeded against ; and of these how many were convicted by the courts.
Miss Widdecombe : The administration of benefits is a matter for Mr. Michael Bichard, the chief executive of the Benefits Agency. He will write to the hon. Member with such information as is available and a copy will be placed in the Library.
Column 422
Letter from Mr. M. Bichard to Dr. Norman Godman, dated 18 March 1993 :As Chief Executive of the Benefits Agency, it is my responsibility to answer questions about relevant operational matters. I am therefore replying to your recent Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security asking on how many occasions social security fraud was detected in (a) Inverclyde, (b) Strathclyde and (c) Scotland as a whole in each of the past three years ; how many persons were proceeded against ; and of these how many were convicted by the courts.
I regret that I am unable to provide separate figures for Inverclyde or Strathclyde as the Benefits Agency is organised in Areas which do not always correspond geographically to town or county boundaries.
The Sector Fraud organisation has only been in existence since January 1991 and the first full year for which figures are available is the year ended April 1992. During this period a total of 26,600 social security investigations into Fraud were undertaken in Scotland by officers of the Benefits Agency.
In the year ending 31 March 1990, 1,185 cases were sent for consideration of proceedings in Scotland as a whole. Of this number 1,084 were convicted by the courts. In the year ending 31 March 1991 the number of cases submitted was 1,037 of which 887 resulted in convictions and in the year ending 31 March 1992 the figures were 847 submissions and 785 convictions.
You may be interested to know that from the year commencing April 1992 we have been compiling prosecution statistics for each of our operational areas. This will enable us to provide, from the year ending April 1993, information for smaller geographical areas. I hope that you find this reply helpful. A copy will appear in the Official Report and a copy will also be placed in the Library.
Column 423
Part-time Study
Ms Walley : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will liaise with Stoke on Trent college to ensure that students studying for fewer than 21 hours a week and available for work can claim benefit in order to continue studies.
Mr. Burt : The administration of income support is a matter for Mr. Michael Bichard, the chief executive of the Benefits Agency. He will write to the hon. Member with such information as is available and a copy will be placed in the Library.
Letter from Mr. M. Bichard to Ms Joan Walley, dated 18 March 1993 :
As Chief Executive of the Benefits Agency it is my responsibility to answer questions about relevant operational matters. I am therefore replying to your recent Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security asking if he will liaise with Stoke on Trent College to ensure that students studying less than 21 hours a week and available for work can claim benefit in order to continue studies.
I should explain that students are defined in the Income Support scheme as people aged between 19 and pension age who are attending a full-time course of study at an educational establishment. It is Government policy that financial support for students from public funds should come from one source, the education system. The benefit system is not the appropriate means of funding or supplementing educational maintenance. The educational maintenance system is designed to provide for the particular needs and expenditure patterns of students. Most students following full-time courses are not entitled to Unemployment Benefit, Housing Benefit or Income Support during their course.
However, exceptions are made for certain groups, such as lone parents with a child under 16, and disabled students, who may claim Income Support throughout the year. A student's partner may also claim benefit at any time but will have to satisfy the normal conditions of entitlement.
The 21 hour rule in the Income Support scheme allows unemployed people, who have been receiving benefit, to spend their spare time usefully in part- time study while they continue their search for work. It is not intended to provide financial support for people who are primarily concerned with continuing their education. Where the course is designated full-time by the college concerned the 21 hour rule cannot apply, as it is only intended to help those in part-time education.
The decision whether a course of study is part-time or full-time is made by the independent adjudication authorities based on the individual circumstances of each case and the evidence, including that from the educational establishment concerned, before them in accordance with statute law and case law.
I understand from Mr. Proctor, the District Manager for the Benefits Agency's Stoke (North) District, that a liaison meeting was held in January between the Benefits Agency and the Deputy Director of Stoke on Trent College, in order to ensure that the College was fully informed about the rules governing students' entitlement to Income Support.
I hope you find this reply helpful. A copy will appear in the Official Report and a copy will also be placed in the Library.
Social Fund, Lewisham
Ms Ruddock : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what was the budget for the Lewisham district office social fund for the current year as set at 1 April 1992 ; if he will state (a) whether the budget was subsequently increased, (b) how much remains in the budget, (c) how many applicants have been refused a grant giving the reasons for refusal, (d) how many applicants have been
Column 424
refused a loan giving the reason for refusal and (e) how many applicants refused went on to appeal and how many of these appeals were successful.Mr. Scott : The administration of the social fund is a matter for Mr. Michael Bichard, the chief executive of the Benefits Agency. he will write to the hon. Member and a copy will be placed in the Library.
Letter from Mr. M. Bichard to Ms Joan Ruddock, dated 18 March 1993 :
As Chief Executive of the Benefits Agency, it is my responsibility to answer questions about relevant operational matters. I am therefore replying to the points raised in your recent Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security asking what was the budget for Lewisham District Office Social Fund for the current year as set at 1 April 1992 ; if he will state (a) whether the budget was subsequently increased, (b) how much remains in the budget, (c) how many applicants have been refused a grant giving the reasons for refusal, (d) how many applicants have been refused a loan giving reasons for refusal and (e) how many applicants refused went onto appeal and how many of these appeals were successful.
Details of the initial and subsequent budget allocations for Lewisham and Brixton District for the 1992-93 financial year are in the Library. The balance outstanding at 28 February 1993, the latest date for which figures are availabe, was £116,683 for grants and £304,374 for loans.
Information on the Social fund is not kept by Social Fund applicant, but rather by Social Fund application. Details of the numbers of grant and loan applications refused and of reasons for refusal are given at Appendix A.
There is no right of appeal against discretionary Social Fund decisions. Dissatisfied applicants may apply for a review of the decision, initially conducted within the District. During the period 1 April 1992 to 28 February 1993, 4,482 review applications were received by Lewisham and Brixton District, of which 1,053 resulted in a changed decision.
I hope you find this reply helpful. A copy of this leter will appear in the Official Report. Copies are also being placed in the Library.
Appendix A
Details of grant and loan refusals for the Lewisham and Brixton
District-1 April 1992-28 February 1993 latest available data)
Reason for refusal |Grants |Loans
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Not in receipt of Income Support (IS) |631 |619
In receipt of IS for less than 26 weeks |- |1,448
Direction 4 not satisfied |5,600 |-
Applicant excluded by Direction |4 |17
No serious risk to health or safety |- |940
Requested amount below minimum
allowable |19 |86
Repeat application |434 |505
Item excluded by Direction |312 |376
Alternative item available |7 |98
Help available from another source |23 |160
Grant awarded on loan request |- |198
Savings over £500 meet cost |8 |6
Savings over £1,000 meet cost (customer or
partner over 60) |3 |1
Enough money available to meet crisis |- |29
Total debt exceeds £1,000 |- |54
Inability to repay |- |586
Insufficient priority |927 |2,305
Other reasons |50 |319
|--- |---
Totals |8,018 |7,747
Column 425
Benefits Agency
Mr. Cousins : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what pilot schemes for remote single site storage of line benefits case papers are being undertaken by the Benefits Agency ; and where they are taking place.
Mr. Burt : The administration of storage facilities is a matter for Mr. Michael Bichard, the chief executive of the Benefits Agency. He will write to the hon. Member with such information as is available and a copy will be placed in the Library.
Letter from Mr. M. Bichard to Mr. Jim Cousins, dated 18 March 1993 :
As Chief Executive of the Benefits Agency it is my responsibility to answer questions about relevant operational matters. I am therefore replying to your recent Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security asking what pilot schemes for remote single site storage of line benefits case papers are being undertaken by the Benefits Agency, and where they are taking place. It is incumbent upon Benefits Agency District Managers to provide an efficient service to customers in the communities which they serve. As well as the implementation and ongoing operation of legislative provisions, they need also to take account of available resources and operational needs in the course of their management tasks. Some, therefore, as one of a number of measures designed to improve efficiency which will be of ultimate benefit to customers, have chosen to store benefit files at a location outwith the district. There are no specific pilot schemes.
As Districts are free to organise to best suit their area, it is not necessary for a record of how they choose to organise their filing systems to be kept centrally. However, I am aware of some Districts, and locations where benefits are centrally administered benefits who have chosen to store files remotely. A list of these are appended.
I hope you find this reply helpful. A copy will appear in the Official Report and a copy will also appear in the Library. District
Wearside
Newcastle
Doncaster
Hull
Rother and Dearne
South Humberside
Bradford
Leeds Ridings
Central Staffordshire
Wolverhampton
Liverpool North
Wirral
South Cheshire
North Cheshire
Blackburn and Accrington
Preston
Glasgow South West
Glasgow East
Coventry
South Tees
Barnsley
East Yorkshire
Sheffield East
Sheffield West
Wakefield District
Kirklees District
Central Derbyshire
Walsall
South Cheshire
Liverpool South
Sefton
South West Lancashire
Oldham
North Cumbria
Wigan and Leigh
Glasgow West
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