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Written Answers to Questions
Tuesday 3 May 1994
LORD CHANCELLOR'S DEPARTMENT
Civil Servants (Business Appointments)
Mr. Milburn : To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many civil servants in his Department applied in each year since 1986, through the business appointments system to take up an outside appointment (a) as an independent consultant, (b) with a firm of consultants and (c) in other employment ; how many were referred to the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments ; and how many were granted.
Mr. John M. Taylor : For staff below grade 5 the Department has received one application through the business appointments system. The application was made in 1994 under (c) other employment, and was not referred to the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments. Information on staff at grade 5 and above could not be collected in the time available.
Justices' Clerks
Mr. Boateng : To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will list all the judicial functions of justices' clerks.
Mr. John M. Taylor : Although justices' clerks are not judges, they do, however, perform certain functions of justices which have been devolved to them by virtue of section 28(1) of the Justices of the Peace Act 1979. These functions are contained in the Justices' Clerks Rules 1970, as amended, the Magistrates' Courts (Attachment of Earnings) Rules 1971, the Family Proceedings Courts (Children Act 1989) Rules 1991, and the Family Proceedings Courts (Matrimonial Proceedings etc.) Rules 1991.
Court Cases
Mr. Cousins : To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will publish a table showing the number of (a) civil actions and (b) criminal prosecutions using the powers of (i) the Insolvency Acts, (ii) the Theft Acts and (iii) the Banking Acts in each of the last four years.
Mr. John M. Taylor : (a) civil actions. This information is not available for the Insolvency Acts and Theft Acts and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. The number of civil actions carried out by the Bank of England using the powers of the Banking Acts were as follows :
Year to end of February
|Civil actions
------------------------------------------
1991 |7
1992 |5
1993 |2
1994 |1
(b) criminal prosecutions : Defendants proceeded against under the Insolvency Acts and Theft Acts will be prosecuted under the indictable offence categories of robbery, burglary, theft and handling stolen goods and fraud and forgery and the summary offence categories of stealing and unauthorised takings. Information on the number of prosecutions by type of offence is published annually in the Home Office publication "Criminal Statistics England and Wales Supplementary tables, Volume 1 Proceedings in Magistrates' Courts". Copies of the publication for 1989 to 1992--latest available--are held in the Library.
The number of criminal prosecutions carried out by the Bank of England using the powers of the Banking Acts were as follows :
Year to end of February
|Criminal
|prosecutions
---------------------------------------
1991 |0
1992 |2
1993 |1
1994 |2
HOUSE OF COMMONS
Terrace (Journalists' Access)
Mr. McWilliam : To ask the Chairman of the Administration Committee when the minutes of the proceedings of his Committee dealing with access of journalists to the Terrace will be available.
Mr. Michael J. Martin : The minutes of proceedings of the Administration Committee are produced periodically. The volume containing the decision taken up to the Easter recess is expected to be available on 9 May--HC 374-i to ix.
Upper Waiting Hall (Exhibitions)
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Chairman of the Accommodation and Works Committee in what circumstances applications of right hon. and hon. Members to use the Upper Waiting Hall for exhibitions are not decided by ballot : and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Michael J. Martin : Applications for exhibitions of a parliamentary nature to be exempted from the ballot are considered individually by the Administration Committee.
HOME DEPARTMENT
Civil Servant (Business Appointments)
Mr. Milburn : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many civil servants in his Department applied in each year since 1986 through the business appointments system to take up an outside appointment (a) as an independent consultant, (b) with a firm of consultants and (c) in other employment ; how many were referred to the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments ; and how many were granted.
Mr. Howard : The following table sets out the information requested.
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Number of applications
|1986 |1987 |1988 |1989 |1990 |1991 |1992 |1993 |1994<1>
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Number of applicants |2 |12 |2 |3 |4 |2 |5 |7 |-
Independent consultant
Total |- |3 |1 |1 |- |1 |1 |4 |-
Reference to advisory committee |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |-
Approved unconditionally |- |2 |1 |1 |- |1 |1 |4 |-
Approved with conditions |- |1 |- |- |- |- |- |- |-
Firm of consultants
Total |- |1 |- |1 |2 |1 |1 |1 |-
Reference to advisory committee |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |-
Unconditional |- |1 |- |1 |2 |1 |1 |- |-
Conditional |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |1 |-
Other employment
Total |2 |8 |1 |1 |2 |- |3 |2 |-
Reference of advisory committee |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |-
Unconditional |2 |5 |1 |- |2 |- |2 |2 |-
Conditional |- |3 |- |1 |- |- |1 |- |-
<1> To 31 March.
Prisons Ombudsman
Ms Ruddock : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what was the total cost involved in appointing the prisons ombudsman since the post was readvertised in November 1993 ; and how this sum is broken down ;
(2) how prisoners will be informed of their rights to complain to the prisons ombudsman and of the procedures involved ;
(3) what will be the procedure to be followed by prisoners wishing to make complaints to the prisons ombudsman ; and if he will make a statement ;
(4) what budget is to be allocated to the office of the prisons ombudsman for the year 1994-95 ; and how this is broken down ; (5) How many (a) men and (b) women applied for the post of prisons ombudsman, following its readvertisement in November 1993 ; how many (i) men and (ii) women were shortlisted ; and how many (1) men and (2) women were interviewed for the post.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : The total cost of appointing the prisons ombudsman since the post was readvertised in November 1993 was £55, 200. This sum consists of a £20,332 fee for the services of an executive search agency, £20,086 for the Civil Service Commission's Recruitment and Assessment Services and £14,781 for advertisements placed in the national press.
Prisoners will be informed of their rights to complain to the prisons ombudsman through a revised Prison Service leaflet on requests and complaints, the next reissue of the prisoners' information pack and any means the prisons ombudsman may decide appropriate. The procedures to be followed by prisoners are set out in the document "The Prisons Ombudsman : A Note on Arrangements", a copy of which is available in the Library.
For 1994-95 the allocated budgets are £462,000 for salaries, £15, 000 for travel and subsistence, and £400,000 for the costs of establishing and operating the office.
There were 352 male and 50 female applicants for the post of prison ombudsman. Six candidates, all male, were shortlisted and interviewed.
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Leon Paterson
Mr. Corbyn : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he has received a report from the Police Complaints Authority concerning the death of Leon Paterson in Stockport police station.
Mr. Charles Wardle : No. Any report is entirely a matter for the Crown Prosecution Service, the chief constable and the Police Complaints Authority.
ANZAC Day
Sir Richard Body : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the change in the arrangements this year for the use of Whitehall by vehicular traffic during the ANZAC day ceremony.
Sir Trevor Skeet : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what consideration was given to closing Whitehall to vehicular traffic during the ANZAC day ceremony on 25 April ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Corbett : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what changes were made in the arrangements for vehicular traffic in Whitehall during the Cenotaph ceremony on ANZAC day, 25 April, as compared with previous years ; what consultations there were about the changes ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Charles Wardle : I refer the hon. Members to the reply I gave to a question from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Wythenshawe (Mr. Morris) on 28 April, at column 244-45.
Parliamentary Questions
Mr. Meacher : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many parliamentary questions, in the period November 1992 to March 1993, were answered with the response that the information requested is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost ; and how many were referred on to an agency chief executive.
Mr. Howard : The number of answers given to questions to my Department in the period November 1992 to March 1993 which the POLIS database has been able to identify as fitting the hon. Member's criteria is 72. During
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the same period, the POLIS database has been able to identify seven questions to my Department where agency chief executives were asked to arrange for replies to be given.Prisons (Drug Abuse)
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many different types of drugs have been found in each Her Majesty's prison, Her Majesty's remand centre and Her Majesty's detention centre in (a) South Yorkshire, (b) North Yorkshire, (c) West Yorkshire and (d) Humberside in each year since 1989 ; (2) how many visitors have been found in possession of illegal drugs at each Her Majesty's prison, Her Majesty's remand centre and Her Majesty's detention centre in (a) South Yorkshire, (b) North Yorkshire, (c) West Yorkshire, and (d) Humberside in each year since 1989 ; and what subsequent action was taken against them ; (3) if he will list by Her Majesty's prison and Her Majesty's remand or detention centre in (a) South Yorkshire, (b) North Yorkshire, (c) West Yorkshire and (d) Humberside, how many incidents of drug abuse were discovered in each year since 1989 to date.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : Responsibility for these matters has been delegated to the Director General of the Prison Service, who has been asked to arrange for a reply to be given.
Letter from A. J. Butler to Mr. Martin Redmond, dated3 May 1994 :
The Home Secretary has asked me, in the absence of the Director General from the office, to reply to your recent Questions about the number of different types of drugs found ; the number of visitors who have been found in possession of illegal drugs and the number of incidents of drug abuse in each prison, remand centre and detention centre in (a) South Yorkshire, (b) North Yorkshire, (c) West Yorkshire and (d) Humberside in each year since 1989 ;
Information about these incidents is readily available since 25 September 1990 only.
The tables attached provide information on drug finds including drugs finds on visitors.
Apart from the information given in the attached table and adjudications statistics, information about the number of incidents of drug abuse is not recorded centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Different types of drugs found in each prison
Establishment |1990 |1991 |1992 |1993
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
South Yorkshire
Lindholme
Cannabis |11 |37 |36 |29
Cannabis Plant |1 |1 |5 |5
Cocaine |0 |2 |0 |0
LSD |0 |2 |3 |0
Heroin |0 |0 |3 |4
Amphetamines |0 |0 |2 |5
Barbiturates |0 |0 |0 |1
Other |0 |5 |8 |5
Moorland
Cannabis |0 |21 |76 |101
Cannabis Plant |0 |2 |2 |4
Cocaine |0 |0 |3 |1
LSD |0 |0 |1 |2
Amphetamines |0 |0 |1 |2
Other |0 |0 |0 |5
Hatfield
Cannabis |1 |4 |4 |6
North Yorkshire
Full Sutton
Cannabis |0 |6 |4 |16
Cannabis Plant |0 |0 |1 |2
Cocaine |0 |0 |2 |1
Heroin |0 |0 |1 |3
Amphetamines |0 |0 |0 |1
Other |0 |0 |2 |3
Askham Grange
Cannabis Plant |0 |1 |0 |0
Cocaine |0 |0 |1 |0
Amphetamines |0 |0 |0 |1
Other |0 |0 |1 |0
Northallerton
Cannabis |1 |2 |4 |4
Cannabis Plant |0 |0 |0 |1
LSD |0 |1 |0 |0
West Yorkshire
Northallerton
Cannabis |0 |8 |1 |3
Cannabis Plant |0 |0 |0 |1
Heroin |0 |0 |0 |2
Other |0 |0 |2 |0
Thorp Arch
Cannabis |4 |0 |0 |0
Wetherby
Cannabis |0 |7 |1 |3
Leeds
Cannabis |2 |2 |2 |7
Heroin |0 |0 |1 |1
New Hall
Cannabis |12 |5 |3 |3
Cocaine |0 |4 |0 |1
LSD |0 |0 |0 |1
Heroin |1 |0 |2 |0
Other |0 |0 |2 |0
Wakefield
Cannabis |0 |6 |3 |10
Cannabis Plant |0 |0 |0 |1
Cocaine |0 |0 |1 |0
Humberside
Everthorpe
Cannabis |2 |5 |4 |4
Heroin |0 |0 |0 |1
Hull
Cannabis |9 |4 |13 |16
Cannabis Plant |0 |0 |0 |2
Heroin |0 |0 |2 |2
Amphetamines |0 |0 |0 |1
Barbiturates |1 |0 |0 |0
Other |0 |0 |2 |0
The Wolds
Cannabis |0 |0 |9 |51
Cannabis Plant |0 |0 |0 |2
Heroin |0 |0 |0 |5
Amphetamines |0 |0 |0 |3
Other |0 |0 |5 |3
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Number of visitors found with, or suspected of possessing, illegal drugs
Establishment |1990 |1991 |1992 |1993
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
South Yorkshire
Lindholme |0 |2 |1 |0
Moorland |0 |0 |6 |3
Hatfield |0 |0 |0 |0
North Yorkshire
Full Sutton |0 |2 |2 |6
Askham Grange |0 |0 |0 |0
Northallerton |0 |0 |1 |0
West Yorkshire
Rudgate |1 |0 |0 |0
Thorp Arch |0 |0 |0 |0
Wetherby |0 |0 |0 |0
Leeds |0 |0 |2 |0
New Hall |0 |0 |1 |0
Wakefield |0 |0 |0 |2
Humberside
Everthorpe |0 |0 |0 |0
Hull |4 |0 |3 |0
The Wolds |0 |0 |1 |13
All cases were reported to the local police.
Mr. Burns : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what plans he has to allocate sniffer dogs to each prison to help combat the problem of illegal drugs ; and if he will make a statement ;
(2) what plans he has to ensure sniffer dogs inspect all prisons on a regular basis throughout the year to help combat the problem of illegal drugs ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : Responsibility for these matters has been delegated to the Director General of the Prison Service, who has been asked to arrange for a reply to be given.
Letter from A. J. Butler to Mr. Simon Burns, dated 3 May 1994 : The Home Secretary has asked me, in the absence of the Director General from the office, to reply to your recent Questions about allocating sniffer dogs to each prison and ensuring sniffer dogs inspect prisons on a regular basis to help combat the problem of illegal drugs.
There are no plans to allocate dogs trained to search out drugs to each prison. At present, 68 dogs (almost all of which are also guard dogs) in the Prison Service have been trained to detect illegal drugs. This figure will rise to 76 by mid-May when the current training course is completed. These dogs can be used at any prison where a Governor wants a drug search undertaken. It is for individual Governors to determine the extent to which drug trained dogs are used in their establishments. In the nine months from April to December establishments. In the nine months from April to December 1993, 459 drug searches were undertaken by the Prison Service drug dogs. In addition to these dogs, we have started to train other dogs for allocation to prisons that do not routinely have guard dogs. These dogs will work solely on drug searching and will be allocated to prisons where Governors have requested them.
Humberside Police
Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will refer back to the Local Government Commission proposals to split Humberside police with an instruction to consult the police, the police authority and the public.
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Mr. Charles Wardle : I have nothing to add to the answers I gave to the hon. Member and to the hon. Member for Warwickshire, North (Mr. O'Brien) on 21 April, at columns 1021-22.
Incident (Shaftesbury Avenue)
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement in respect of the operation in which armed Metropolitan police officers were at the scene of an incident on 16 April at approximately 1015 hours, at the northern end of Shaftesbury avenue, London.
Mr. Charles Wardle : I understand from the Commissioner that the Metropolitan police have no record of any incident or police operation in Shaftesbury avenue on 16 April, and that no authority for the issue of firearms in the Metropolitan police district was given on that day.
Operation Barnard
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what considerations led to the title Operation Barnard ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Charles Wardle : I understand from the Commissioner of the Metropolitan police that "Operation Barnard" was a name chosen by the local divisional commander.
Passport Office
Mr. Donohoe : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans his Department has to expand the network of United Kingdom passport offices, with particular reference to Scotland.
Mr. Charles Wardle : Responsibility for this matter has been delegated to the United Kingdom Passport Agency. I have asked the chief executive to arrange for a reply to be given.
Letter from John Hayzelden to Mr. Brian Donohoe, dated 29 April 1994 :
The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your Parliamentary Question about expanding the network of United Kingdom Passport Offices.
As you may know, the UK Passport Agency has offices at Belfast, Glasgow, Liverpool, London, Newport and Peterborough. We plan to conduct a review of the number and location of Passport Offices later this year. In this review we shall give careful consideration to the position in Scotland.
TREASURY
Taxation (Relief and Allowances)
Mr. Gill : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the estimated cost of the relief and allowances against (a) inheritance tax and (b) capital gains tax in the current financial year.
Mr. Nelson : The cost of the inheritance tax nil rate band for transfers not exceeding £150,000 in 1994-95 is estimated to be £4.4 billion. This figure is particularly tentative and subject to a wide margin of error.
Estimates of the costs of other reliefs and allowances against capital gains tax and inheritance tax for 1994-95
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could be provided only at disproportionate cost. However, estimates for 1993-94 were published in table 1.6 and in appendix B of an Inland Revenue publication "Inland Revenue Statistics 1993". A copy of this was placed in the Library. Updated figures for 1994- 95 will be published later in the year.Nationalised Industries
Mr. Riddick : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what were (a) the tax revenues received from, (b) the subsidy provided to and (c) the net cost or revenue of the nationalised industries in each of the five years to 1979.
Mr. Dorrell : The information is not available in the format requested. However, the total external financing provided for the nationalised industries in the years 1975-76 through to 1978-79 was as follows :
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Total external financing
|£ million<1>
1975-76 |4,756
1976-77 |3,275
1977-78 |1,822
1978-79 |2,367
<1> 1980 survey prices.
Taken as a whole, there was no net revenue from the nationalised industries in these years.
Privatisation
Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the total profit made by formerly publicly-owned companies in the five years prior to their privatisation ; and if he will provide a breakdown of this sum by company.
Mr. Dorrell : The table shows the profits made, or estimated to have been made, by privatised companies in the five years prior to privatisation where this information is held centrally and can be obtained without disproportionate cost.
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Profits<1> of privatised companies while in the public sector
£ million
Pre-tax profit
prior to
privatisation
Company |Year of |5 years prior|4 years prior|3 years prior|2 years prior|Final year in
|privatisation |public sector
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
British Aerospace |1981 |- |- |- |50.3 |52.8
Cable and Wireless |1981 |- |- |59.4 |61.0 |64.1
Amersham International |1982 |- |- |6.0 |4.0 |4.8
NFC |1982 |- |- |- |- |4.3
Britoil |1982 |- |- |- |294.0 |423.1
Associated British Ports |1983 |- |22.4 |11.5 |-10.3 |5.5
International Aeradio |1983 |- |- |- |- |13.3
Enterprise Oil |1984 |- |- |- |- |<2>83.2
Jaguar |1984 |- |-47.3 |-31.7 |9.6 |50.0
Sealink |1984 |- |- |- |- |12.8
BT |1984 |424.0 |570.0 |936.0 |1031.0 |990.0
MacBrayne Haulage |1985 |- |- |- |- |0.1
British Gas<3> |1986 |430.0 |803.0 |918.0 |723.0 |800.0
British Airways |1987 |-108.0 |74.0 |185.0 |191.0 |195.0
Royal Ordnance |1987 |- |- |- |26.0 |29.0
Rolls-Royce |1987 |- |-115.0 |26.0 |81.0 |120.0
BAA<3> |1987 |- |84.0 |104.0 |119.0 |122.0
British Steel<3> |1988 |-229.0 |-378.0 |42.0 |177.0 |419.0
Harland and Wolff |1989 |-35.8 |-37.1 |-75.6 |-25.1 |-28.8
Short Brothers |1989 |0.5 |-37.2 |-19.9 |-142.5 |-353.7
Anglian Water |1989 |21.1 |37.4 |52.2 |58.7 |73.4
Northumbrian Water |1989 |0.1 |3.0 |7.1 |10.8 |10.1
North West Water |1989 |-26.0 |-6.9 |8.9 |25.3 |44.3
Severn Trent |1989 |-17.8 |39.0 |52.0 |96.6 |97.5
Southern Water |1989 |22.0 |36.9 |47.3 |59.3 |65.1
South West Water |1989 |20.6 |23.9 |28.1 |33.5 |38.1
Thames Water |1989 |99.4 |144.1 |151.1 |180.7 |207.2
Welsh Water |1989 |-12.8 |-3.5 |11.9 |16.4 |24.9
Wessex Water |1989 |9.9 |15.0 |21.5 |25.0 |24.1
Yorkshire Water |1989 |18.4 |22.2 |37.0 |56.7 |55.7
Eastern Electricity |1990 |88.0 |100.5 |99.9 |119.0 |124.4
East Midlands Electricity |1990 |48.2 |70.9 |81.9 |87.0 |90.9
London Electricity |1990 |84.7 |95.6 |96.2 |112.7 |126.2
Manweb |1990 |26.9 |33.1 |28.5 |39.5 |37.7
Midlands Electricity |1990 |64.5 |68.2 |62.0 |76.6 |88.9
Northern Electric |1900 |48.1 |48.7 |47.1 |58.0 |66.1
Norweb |1990 |53.9 |59.5 |53.3 |65.8 |71.7
Seeboard |1990 |47.6 |57.7 |44.0 |58.0 |57.6
Southern Electric |1990 |69.2 |92.5 |79.4 |113.8 |128.2
South Wales Electricity |1990 |24.9 |31.6 |21.0 |30.8 |26.2
South Western Electricity |1990 |47.6 |45.6 |32.2 |55.8 |66.1
Yorkshire Electricity |1990 |55.3 |64.5 |71.8 |90.2 |109.5
National Grid |1990 |- |- |- |- |428.6
National Power |1991 |- |- |- |- |178.0
PowerGen |1991 |- |- |- |- |233.6
Scottish Hydro-Electric |1991 |- |- |- |- |60.3
Scottish Power |1991 |- |- |- |- |144.7
Medway Ports |1992 |- |- |- |- |3.8
Forth Ports |1992 |- |- |5.7 |9.9 |8.2
Northern Ireland Electricity |1993 |- |- |40.1 |15.0 |64.1
<1> Historic Cost convention unless otherwise stated.
<2> Nine months' figures only.
<3> Current Cost convention.
NHS Estate
Mr. Gordon Prentice : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much each valuation office received from the relevant regional health authorities for valuation of surplus NHS properties for each year since 1987.
Mr. Nelson : The information is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Valuation List
Ms Eagle : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the average length of time between the receipt of a proposal to alter the valuation list and the decision on the proposal for each district valuation officer.
Mr. Nelson : This information is not available centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Council Tax
Mr. Burden : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many council tax cases were awaiting inspection and discussion at the Valuation Office at 1 April.
Mr. Nelson : The number of appeals received during the initial banding period in England and Wales and outstanding as at 31 March 1994 was 614,000. The number awaiting inspection and discussion could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Tax Relief
Mr. Mandelson : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what he estimates to be the total cost in 1994-95 of relief from inheritance tax for (a) agricultural property, (b) business property, (c) heritage property and maintenance funds and (d) exemption of transfers to charities on death.
Mr. Nelson [holding answer 28 April 1994] : Provisional estimates for the total cost of reliefs and exemptions from inheritance tax for 1994-95 are :
|£ million
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Relief for agricultural property |80
Relief for business property |60
Relief for heritage property and maintenance funds |90<1><2>
Exemption of transfers to charities on death |220<2>
<1> The estimated annual cost of exemptions and reliefs from
inheritance tax for heritage property shows significant fluctuations
from year to year. The figure given here is the average annual cost
over the past decade.
<2> These figures are particularly tentative and subject to a wide
margin of error.
Executive Share Option Schemes
Mr. Ian Taylor : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many Inland Revenue approved executive share option schemes currently exist ; what proportion are linked to approved savings-related share option schemes ; and what are the respective values of both schemes.
Mr. Dorrell [holding answer 29 April 1994] : Up to 31 March 1994, 5,680 discretionary--executive--share option schemes had been approved by the Inland Revenue ; 3,981 of these schemes are believed to be currently in operation. In 1991-93, the latest year for which relevant figures are available, some 2 per cent. of discretionary schemes were granted options at a discount, under the linkage provisions introduced in the Finance Act 1991, because they also had an approved savings-related share option scheme. The total initial value of shares over which options were granted in 1992-93 under approved discretionary share option schemes was £1.6 billion ; the corresponding figure for approved savings- related share option schemes is £1.88 billion.
Corporation Tax
Mr. Mandelson : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his estimate of the effect on corporation tax receipts in 1994-95 and 1995-96 of the introduction of pay and file.
Mr. Dorrell [holding answer 29 April 1994] : The introduction of pay and file is not expected to have a significant effect on total receipts of corporation tax in 1994-95 and 1995-96.
ATTORNEY-GENERAL
Civil Servants (Business Appointments)
Mr. Milburn : To ask the Attorney-General how many civil servants in his Departments applied in each year since 1986 through the business appointments system to take up an outside appointment (a) as an independent consultant, (b) in a firm of consultants and (c) in other employment ; how many were referred to the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments ; and how many were granted.
The Attorney-General : Since 1986 two applications have been received by the Crown Prosecution Service under the business appointments rules, one in 1990 and one in 1992. Neither related to an appointment as a consultant or with a firm of consultants. One of the applications required and obtained the approval of the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments. The other application was approved by the Department. There have
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been no such applications in the Legal Secretariat to the Law Officers, the Treasury Solicitor's Department or the Serious Fraud Office.PRIME MINISTER
Libya
Mr. Dalyell : To ask the Prime Minister what discussions he has had with the UN about sanctions against Libya.
The Prime Minister : Ministers and officials are in regular contact on the question of the Lockerbie bombing and sanctions against Libya, both with the United Nations secretariat and other members of the Security Council. I last discussed this matter with the United Nations Secretary- General during his visit to London in July 1992.
Engagements
Sir Peter Tapsell : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 3 May.
Mr. Harry Greenway : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 3 May.
The Prime Minister : This morning, I had meetings with ministerial colleagues and others. In addition to my duties in the House, I shall be having further meetings later today.
Sir Tim Bell
Mr. Morgan : To ask the Prime Minister if the contract to Sir Tim Bell to advise on the celebrations and commemorations of the D-day landings was awarded by means of a competitive tender.
Public Bodies
Mr. Morgan : To ask the Prime Minister what changes there have been since 28 November 1991 in the definition of executive duties carried out by chairmen or vice-chairmen of a political party which would disqualify that person from holding a similar role or office in any public body ; and if he will make a statement.
TRADE AND INDUSTRY
Expo '92
Mr. Cousins : To ask the President of the Board of Trade, pursuant to his answer of 10 February, Official Report, column 389, what were the final costs of his Department's contribution to Expo '92, including the costs of settlement with Joanna Bickerton Associates.
Mr. Needham : The final costs have yet to be settled. I will write to the hon. Member when they are.
Departmental Staff
Mr. Cousins : To ask the President of the Board of Trade what are the names of consultants employed in reviews of structure and organisation for each of his
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Department's laboratories and agencies since April 1992, the periods of the appointments and the date of their reports ; and whether the reports have been placed in the Library, together with the total sums expended on the reviews of such laboratories and agencies in the financial years 1992-93 and 1993-94.Mr. Heseltine : The position on the use of consultants in connection with the reviews of the DTI laboratories and other agencies is as follows :
DTI Laboratories--
A study by KPMG of the National Physical Laboratory, the National Engineering Laboratory, the Laboratory of the Government Chemist, the National Weights and Measures Laboratory and the Warren Spring Laboratory was commissioned in May 1993. KPMG's report was presented to the Department in December 1993. A summary of the Report was placed in the Libraries of both Houses on 14 April 1994. Warren Spring Laboratory was subsequently removed from the KPMG study. PA Consulting were then appointed to conduct a short review of the planned relocation of WSL from Stevenage to new premises at Welwyn Garden City. PA's report was presented to the Department in June 1993. A copy of the Report was placed in the Libraries of both Houses on 7 July 1993.
Other Agencies--
Accounts Services Agency
A study by PA Consulting was commissioned in October 1993. The study was completed by January 1994 and an announcement in the form of Written Answer was made to the House on 11 February 1994, Official Report, column 505.
PA's report has not been placed in the House as it contains commercially sensitive information, the publication of which could be damaging to the Agency.
Companies House
A study by SRU was commissioned in October 1992. The study was completed in August 1993.
SRU's report has not been placed in the House as the future of Companies House remains under consideration.
Insolvency Service
Stoy Hayward were appointed in August 1993 to conduct a pre-feasibility study into the potential for making more use of the private sector in the work of the Official Receiver. Stoy Hayward's report was presented to the Department in October 1993. A summary of the Report was placed in the Libraries of both Houses on 7 February 1994.
Following the pre-feasibility study, a further more detailed feasibility study was commissioned from Stoy Hayward in March 1994. Stoy Hayward are due to complete this "second phase" study by the end of July 1994.
Patent Office
A study by Price Waterhouse was commissioned in July 1993. Price Waterhouse have completed the bulk of their work and a final report is due in the near future.
Radiocommunications Agency
As announced in a Written Answer on 22 March 1994, Official Report, column 216 the possibility of a greater role for the private sector in planning the radio spectrum and assigning frequencies, and the redefinition of the future role of the Radiocommunications Agency are matters on which comments are sought in the recently pulished consultative document, "The Future Management of the Radio Spectrum", Accordingly, consultants have not so far been employed to review the structure or organisation of the Agency.
The consultative document has been placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
Costs
The sums expended on work by consultants in connection with the reviews of the laboratories and agencies in the last two complete financial years total £101,041 (including VAT) for 1992/93 and £935, 359 (including VAT) for 1993/94.
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