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Departmental Bills
Mr. Fatchett : To ask the Prime Minister if he will set out the steps taken by his Government to ensure that Government Departments pay outstanding bills within 30 days of their receipt ; and if he will make a statement.
The Prime Minister : "Government Accounting" requires all Departments to pay outstanding bills in accordance with the terms of the contract or generally understood terms of business, or within 30 days of the receipt of goods and services or the presentation of a valid invoice or similar demand for payment, whichever is the later, if no terms are specified.
Departments are responsible for monitoring their payment performance. The results for 1991-92 were published in written parliamentary answers on 13 July 1992. The results for 1992-93 will be published shortly and Departments will, in future, also be required to publish details of their payment performance in departmental reports.
Child Migrant Scheme
Mr. Hinchliffe : To ask the Prime Minister (1) if he will place in the Library all Government records relating to the child migrant scheme ;
(2) what discussions he has had with representatives of the Australian, New Zealand and Canadian Governments concerning the welfare of United Kingdom child migrants ; what is the Government's policy towards the compensation of those who have suffered as a result of this scheme ; if he will take steps to increase Government grant assistance to the Child Migrant Trust ; and if he will make a statement.
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The Prime Minister : It would not be right to place personal record files in the Library. Other records are considered for deposit in the Public Record Office in the usual way.
I have not raised the subject of child migrants with the Heads of Government in Australia, New Zealand or Canada, nor have they raised the subject with me. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health is contacting the Australian authorities.
I know there have been allegations of physical and sexual abuse of a number of child migrants some years ago in Australia, but any such allegations will be a matter for the Australian authorities. I am not aware of any allegations involving the British authorities or claims against them for compensation.
The Child Migrant Trust applied for Government funds and has received a section 64 grant of £25,000 from the Department of Health for the current year.
Any future application will be considered by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health.
PRIME MINISTER
No. 10 Downing Street
Mr. Winnick : To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Great Grimsby (Mr. Mitchell), of 5 July, Official Report, column 11, what charges are made to organisations or persons holding non-official events at 10 Downing street in respect of overheads or indirect costs associated with such functions.
The Prime Minister [holding answer 9 July 1993] : The practice under this and previous Administrations is that the organisers are responsible for all catering and staff costs, as well as other miscellaneous direct costs. No charges are levied for overheads or indirect costs.
Mr. Winnick : To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Newham North-West (Mr. Banks) on 5 July, Official Report, column 11, whether all political parties represented in the House can apply to use 10 Downing Street for fund raising and other social purposes.
The Prime Minister [holding answer 9 July 1993] : As under previous Administrations, the use of 10 Downing street for non-official or party functions is a matter for the Prime Minister.
Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Prime Minister pursuant to his answer of 5 July, Official Report, column 11, which Ministers have hosted non- official or party receptions or functions in 10 Downing street since 1979.
The Prime Minister [holding answer 13 July 1993] : I have hosted all such events since November 1990.
Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to his answer of 5 July, Official Report, columns 11-12, if
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he will give details of the occasions upon which No. 10 Downing street was used for functions for which tickets were sold for the benefit of political parties since 1979.The Prime Minister [holding answer 13 July 1993] : As I said in the reply to which the hon. Member refers, that is not a matter for the Government.
Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to his answer of 5 July, Official Report, column 12, on attendance by Mr. Asil Nadir at functions at No. 10 Downing street, which of the functions attended were Government functions ; and who issued the invitation in each such case.
The Prime Minister [holding answer 13 July 1993] : The only Government function was the dinner for the President of Turkey. For all the functions, invitations would have been issued in the name of the Prime Minister.
Foreign Heads of State (Visits)
Mr. William Ross : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list the official visits made by heads of foreign states to Northern Ireland in each of the last three years, the engagements carried out by them during each such visit, and indicating which engagements were private, public and official.
The Prime Minister [holding answer 13 July 1993] : There have been no official visits made to Northern Ireland by heads of foreign states in the last three years.
NATIONAL HERITAGE
Conservation Areas
Mr. Fishburn : To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage when he will publish the consultation paper on the protection of conservation areas.
Mr. Brooke : My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment and I issued this on 8 July together with a draft planning policy guidance note on historic buildings and conservation areas. Further details were given in my reply of 9 July to my hon. Friend the Member for St. Ives (Mr. Harris), Official Report, column 287.
Arts Council
Mr. Ieuan Wyn Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage on how many occasions grants have been made by the Arts Council under its (a) bursaries to writers scheme and (b) writers in residence scheme during the last five years to applicants who were neither resident in England nor had any previous connection with England.
Mr. Brooke : Under the Arts Council of Great Britain's "Bursaries to writers scheme", bursaries are offered only to writers currently resident in England. Separate schemes are run by both the Welsh and Scottish arts councils. Grants to five writers from abroad have been made by the Arts Council of Great Britain under its "writers in residence scheme" attached to particular areas of the country. Grants under other residency schemes have, to date, been made only to British writers.
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North West Council for Sport and Recreation
Mrs. Ann Winterton : To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if he will make a statement explaining the categories and criteria by which the North West Council for Sport and Recreation assesses the needs of rural communities in terms of minimum levels of sports facility provisions.
Mr. Brooke [holding answer 12 July 1993] : This issue has been examined in a specific study commissioned by the North West Council for Sport and Recreation, published in June 1991, entitled "Sport for Rural Communities". The study offers guidelines for sports facility provision based upon the size of rural communities.
Mrs. Ann Winterton : To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if he will give a breakdown by category or rural community of the grants made by the North West Council for Sport and Recreation in the latest year for which figures are available.
Mr. Brooke [holding answer 12 July 1993] : The North West Council for Sport and Recreation does not make grants, but advises the Sports Council's North West regional office and others on the allocation of their grant aid. Grants made by the Sports Council's north-west region in rural areas in 1992-93 were as follows :
Capital grants |Project |Grant £
applicant
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
John Schofield tennis |Construction of two indoor |50,000
centre |court tennis centres at
|Clitheroe
Nantwich & Border |Extension to clubhouse to |10,000
Counties sailing club |provide changing facilities
Cheshire NW |Purchase of land and the |7,500
schoolboys scramble |provision of toilet/wash-
club |house facilities at Peacock
|Hay
Chester |Renovation and upgrading |10,000
mountaineering club |of a mountain hut
Revenue Grants
Community council of |Rural areas sports develop- |30,000
Lancashire |ment officer to assist in
|implementing the Rural
|Areas Topic Study
Cheshire community |Appointment of sports de- |30,000
council
|areas in Cheshire to assist
|in implementing the Rural
|Areas Topic Study
Ribble Valley borough |Appointment of a sports |10,382
council |development officer to pro-
|mote all aspects of sport in
|the borough
Mesopotamian Archaeological Objects
Mr. Dalyell : To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage, pursuant to his answer of 14 June, Official Report, column 463, what information he has on the total holdings of Mesopotamian archaeological objects in British public museums.
Mr. Brooke [holding answer 12 July 1993] : Information on the total holdings of Mesopotamian archaeological objects in British public museums is not held centrally. If the hon. Member requires such information, the director of the British Museum would be happy to advise him on how best to proceed to collect it.
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EDUCATION
Portuguese
Mr. Dalyell : To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) what representations he has received from the director of Canning house on the study of Portuguese in British schools ; and what was his response ;
(2) whether he will arrange for at least one examination board to offer GCSE in Portuguese.
Mr. Robin Squire : My right hon. Friend has received several representations about the decision of the University of London Examinations and Assessment Council to discontinue its GCSE examinations in Portuguese after 1994, including one from the director general of Canning house. Following discussions with the Department, the council has recently decided to continue offering the syllabus beyond that date.
Special Schools
Mr. Pickthall : To ask the Secretary of State for Education what plans he has to stop the practice of including special schools in performance league tables.
Mr. Robin Squire : My right hon. Friend has no such plans. Special schools, like all schools, deserve credit for the level of performance they achieve and should not therefore be excluded from the comparative tables. They will be listed in a separate section of the tables.
Mr. Pickthall : To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he intends to include special schools in the proposed national truancy league tables.
Mr. Robin Squire : Yes. Regular school attendance is important for all pupils. Special school pupils will benefit from the provision being made for them only if they attend regularly.
Teacher Training
Mr. Robert Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for Education what arrangements he has made for the introduction of a preliminary scheme of school-centred initial teacher training this year.
Mr. Forth : In March this year my right hon. Friend invited proposals from consortia of schools to design, organise and make provision for courses of initial teacher training for up to 250 graduates. The courses will lead to qualified teacher status for successful students. On 31 May he announced those consortia which have been approved to offer courses starting in September. A further announcement on courses starting in January 1994 will be made shortly. Parliamentary approval to this new service will be sought in a supplementary estimate for the higher and further education vote--class X, vote 2. Pending that approval, urgent expenditure estimated at £500,000 will be met by a repayable advance from the Contingencies Fund.
Grant-maintained Schools
Mr. Robert Ainsworth : To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will provide in respect of each school which has held a ballot on grant-maintained status (a) the percentages of parents voting and (b) the percentages voting for and against.
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Mr. Robin Squire : The details requested, correct as of 11 July, are available in the Library.
Teacher Training
Mr. Steinberg : To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) what experience of working with young children will be necessary to enter the proposed one-year primary teacher training courses ; (2) what will be the minimum qualifications needed to take part in the one-year teacher training courses for primary schools ; and what age groups will be recruited ;
(3) what percentage of the future intake of teacher training will consist of persons taking the one-year primary school courses.
Mr. Robin Squire : My right hon. Friend issued a draft circular on 9 June which included proposals for specialist one-year courses of initial training for early years teaching, for mature people with the academic qualifications for higher education together with significant experience of working with children. Views on the organisation and content of such courses were invited. The consultation period will continue until the end of July and criteria for all courses of initial training for primary teachers will be finalised in the autumn. It will then be for those wishing to offer one-year courses to make detailed proposals and satisfy the Secretary of State that they meet the necessary requirements.
Class Sizes
Mr. Gapes : To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to his answer of 7 July, Official Report, c. 137, if he will obtain for his departmental library copies of the research on the impact of class size in educational attainment in Tennessee in the United States of America, details of which have been given to him ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Robin Squire : I have arranged for a copy of the report on the STAR project to be made available in the DFE information bureau and library. I have noted the findings of this research but conclude that it adds little to an understanding of the effects of class size on educational attainment in schools in England.
Student Loans
Mr. Pike : To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many student loans have been granted in each year since they were introduced ; what is the total cash figure in each case ; and what is the figure repayable in each case.
Mr. Boswell : This is a matter for the Student Loans Company. I will ask the chief executive to write to the hon. Member.
NATIONAL FINANCE
Public Expenditure
Mr. David Shaw : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will state the total change in public expenditure that would result from public expenditure per person in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland being at the same level as in England for (a) 1979, (b) 1992-93 and (c) the 1994-95 and 1995-96 published plans.
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Mr. Portillo : Information on general Government expenditure per head in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland is published annually in the "Statistical Supplement to the Autumn Statement". The latest information, for 1987-88 to 1991-92, was published in Cm. 2219. Equivalent information is not available for 1979 or for years beyond 1991-92.
Table E1 in Cm. 2219 shows identifiable general Government expenditure per person in 1991-92 of £2,963 in England. Equivalent figures for the rest of the United Kingdom were £3,506 in Scotland ; £3,268 in Wales ; and £4,191 in Northern Ireland. On this basis, total identifiable general Government expenditure was some £5 billion higher in the rest of the United Kingdom taken together than in England.
Those figures go wider than expenditure for which the Secretaries of State for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are directly responsible. They include, for example, expenditure on social security. They exclude, however, almost a fifth of total general Government expenditure, which cannot be identified from official records as having been incurred on behalf of the population of a particular territorial area.
Departmental Budgets
Mr. Page : To ask the Chancellor of theExchequer which Government Departments have intro-duced monthly budgets with analysis of variations of performance against targets.
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Mr. Portillo : This information is not collected centrally. The 1986 multi-departmental review of budgeting recommended that "budget should include output and performance indicators, and there should be regular evaluation of what has been achieved compared with the objectives which have been set".
Most Departments made good progress in meeting this principle. The subsequent next steps initiative, which requires the responsible Minister to set performance targets for each of his agencies normally covering financial performance, efficiency--including unit costs--and quality of service, has led to significant further improvements : typically, the 90 agencies analyse variations of performance against targets on a monthly basis.
End-year Flexibility Schemes
Mr. Burns : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the entitlements for 1993-94 resulting from the carry-forward of the capital and running costs underspends allowed under the end-year flexibility schemes.
Mr. Portillo : A list of entitlements totalling £358 million for capital expenditure and £48 million for running costs is shown in the table.
Subject to parliamentary approval of the necessary supplementary estimates, individual cash limits and running costs limits will be increased when entitlement is taken up.
The total increase in cash limits resulting from the take-up of end-year flexibility will be charged to the Reserve and will, therefore, not add to the planned total of
Entitlements for 1993-94 cash limits resulting from the carryover of capital underspends Cash limits on
Votes
Class |Vote |Accounting |Description of |£ thousands
|Department |expenditure
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|I |Ministry of Defence |Operational and support costs, logistics services
| and systems procurement and research
II |1 |Foreign and Commonwealth Office |Overseas representation |8,201
II |3 |Foreign and Commonwealth Office |External broadcasting and monitoring |2,597
III |4 |Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food |Agricultural, food and fishing services |1,873
IV |1 |Department of Trade and Industry |Support for business, consumer and investor |3,304
| protection, energy programmes and
| administration
IV |6 |Export Credits Guarantee Department |Administration |2,000
V |1 |Department of Employment |Programmes and central services |714
VI |1 |Department of Transport |National roads, England |21,107
VI |2 |Department of Transport |Administration and transport services |2,000
VI |4 |Department of Transport |Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency |2,000
VI |5 |Department of Transport |Local roads and transport |1,919
VII |5 |Department of the Environment |Central environmental services, etc., England |669
VII |7 |Department of the Environment |Administration |1,386
VII |10 |Ordnance Survey |Ordnance survey |63
VIII |2 |Home Office |Prisons, England and Wales |1,728
VIII |3 |Home Office |Administration, immigration, probation and |1,847
| police support services, England and Wales
IX |11 |Public Record Office |Public Record Office |2,000
IX |12 |The Crown Office, Scotland, Procurator |Administration |59
| Fiscal Service and Lord Advocate's
| Department
X |4 |Department for Education |Administration |1,122
XI |1 |Department of National Heritage |Museums and galleries |372
XI |2 |Department of National Heritage |Arts |420
XI |7 |Department of National Heritage |Administration |64
XII |1 |Department of Health<1> |Hospital, community health, family health |44,957
| services (part) and related services, England
XII |3 |Department of Health |Administration, miscellaneous health services |2,244
| and personal social services, England
XII |6 |Office of Population Censuses and Surveys |Office of Population Censuses and Surveys |751
XIII |4 |Department of Social Security |Administration and miscellaneous services |10,806
XIV |2 |Department of Agriculture and Fisheries for |Agricultural services, agricultural grants and |2,249
| Scotland | fisheries, Scotland
XIV |3 |Industry Department for Scotland |Training programmes, roads and transport |1,777
| services and industrial support, Scotland
XIV |12 |Scottish Home and Health Department |Law, order and miscellaneous health and social |1,761
| work services, Scotland
XIV |14 |Scottish Home and Health Department<1> |Hospital, community health, family health |8,401
| (part) and other health services, Scotland<1>
XIV |17 |Scottish Education Department |Education, arts and libraries, Scotland |2,606
XIV |22 |Scottish Record Office |Scottish Record Office |52
XIV |23 |General Register Office for Scotland |General Register Office for Scotland |212
XV |2 |Welsh Office |Agricultural support and services, fishing |4,660
| regional and industrial development, Wales
XV |5 |Welsh Office |Tourism, roads and transport, housing other |3,065
| environmental services (including civil
| defence), education, arts and libraries and
| health and, personal social services, Wales
XV |8 |Welsh Office<1> |Hospital, community health, family health
| services (part) and related services, Wales |7,232
XV |9 |Welsh Office |Administration |50
XVII |1 |Her Majesty's Treasury |Her Majesty's Treasury |2,000
XVII |6 |Inland Revenue |Administration |7,711
XVII |10 |Department for National Savings |Department for National Savings |186
XVII |14 |Central Statistical Office |Central Statistical Office |533
XVIII |1 |Cabinet Office: Office of Public Service and |Office of Public Service and Science |868
| Science
|-----
Total Voted 252,941
<1>Special health scheme.
Column 513
Cash limits on non-voted expenditure
1992-93 |£ thousand
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DOE/HC |Department of the Environment |Grants and capital expenditure financed by the Housing Corporation in |741
| England
DOE/UA |Department of the Environment |External financing requirements of Urban Development Corporations in |30,461
| England, grants to local authorities and other bodies under the urban
| programme, the derelict land reclamation and city grant programmes
| (including associated LA credit approvals), grants for urban and
| housing projects under the City Challenge initiative and other
| expenditure for inner cities initiatives
DOE/LACAP |Department of the Environment
| transport (except passenger transport authorities), education, health,
| other services and Home Office (fire services in shires only).
| Supplementary credit approvals and certain other grants to local
| authorities in England for housing. Supplementary credit approvals
| to certain local authorities for all capital purposes to offset some
| categories of commutation losses |61
DOE/ES |Department of the Environment |Supplementary credit approvals for other environmental services in |7,855
DOE/ERDF | England, Lee Valley Regional Park Authority and the Isles of Scilly
| (water and sewerage) and ERDF grants
DOH/LACAP |Department of Health |Supplementary credit approvals for health in England |1,184
MAFF/LACAP |Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food |Supplementary credit approvals for flood defence, coast protection and |870
| and Food | harbour improvements in England
HO/LACAP |Home Office |Supplementary credit approvals for probation, police and civil defence in|192
| only) in England and Wales
LCD/LACAP |Lord Chancellor's Department |Supplementary credit approvals for magistrates' courts in England and |695
| Wales
SO/LA1 |Scottish Office |Net capital allocations and grants to local authorities in Scotland for |32,604
| roads and transport, water and sewerage, police, education, social
| work services, general services, urban programme, river purification
| and civil defence
SO/LA2 |Scottish Office |Net capital allocations and grants to local authorities in Scotland for |13,019
| housing. Capital expenditure by New Towns in Scotland for housing
| and other environmental services
WO/LACAP |Welsh Office |Basic credit approvals for local authorities in Wales. Supplementary |4,467
| credit approvals for all services (except urban programme and urban
| development grant) and housing grants
WO/UA |Welsh Office |Supplementary credit approvals and grants (both capital and current) to |3,729
| local authorities in Wales in respect of the urban programme and
| Urban Development Grant. Urban Investment Grant and
| expenditure by the Cardiff Bay Development Corporation
NID1 |Northern Ireland Departments |Services in Northern Ireland broadly analogous to services in Great |8,235
| Britain covered by cash limits but including family practitioner
| services
NID4 |Northern Ireland |Expenditure in Northern Ireland on national agricultural capital grant |1,022
| schemes, certain assistance for production, marketing and processing
| and the fishing industry
|----
Total non-voted 105,135
|----
Total capital end-year flexibility 358,076
Entitlements for 1993-94 running costs limits resulting from the carry
forward of running costs underspends
Department |Amount £ thousands
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Overseas Development Administration |235
Intervention Board-Executive Agency |144
Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food |1,362
Trade and Industry |1,528
Office of Telecommunications |50
Office of Electricity Regulation |50
Department of Transport |1,104
Department of the Environment |982
Property Holdings |238
Home Office |7,235
Charity Commission |50
Lord Chancellor's Department |2,032
Crown Prosecution Service |950
Department of Education |478
Department of Health |1,333
Office of Population, Censuses and Surveys |238
Department of Social Security |12,628
Scottish Office |1,433
Scottish Courts Administration |191
Welsh Office |365
Northern Ireland Office |)3,582
Northern Ireland Departments |)
HM Treasury |397
HM Customs & Excise |3,484
Inland Revenue |7,504
Department for National Savings |579
Central Statistical Office |162
Government Actuary's Department |50
|-------
Total |48,384
Income Tax
Mr. Mandelson : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the direct revenue yield in a full year at 1992-93 and 1993-94 levels of income from imposition of limits for all allowances and reliefs within the tax system to (a) £10,000, (b) £15,000 and (c) £20,000 and the additional revenue yield from restricting all
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allowances including personal allowances and reliefs within these limits, to relief at (i) 20p and (ii) 25p, giving in each case the numbers of people affected.Mr. Dorrell [holding answer 9 July 1993] : Estimates of the direct revenue yield in a full year at 1992-93 and 1993-94 levels of income from imposition of the specified limits for allowances and reliefs within the tax system for these years are as follows. These are based on information compiled from a number of statistical surveys and are subject to more than the usual margin of uncertainty, and incorporate the conventional assumption of no changes in mortgage interest rates in 1993- 94.
Limit for total |1992-93 yield |1993-94 yield allowance and reliefs £ |£ million |£ million ---------------------------------------------------------------- 10,000 |690 |650 15,000 |380 |380 20,000 |270 |280
After restriction of the allowances and reliefs within these limits to 25 and 20 per cent., the estimated further yield would be as follows :
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Limit for totaFull year yield Full year yield
allowances andat 1992-93 income at 1993-94 income
reliefs levels from levels from
restricting restricting
allowances and allowances and
reliefs within reliefs within
limits limits
£ |25 per cent.|20 per cent.|25 per cent.|20 per cent.
|restriction |restriction |restriction |restriction
|£ million |£ million |£ million |£ million
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
10,000 |2,100 |8,600 |2,200 |8,400
15,000 |2,100 |8,700 |2,200 |8,500
20,000 |2,200 |8,800 |2,300 |8,600
The number of people with total allowance and reliefs in excess of these limits: Limit £ |1992--93 thousands|1993-94 thousands ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 10,000 |610 |420 15,000 |85 |85 20,000 |45 |45
The estimates of revenue yield do not take account of any behavioural effects which might result from the introduction of the changes.
Personal Taxation
Mr. Mandelson : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the yield in 1993-94 of restricting all personal allowances and reliefs to the basic rate.
Mr. Dorrell [holding answer 12 July 1993] : The estimated full year yield at 1993-94 income levels from restricting all personal allowances and reliefs to the basic
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rate of tax is £2.4 billion. This incorporates the conventional assumption of no changes in mortgage interest rates during 1993-94. The estimate of revenue yield does not take account of any behavioural effects which might result from the introduction of the changes.Discretionary Share Option Schemes
Ms Harman : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) how many people have received discretionary share option schemes for the years 1990- 91, 1991-92 and 1992-93 ; and if he will provide an estimate for 1993-94 ;
(2) how many employees (a) were granted and (b) exercised discretionary share options ; and what was their value in each year since 1990-91.
Mr. Dorrell [holding answers 12 and 13 July 1993] : Information on the number of employees exercising options under discretionary share option schemes approved by the Inland Revenue was not collected prior to 1991-92. Data are not yet available for 1992-93 and 1993 -94. Estimates for earlier years are as follows :
Column 515
|Number of employees|Number of employees|Initial value of |Market value of
|to whom options |who exercised |shares over which |shares over which
|were granted during|options during year|options granted |options exercised
|year (Thousands) |(Thousands) |during year (£ |during year (£
|million |million)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1990-91 |65 |n.a. |1,450 |700
1991-92 |80 |20 |1,350 |1,100
Company Taxation
Mr. Mandelson : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate for 1993-94 (a) corporation tax repaid and (b) reliefs for capital allowances.
Mr. Dorrell [holding answer 12 July 1993] : It is estimated that total corporation tax repayments in 1993-94 will be £3.7 billion and reliefs for capital allowances will cost £14 billion.
Trading Losses
Mr. Mandelson : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the yield in 1992-93 and 1993-94 of restricting the carry-back of trading losses to (a) two years and (b) one year.
Mr. Dorrell [holding answer 12 July 1993] : Restricting the carry back of trading losses to two years in 1992-93 might have increased net corporation tax receipts by £300 million. A restriction of the carry back to one year might have increased receipts by a further £100 million. Comparable estimates for 1993-94 are not available.
SCOTLAND
Surgical Treatment
Mrs. Fyfe : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will develop and publish measurements of the outcome, successful or otherwise, of surgical and medical treatments other than mortalities within the national health service.
Mr. Stewart : Yes. A working group to develop clinical outcome measures involving managers and clinicians was established in late spring 1992. Its first discussion document was published in December 1992 proposing a range of outcome measures. On 7 July 1993 a second discussion document--"Clinical Outcome Measures"--was issued presenting pilot outcome measures at the level of health board of treatment. These include measures other than mortality such as :
1. Proportion of patients discharged home within two months of emergency admission from home for fractured neck of femur ; 2. One year re-operation rate after transurethral prostatectomy. 3. 28-day emergency readmission rate after discharge from medical specialities.
These measures are now included in service contracts to ensure arrangements are made for collection of good quality data which are consistent and comparable.
The use of outcome measures and the validity of any comparison depends on standard data and on careful interpretation. The working group is currently addressing these issues in consultation with managers and clinicians.
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Anaesthetists
Mrs. Fyfe : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list by each health board the current number of vacancies for anaesthetists ; and what action is being taken to fill these posts.
Mr. Stewart : The information requested is not available centrally. As at 30 September 1992, however, there were three established posts for consultant anaesthetists which had been vacant for six months or more. Two or these, in Argyll and Clyde and Western Isles health boards, were filled earlier this year. A further post in Argyll and Clyde health board has been advertised but no appointment has been made.
Health Care International
Mrs. Fyfe : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what measures are being taken to ensure that Health Care International does not compete with the national health service in Scotland.
Mr. Stewart : The HCI hospital at Clydebank will not compete with the NHS for patients. The hospital is to focus on the treatment of overseas patients ; NHS hospitals will continue to treat United Kingdom patients unless a health board determines that it would be in the best clinical interests for a patient to receive treatment outwith an NHS facility.
Furthermore, my right hon. and learned Friend the Member for Edinburgh, Pentlands (Mr. Rifkind), the then Secretary of State for Scotland, took steps, at the time of the HCI application to build the hospital, to safeguard the position of the NHS. The application was subject to a rigorous consultative process under the health service Acts. Acceptance by HCI of the consequential stringent conditions designed to protect the NHS was a prerequisite of the authorisation given by my right hon. and learned Friend to the building and operation of the hospital. These conditions relate to the recruitment of medical and nursing staff, the pay and conditions of service of these staff and the supply of blood and blood products. The relevant NHS interests and medical institutions are currently discussing these various aspects with HCI to ensure that the hospital fully meets the specified conditions and that NHS interests are effectively safeguarded.
NHS Reform
Mrs. Fyfe : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, pursuant to the answer by the Secretary of State for Health to the hon. Member for Sheffield, Brightside (Mr. Blunkett) of 23 November 1992, Official Report, columns 497-98, whether he will provide a similar table setting out his Department's figures, for the costs of NHS reform, for each year from 1989- 90 to 1992-93.
Mr. Stewart : Details of the cost of NHS reforms for each of the years from 1989-90 to 1992-93 are shown in the table.
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£ million
|1989-90|1990-91|1991-92|1992-93
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
HCH Revenue
100 Consultants initiative |- |- |- |-
Resource management initiative medical and clinical audit, IT |1 |7 |13 |13
Enhancement of personnel, finance and other key staff functions and trNot available
NHS Trusts-mainly consultations and start up costs |- |- |7 |35
Family Health Service Authorities Administration Not applicable
Others-mainly quality initiatives pilot projects and capital charges |- |- |- |-
|-------|-------|-------|-------
Total Revenue |1 |7 |20 |48
HCH Capital
Resource management initiative medical and clinical audit, IT |- |2 |5 |3
Quality Initiative |- |- |- |-
|-------|-------|-------
Total Capital |- |2 |5 |3
FHS Practice Funds Management Allowance |- |- |- |2
|-------|-------|-------|-------
Total FHS |- |- |- |2
SO Administration
SO Staff and consultancy costs related to the Review |- |- |- |-
Prescription Pricing (Pharmacy Practice) |3 |4 |5 |6
Post Royal Assent Publicity Not applicable
|-------|-------|-------|-------
|3 |4 |5 |6
|-------|-------|-------|-------
Total NHS Review |4 |13 |30 |59
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