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have now been dealt with successfully and we are hopeful that the remaining ones will be ironed out at the 1995 revaluation. One of the most prominent remaining areas of concern is that of sporting rights--shootings and fishings--and I am glad to announce that this problem can now be resolved. I know that many sporting proprietors consider their rates burden oppressive and the disparity with the situation in England and Wales unfair. I hope that my proposal to exclude sporting rights in Scotland from a liability for non-domestic rates will rectify this situation.Caledonian MacBrayne
Mr. Kynoch : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what plans he has to introduce new financial arrangements for Caledonian MacBrayne.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : Capital expenditure on vessels by Caledonian MacBrayne will from now on be financed by grants of 75 per cent. from the Scottish Office with the balance being met by long-term borrowing, also from the Scottish Office. This arrangement replaces the previous arrangement under which capital expenditure on vessels was financed mainly through borrowing from the Ship Mortgage Finance Company, and is being applied to the financing of the new vessel for the Ullapool-Stornoway service. The purpose of the new arrangements is to eliminate the need for any capital expenditure to be financed by short term borrowing. Additional grant of £6.7 million is also being made this year to eliminate the company's accumulated overdraft and to enable the company's accounting year to be changed from a calendar year to a financial year basis. Capital grant for the Ullapool-Stornoway vessel will total £10.9 million, of which £3.45 million will be paid in 1993-94. All the changes will be accommodated by compensating reductions in the company's market borrowings and will therefore be contained within the existing external financing limit set for the company.
Labour Statistics
Mr. Home Robertson : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) how many people resident in the Edinburgh travel-to-work area are employed in the Haddington travel-to-work area ;
(2) how many people resident (a) in the Haddington travel-to-work area are employed in Berwickshire, (b) in Berwickshire are employed in the Haddington travel-to-work area, (c) in the Haddington travel-to-work area are employed in the Borders region and (d) in the Borders region are employed in the Haddington travel-to-work area ;
(3) how many people resident in (a) the Haddington travel-to-work area, and (b) Berwickshire, are engaged in full-time work in (i) agriculture and (ii) fishing ; and what proportions of the total work force those figures represent ;
(4) how many people resident in the Haddington travel-to-work area are employed in the Edinburgh travel-to-work area.
Mr. Stewart [holding answer 27 October 1993] : Information at the level of detail requested can be provided only by using a specialised product from the 1991 census of population described as the special workplace statistics. This product is scheduled for release around the end of
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November. Analysis by travel-to-work data will require the use of an appropriate software package, the results of which are not expected before spring 1994.Prisons
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list for each of Her Majesty's prison establishments in Scotland the key objectives reported by the Prison Service for the year 1993-94 ; and what they were for the year 1992-93.
Mr. Lang [holding answer 27 October 1993] : I have asked Mr. E. W. Frizzell, the chief executive of the Scottish Prison Service, to arrange for a reply to be given to the hon. Member.
Letter from E. W. Frizzell to Mr. Martin Redmond, dated 2 November 1993 :
The Secretary of State for Scotland has asked me to reply to your recent question asking for a list of the key objectives reported by the Scottish Prison Service for the year 1993-94 ; and what they were for the year 1992- 93 for each of Her Majesty's prison establishments in Scotland.
The key objectives for each establishment for 1993-94 are listed as an annex to our Corporate Plan ; I have attached a copy. The key objectives for 1992-93 are listed in the Scottish Prison Service Annual Report for 1992-93 (Cm 2323), a copy of which I have also attached.
A copy of this letter will appear in the Official Report and a copy will be placed in the Library, together with the attachments.
Mr. Home Robertson : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many people resident in (a) Musselburgh, Prestonpans and Wallyford and (b) the rest of East Lothian are employed in (i) deep mining and (ii) opencast mining ; and what proportion of the total work force those figures represent.
Mr. Stewart [holding answer 27 October 1993] : Information at the level of detail requested is not available and can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Health Care (Smokers)
Dr. Godman : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he introduced guidelines to ensure equality of access to health care for smokers and non-smokers ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Stewart [holding answer 1 November 1993] : No such guidelines have been issued.
The decision to offer any particular treatment to an individual is a matter for clinical judgment, taking into account a number of factors including the extent to which the patient is likely to benefit. The professional issues which may arise were discussed by the Chief Medical Officer in the September 1993 edition of Health Bulletin, Vol. 51, pages 269-70.
Victim Support
Mr. McAllion : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish the funding allocated to Victim Support Scotland in each of the past 10 years expressed in current prices.
Mr. Stewart [holding answer 1 November 1993] : The Scottish Office funding to the Scottish Association of Victim Support Schemes since its formation in 1985 has been as follows :
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Financial year |£ --------------------------------------------- 1984-85 |600 1985-86 |14,000 1986-87 |43,610 1987-88 |62,090 1988-89 |155,000 1989-90 |286,000 1990-91 |349,000 1991-92 |442,000 1992-93 |642,000 1993-94 |764,000
These figures are the actual grant figures paid in the relevant years.
Crime Victims
Mr. McAllion : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what discussions he has held with the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities relating to the placing of a statutory obligation on local authorities to provide services for victims of crime in their areas ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Stewart [holding answer 1 November 1993] : The Scottish Office have not held any discussions with the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities relating to the placing of a statutory obligation on local authorities to provide services for victims of crime in their areas.
Local authorities already have a victim support role as part of their general duty to support those in need and this is augmented by specialist assistance from social work departments if required. The Scottish Association of Victim Support Schemes (SAVSS) provides short-term support to victims of crime. The volunteer commitment is the essential component of this important service in the Government's view, and does not lend itself to a statutory approach.
Over the period 1 July 1992 to 30 June 1993, 38,447 victims were offered help by 62 local schemes.
Trust Assessments
Mr. Milburn : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what has been the cost of employing mangement consultants to assist in his Department's assessment of applications for trust status in each wave ; how many assessments took place ; and which were the consultants concerned.
Mr. Stewart [holding answer 1 November 1993] : The cost of employing management consultants to assist in the assessment of applications for trust status was £97,760. There have been two assessments ; the consultants involved were KPMG for second wave trust applications and Coopers and Lybrand for third wave applications.
Private Investment Projects
Ms Harman : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list those public investment projects within his Department's responsibility which have attracted private capital and have been commenced since the 1992 autumn statement.
Mr. Lang [holding answer 2 November 1993] : Privately financed projects in the health service which have begun since last year's autumn statement are listed below.
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|Project
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dundee Teaching Hospitals Trust |Lease of laboratory analyser equipment
Grampian Healthcare Trust |Provision by Westminster Healthline of beds for the mentally ill
Lanarkshire Health Board |Contract with TAKARE PLC for the provision of 90 care beds for the elderly with dementia
Greater Glasgow Health Board |60 beds for long-term care of the elderly; 60 beds for long-term mentally infirm at Darnley
Greater Glasgow Health Board |120 beds for long-term care of elderly at Ruchill
Greater Glasgow Health Board |120 beds for long-term care of the elderly at Shettleston
Lothian Health Board |Molecular medicine centre, Western general hospital
A number of large infrastructure projects are also being considered as potential candidates for private finance, including water and sewerage projects. For transport,
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building on the success already achieved in attracting private finance to the Skye bridge project, feasibility studies are already under way into the opportunities which may exist for attracting private sector investment to further transport infrastructure projects in Scotland, including the second Forth Road bridge and the associated road links and the fastlink project which could link the M74 and M8 motorways. In addition, many of the projects undertaken by bodies such as Scottish Enterprise, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, Scottish Home and the new towns attract private capital.Non-departmental Public Bodies
Dr. Wright : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish a table showing whether the public have a statutory right to (a) attend all board or committee meetings, (b) inspect the minutes of meetings, (c) inspect the annual reports, (d) inspect the annual accounts and (e) inspect a register of members' interests, of (i) Highlands and Islands Enterprise, (ii) Scottish Enterprise, (iii) local enterprise companies, (iv) Scottish Homes and (v) new town development corporations.
Mr. Stewart [holding answer 2 November 1993] : The information requested is set out in the table :
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|Highlands and |Scotish Enterprise |Local enterprise |Scottish Homes |New town development
|Islands Enterprise |companies |corporations
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(a) statutory right to attend all board or committee meetings |No |No |No |No |No
(b) statutory right to inspect the minutes of meetings |No |No |No |No |No
(c) statutory right to inspect the annual reports |Yes |Yes |No |Yes |Yes
(d) statutory right to inspect the annual accounts |Yes |Yes |No |Yes |Yes
(e) statutory right to inspect a register of members' interests |No |No |No |No |No
Dr. Wright : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish a table showing the total gross public spending for each year since 1991-92 and the projected expenditure for each year to 1995-96, in 1992-93 prices, for (a) Highlands and Islands Enterprises, (b) Scottish Enterprise and (c) local enterprise companies.
Mr. Stewart [holding answer 2 November 1993] : The information for Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise is set out in the table. Expenditure by the local enterprise companies is an operational matter for Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise. I have asked the chairmen of these bodies to write to the hon. Member.
£ million
Total expenditure
at 1992-93 prices
|Scottish Enterprise|Highlands and
|Islands Enterprise
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1991-92 |462.0 |74.6
1992-93 |448.8 |74.6
1993-94 estimated |439.2 |77.0
1994-95 plans<1> |411.8 |74.0
1995-96 plans<1> |410.0 |72.4
<1> Subject to revision in the public expenditure survey.
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Housing
Dr. Wright : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what are the figures for gross public investment in Scotland in the provision of housing, both new build and renovated, by (a) local authorities and (b) housing associations for each year since 1979-80 with the projected investment for both categories up to 1995-96, in 1992-93 prices; and if he will publish this information in the form of a table.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : The information is in the tables. Table 1 provides details of the total gross expenditure on housing by local authorities and housing associations in each year since 1979, expressed in 1992-93 prices, using gross domestic product deflators. Table 2 provides details in cash terms of the resource planning assumptions issued to local authorities as a guide for investment planning up to 1995-96. There are no comparable assumptions for housing association investment.
Table 2
Resource Planning Assumptions
(1992-93 prices)
|£ million
------------------------------
1994-95 |400
1995-96 |405
Table 2
Resource Planning Assumptions
(1992-93 prices)
|£ million
------------------------------
1994-95 |400
1995-96 |405
Higher Education
Dr. Wright : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish a table showing the projected expenditure for each year to 1995-96, in 1992-93 prices, for the Scottish Higher Education Funding Council.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton [holding answer 2 November 1993] : A table showing the requested information is contained in "Serving Scotland's Needs" (Cm 2214). Table 6.2 shows that provision of £416 million--£405 million at 1992-93 prices--has been made for the council's expenditure in 1993-94. For planning purposes only, sums of £434 million--£405 million--and £440 million--£396 million--have been indicated for 1994-95 and 1995-96.
Scottish Homes
Dr. Wright : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish a table showing the total gross public spending for each year since 1990-91 and the projected expenditure for each year to 1995-96, in 1992-93 prices, for Scottish Homes.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton [holding answer 2 November 1993] : Scottish Homes total programme expenditure during the period 1990-91 to 1993-94 is shown in the table. Projected expenditure for 1994-95 and beyond is currently being considered as part of the public expenditure survey.
Scottish Homes Programme
expenditure expressed
in 1992-93 prices using GDP
deflators
|£ million
-------------------------------
<1>1990-91 |304
<1>1991-92 |327
<1>1992-93 |364
<2>1993-94 |362
<1> (outturn).
<2> (plan).
Learning Disabilities
Mrs. Fyfe : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many people with learning disabilities are presently living in long-stay hospitals in each health board area.
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Mr. Stewart [holding answer 27 October 1993] : The information in the table records the position as at 31 December 1992.
Health Board of |Number of Residents
origin
--------------------------------------------------------------
Argyll and Clyde |335
Ayrshire and Arran |208
Borders |28
Dumfries and Galloway |99
Fife |223
Forth Valley |189
Grampian |359
Greater Glasgow |886
Highland |110
Lanarkshire |365
Lothian |434
Orkney |5
Shetland |6
Tayside |211
Western Isles |8
Scotland |3,466
NHS Trusts
Mrs. Fyfe : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is his estimate of the current financial year's income from private patients at each trust hospital ; and what proportion in each case it forms of the hospital total income.
Mr. Stewart [holding answer 28 October 1993] : This information is not collected centrally.
WALES
Home Renovation Grants
Mr. Richards : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what changes he proposed to make to the house renovation grant system following his recent consultation exercise.
Mr. Gwilym Jones : After considering the responses to the consultation paper on the future of private housing renewal programmes, I have today laid the House Renovation Grant Limit Order, under which the upper limit for mandatory grants to owners, tenants and landlords in Wales will be £24,000. The order will come into force on 14 January 1994. I propose no change for the moment, to the exchequer subsidy rate or to the applicants test of resources. The consultation paper included longer-term options which I am considering further. The Government's objective is to ensure that the resources available for private sector housing are targeted effectively.
AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD
Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when she hopes to reply to the report sent to her Department in June by microbiologist Dr. Stephen Dealler of York district hospital in respect of BSE in cattle ; and if she will make a statement.
Mr. Soames : At a meeting on 22 June Dr. Stephen Dealler gave a pre- publication copy of an article to MAFF
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scientists, but requested that it be held in confidence and provided to no one else. On 18 August 1993 Dr. Dealler wrote to the secretary of the Spongiform Encephalopathy Advisory Committee (SEAC) giving his permission for the article to be circulated to the committee, and asking for it to be considered at its meeting in October. It was considered at the meeting on 7 October and the chairman of the committee, Dr. Tyrrell, FRS, wrote to Dr. Dealler on 27 October with the committee's comments on the article. That letter drew attention to the fact that Dr. Dealler had drawn his conclusions on the basis of assumptions made about the BSE infectivity of various tissues by extrapolation from the disease scrapie in sheep. Using these assumptions he had gone on to calculate the potential numbers of people who had been exposed to various levels of BSE agent. The letter from Dr. Tyrrell informed Dr. Dealler that recent experiments conducted with tissues from BSE-infected cattle have shown that only the brain and spinal cord have a detectable level of infectivity and the range ofColumn 250
other tissues considered by Dr. Dealler, including meat, liver, kidney and lung do not have any detectable infectivity. The implication of using these acutal results, rather than extrapolating from sheep disease, is that there is no evidence of any significant risk from the consumption of tissues other than brain and spinal cord from adult cattle. Brain and spinal cord are among the specified bovine offals whose use is banned under the BSE Order 1991 and which do not therefore enter the human or animal food chain. The SEAC has not advised the Government to amend their safeguards as a result of its consideration of Dr. Dealler's article.Mr. Redmond : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if she will list for each month for the last 12 months, and by region, the number of cases of BSE in cattle that have been reported.
Mr. Soames : The numbers of suspect cases of BSE notified to the Ministry in Great Britain, and placed under restrictions, by county for each month from October 1992 to September 1993 are as follows :
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Number of suspect cases of BSE reported by county
1992 1993
|October |November |December |January |February |March |April |May |June |July |August |September
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Eastern |257 |233 |248 |265 |213 |271 |226 |162 |196 |214 |216 |255
Bedfordshire |12 |11 |10 |12 |7 |9 |9 |9 |8 |3 |8 |5
Cambridgeshire |10 |9 |19 |14 |15 |12 |18 |8 |5 |14 |10 |10
Essex |31 |13 |25 |21 |13 |23 |24 |12 |18 |22 |17 |16
Hertfordshire |17 |9 |19 |16 |8 |20 |14 |10 |11 |9 |18 |16
Lincolnshire |19 |26 |16 |19 |22 |33 |19 |15 |14 |26 |28 |34
Norfolk |104 |83 |94 |102 |84 |99 |76 |63 |78 |92 |71 |110
Northamptonshire |32 |35 |30 |31 |26 |23 |30 |19 |23 |19 |27 |22
Suffolk |32 |47 |35 |50 |38 |52 |36 |26 |39 |29 |37 |42
Mid and West |931 |859 |799 |872 |830 |936 |798 |780 |753 |777 |759 |810
Cheshire |165 |152 |156 |164 |150 |182 |132 |135 |137 |142 |132 |136
Derbyshire |100 |96 |89 |105 |101 |94 |83 |84 |73 |95 |90 |90
Hereford and Worcester |77 |65 |55 |59 |53 |77 |66 |50 |56 |54 |65 |47
Lancashire |186 |166 |152 |153 |157 |175 |134 |135 |121 |127 |120 |141
Leicestershire |74 |63 |59 |53 |88 |69 |63 |63 |64 |55 |69 |65
Manchester |12 |9 |6 |10 |16 |12 |18 |10 |9 |9 |6 |12
Merseyside |5 |2 |2 |1 |6 |5 |1 |4 |1 |3 |12 |10
Nottinghamshire |24 |19 |24 |26 |22 |33 |20 |23 |22 |19 |8 |16
Salop |114 |96 |86 |130 |100 |113 |95 |90 |90 |73 |65 |110
Staffordshire |137 |146 |135 |116 |100 |122 |149 |158 |145 |169 |151 |131
West Midlands |3 |0 |2 |5 |3 |5 |3 |2 |2 |2 |3 |5
Warwickshire |34 |45 |33 |50 |34 |49 |34 |26 |33 |29 |38 |47
Northern |464 |462 |441 |471 |452 |528 |417 |365 |365 |390 |422 |443
Cleveland |5 |4 |7 |8 |9 |8 |2 |6 |3 |8 |8 |7
Cumbria |140 |157 |153 |133 |150 |143 |124 |93 |94 |114 |113 |108
Durham |17 |19 |23 |17 |18 |23 |19 |12 |12 |9 |21 |26
Humberside |20 |24 |21 |24 |18 |31 |21 |22 |20 |16 |26 |16
Northumberland |45 |29 |31 |31 |38 |32 |23 |24 |22 |28 |22 |30
Tyne and Wear |0 |1 |5 |2 |1 |2 |3 |1 |2 |0 |1 |1
Yorkshire, North |197 |192 |159 |207 |180 |240 |202 |177 |173 |183 |191 |210
Yorkshire, South |12 |13 |14 |20 |18 |17 |8 |5 |19 |12 |13 |10
Yorkshire, West |28 |23 |28 |29 |20 |32 |15 |25 |20 |20 |29 |35
South |391 |366 |339 |386 |360 |424 |366 |304 |242 |290 |280 |366
Berkshire |13 |20 |16 |13 |10 |22 |16 |10 |6 |19 |11 |21
Buckinghamshire |28 |27 |36 |40 |27 |45 |33 |38 |26 |25 |31 |27
Hampshire |78 |66 |48 |97 |72 |88 |71 |71 |47 |54 |49 |81
Isle of Wight |13 |15 |17 |21 |16 |15 |9 |16 |10 |6 |16 |11
Kent |47 |34 |48 |32 |48 |49 |51 |29 |30 |35 |30 |44
London |2 |1 |0 |7 |2 |2 |4 |6 |1 |3 |1 |3 |Oxon |68 |51 |45 |44 |53 |50 |43 |40 |38 |39 |31 |46
Surrey |27 |32 |25 |32 |27 |29 |31 |15 |18 |19 |20 |26
Sussex, East |43 |30 |38 |39 |39 |45 |38 |28 |15 |27 |32 |41
Sussex, West |72 |80 |66 |61 |66 |79 |70 |51 |51 |63 |59 |66
South West |1,452 |1,315 |1,476 |1,461 |1,441 |1,497 |1,218 |1,063 |1,037 |1,142 |1,056 |1,162 |Avon |80 |80 |100 |91 |77 |78 |67 |57 |48 |58 |59 |63
Cornwall |285 |270 |283 |261 |283 |327 |225 |212 |193 |237 |177 |211
Devon |321 |315 |330 |367 |352 |356 |265 |251 |290 |287 |264 |263
Dorset |217 |181 |221 |204 |173 |199 |172 |153 |150 |142 |162 |144
Gloucester |80 |69 |80 |74 |79 |82 |64 |55 |50 |52 |57 |58
Somerset |303 |233 |278 |304 |299 |288 |260 |230 |197 |246 |226 |300
Wiltshire |166 |167 |184 |160 |178 |167 |165 |105 |109 |120 |111
| Wales |452 |437 |426 |493 |391 |456 |393 |354 |329 |365 |345 |376 |Clwyd |73 |72gan, South|12 |5 |19 |15 |14 |14 |16 |11 |7 |8 |14 |9 |Glamorgan |3 |6 |3 |2 |3 |5 |5 |2 |1 |2 |5 |5 |Gwent |31 |37 |36 |37 |33 |31 |29 |25 |17 |34 |20 |28 |Gwynedd |32 |23 |23 |24 |18 |22 |16 |12 |10 |11 |17 |27 |Powys |85 |81 |84 |76 |71 |88 |79 |74 |73 |61 |65
| Scotland |260 |252 |233 |222 |246 |274 |221 |188 |185 |200 |219 |206 |Borders |11 |20 |16 |20 |16 |21 |20 |10 |8 |12 |14 |13 |Central |6 |5 |4 |8 |9 |7 |5 |6 |11 |9 |7 |1 |Dumfries |84 |80 |72 |76 |64 |82 |68 |64 |57 |57 |54 |60 |Fife |7 |13 |13 |9 |8 |13 |9 |5 |7 |11 |12 |6 |Grampian |47 |38 |40 |37 |35 |50 |35 |33 |42 |27 |39 |49 |Highland |13 |7 |10 |12 |13 |10 |8 |10 |8 |13 |9 |8 |Lothian |10 |4 |4 |10 |8 |10 |4 |8 |2 |4 |6 |8 |Orkney |4 |1 |4 |7 |2 |7 |3 |0 |4 |3 |5 |3 |Strathclyde |60 |59 |54 |37 |69 |55 |55 |40 |29 |51 |54 |43 |Tayside |18 |25 |16 |6 |22 |18 |14 |12 |17 |13 |19 |15 |Western |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |1 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Final figures for October 1993 are not yet available.
Overall, about 85 per cent. of these suspect cases are eventually confirmed as BSE, the proportion varying at different times of the year.
Forestry Commission
Mr. Bayley : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, pursuant to her answer of 26 October, Official Report, column 560, what is the Ordnance Survey grid reference of each Forestry Commission property in Yorkshire and Humberside sold since 27 July 1981; and if she will place a map in the Library which names and identifies each of these properties.
Mr. Jack : The information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Mr. Bayley : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if she will list for each separate piece of land currently held by the Forestry Commission in Yorkshire and Humberside (a) its name, (b) its area in hectares, (c) its Ordnance Survey grid reference and (d) whether there is public access to the land; and if she will place a map in the Library which names and identifies each of these pieces of land.
Mr. Jack : The Forestry Commission manages the following areas of woodland in Yorkshire and Humberside :
County |Area (hectares) ------------------------------------------------ Yorkshire |24,096 Humberside |360
I have made arrangements for a map showing the location of the individual woodlands to be placed in the Library as soon as possible.
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The more detailed information requested on the individual woodlands is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.Mr. Bayley : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if she will list for each separate piece of land acquired by the Forestry Commission in Yorkshire and Humberside since 27 July (a) its name, (b) its area in hectares, (c) its Ordnance Survey grid reference, (d) the purchase price and (e) the name and address of the previous owner.
Mr. Jack : The Forestry Commission has acquired only one piece of land in Yorkshire and Humberside since 27 July 1981. This was part of the Troutsdale estate in north Yorkshire which was purchased in 1987 for £24,000. It covers 37 hectares and its Ordnance Survey grid reference is SE930890. The names and addresses of previous owners of land acquired by the commission are treated as confidential.
Badger Culling
Mr. Morley : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when the Government intends to make an announcement on their current review of badger culling.
Mr. Soames : We are reviewing the current badger control arrangements in the light of the development of a test for TB in live badgers. We will be discussing this with the consultative panel on badgers and bovine tuberculosis which will be meeting on 18 November. We will need to consider carefully the views of the panel before making an announcement.
Hens
Mr. Hoon : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what proposals he has to improve the welfare of laying hens.
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Mr. Soames : We are awaiting Commission proposals to set revised welfare standards for laying hens kept in battery systems and new standards for hens kept in alternative systems. The Government wish to see the highest welfare standards set on a Community basis for laying hens in all systems of production.
Radioactive Waste
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, pursuant to her answer of 25 October, Official Report , column 510 , if she will place in the Library the final report of the London convention's intergovernmental panel of experts on radioactive waste disposal at sea.
Mr. Jack : A copy of the final report of the London convention's intergovernmental panel of experts on radioactive waste disposal at sea has been placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
Office Costs
Mr. Byers : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the estimated amount to be spent in 1993-94 in rent and other costs associated with the offices of her Department in Whitehall place, London.
Mr. Jack [holding answer 28 October 1993] : The properties in Whitehall place occupied by the Ministry are Crown freeholds. However, under internal Government recharging arrangements, the Ministry pays rent for them to the Exchequer. The Ministry is also required to pay contributions in lieu of rates to the Valuation Office agency of the Inland Revenue. Additionally, responsibility for all maintenance and refurbishment of these buildings has been devolved to the Ministry. Estimated expenditure in 1993-94 is as follows.
|£
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Running Costs
Rent |4,322,199
Contributions in Lieu of Rates |1,166,020
Facilities Management including maintence and cleaning |612,000
Furnishings |230,000
Utilities |104,000
Capital Costs
Refurbishment |1,072,000
|-------
Total |7,506,219
Public Investment
Ms Harman : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food is she will list those public investment projects within her Department's responsibility which have attracted private captial and have been commenced since the 1992 autumn statement.
Mr. Jack [holding answer 2 November 1993] : There are no ongoing public investment projects within my
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Department which have attracted private capital since the 1992 autumn statement. However, my Ministry requires authorities responsible for flood defence and coast protection to obtain private sector contributions towards the cost of capital works needed to facilitate current or future developments, and encourages authorities to do so where defences provide a particular direct benefit to a business.NATIONAL FINANCE
Child Benefit
Mr. Dewar : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will update the answer to the hon. Member for Edinburgh, South (Mr. Griffiths) of 21 June, Official Report, column 13, to include estimates for 1994-95 based on the assumption of statutory indexation and measures already announced in the 1993 Budget ; and if he will include estimates for the effect on revenues if child benefit was taxed at the higher rate only.
Mr. Dorrell : Estimated revenue yields are given in the table. For 1994-95 the rates of child benefit have been assumed to be £10.20 per week for the first child and £8.25 per week for subsequent children in line with the 1.8 per cent. increase in the September retail prices index.
£ million
Yield in a full
year
|At 1993-94 income|At 1994-95 income
|levels |levels
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Child benefit taxed as
Father (or lone mother's) income |1,150 |1,200
Mother (or lone father's) income |625 |650
At higher rate only on father or lone mother's income |200 |250
At higher rate only on mother or lone father's income |30 |30
Income Tax
Mr. Dewar : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the tax liabilities of taxpayers in 1994-95 in the income ranges (a) including and (b) excluding the effects of changes in national insurance contributions (i) under £5,000, (ii) £5,000 to £10,000, (iii) £10,000 to £15,000, (iv) £15,000 to £20,000, (v) £20,000 to £25,000, (vi) £25,000 to £30,000, (vii) £30,000 to £40,000, (viii) £40,000 to £50,000, (ix) £50,000 to £70,000, (x) over £70,000 and (xi) over £100,000, compared with what their liability would be under the indexed 1993-94 tax regime, assuming statutory indexation in 1994-95 and including measures already announced in the 1993 Budget.
Mr. Dorrell : Latest estimates of the average changes in income tax and national insurance contribution liabilities in 1994-95, assuming statutory indexation and inclusion of measures already announced, compared with liabilities under a statutory indexed 1993-94 regime are shown :
Column 255
Income Tax and National insurance contributions
Range of |Numbers gaining |Amount |Numbers losing |Amount
individual's income
in 1994-95
£ |000s |£ |000s |£
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Under 5,000 |- |- |1,600 |10
5,000-10,000 |1,200 |18 |5,700 |50
10,000-15,000 |480 |20 |5,600 |130
15,000-20,000 |170 |20 |3,800 |210
20,000-25,000 |80 |20 |2,000 |260
25,000-30,000 |40 |20 |1,200 |310
30,000-40,000 |40 |20 |1,100 |480
40,000-50,000 |10 |20 |400 |500
50,000-70,000 |10 |20 |260 |510
70,000-80,000 |- |- |60 |510
over 80,000 |10 |20 |180 |500
|--- |--- |--- |---
Total |2,100 |20 |21,800 |170
I regret that a reliable analysis of taxpayers with incomes over £100,000 is not available.
Mr. Fisher : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the revenue which would have accrued to the Treasury in each year since 1988 had all the income tax rates over 40 per cent. been maintained.
Mr. Dorrell : I refer to the reply which I gave to the hon. Member for Glasgow, Garscadden (Mr. Dewar) on 29 October, Official Report , columns 849-50 .
Mr. Fisher : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the revenue which would accrue to the Treasury next year if the higher rates of income tax, over 40 per cent. abolished in 1988, had been maintained.
Mr. Dorrell : The latest estimate of the full year revenue cost at 1994-95 income levels, assuming statutory indexation of allowances and thresholds and inclusion of measures already announced, compared with reintroduced tax rates of 45, 50, 55 and 60 per cent., is £5.2 billion. 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 estimate does not allow for any behavioural effect that might have resulted had the tax rates above 40 per cent. been retained, and does not include capital gains tax.
VAT
Mr. Dewar : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what would be the impact on the retail prices index of (a) a 1 per cent. increase in the rate of VAT and (b) the extension of VAT at (i) 8 per cent. and (ii) 17.5 per cent. to items currently subject to a zero rate, giving figures separately for each item.
Sir John Cope : The RPI impact--excluding mortgage interest payments --of an increase of 1 per cent. in the standard rate of VAT is estimated to be 0.50 per cent. The table shows the impact on the RPI--excluding mortgage interest payments--of extending VAT to currently zero-rated items.
|8 per cent VAT |17.5 per cent VAT
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Food |1.01 |2.20
Construction of new dwellings |- |-
Domestic fuel and power |0.37 |0.82
Domestic passenger transport |0.18 |0.39
International passenger transport |0.08 |0.18
Books, newspapers and magazines |0.13 |0.27
Children's clothing |0.09 |0.20
Water and sewerage services |0.09 |0.20
Drugs and medicines on prescription |- |-
Supplies to charities |- |-
Ships and aircraft above a certain size |- |-
Vehicles and other supplies to disabled people |- |-
Mr. Betts : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the relief and exemptions on VAT ; and what will be the cost of each to the Exchequer (a) in 1993-94 and (b) in 1994-95 if unchanged.
Sir John Cope [holding answer 2 November 1993] : Figures for 1993-94 are published in table 9 of the publication "Tax Ready Reckoner and Tax Reliefs" which is in the House of Commons Library.
Mr. Dewar : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what would be the effect on Treasury revenue in 1994-95 and in a full year of extending VAT at (a) 8 per cent. and (b) 17.5 per cent. to all items currently zero rated, giving figures separately for each item.
Sir John Cope : Table 9 of the publication "Tax Ready Reckoner and Tax Reliefs"--which is in the House of Commons Library--shows the estimated costs, of not standard-rating currently zero-rated items in 1993-94. These estimates can be scaled up or down to provide a rough indication of the potential revenue from applying any particular rate of VAT to these items except that the figures make no allowance for changes in behaviour.
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