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TREASURY
Vineyards
Mr. Steen: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will pay a visit to an English vineyard to discuss what steps he can take to better help the commercial vineyards in the United Kingdom in relation to harmonisation of the tax regime.
Mr. Nelson: My right hon. and learned Friend has no immediate plans to visit an English vineyard at present, but he is fully aware of the concerns of the industry.
Income Levels
Mr. Loyden: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the changes in disparities in income level over the last decade.
Sir George Young: Since 1979, real incomes have increased by an average of 36 per cent. Some groups have done even better--real incomes of pensioner couples are up 56 per cent.--but there have been gains for all groups.
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VAT
Mr. David Shaw: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to impose value added tax on private medical insurance, university or college fees, school fees, school lunches or other charges levied by the state or private schools.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory: I cannot anticipate the Budget statement by my right hon. and learned Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer.
Mr. Kilfoyle: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many representations he has received concerning the extension of VAT to public transport.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory: My right hon. and learned Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer receives many representations on a wide range of issues in the run-up to the Budget.
Mr. Khabra: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what further plans he has to end the exemption of goods and services from VAT.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory: Tax changes are a matter for my right hon. and learned Friend the Chancellor in his Budget. However, the range of goods and services which member states exempt from VAT is covered by Community law. Most are mandatory exemptions, but member states have the option to extend certain exemptions to non-profit making bodies, subject to certain conditions.
Mr. Gunnell : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what additional income he will gain in a full year from increasing VAT on fuel to 17 per cent.; and what its effect will be on the weekly household bills of a family of four.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory: Application of the standard rate of VAT to domestic fuel and power will yield around an additional £1.5 billion in a full year. The impact on fuel bills will depend on fuel prices and on what happens to spending patterns.
Economic Growth
Mr. Dykes: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the growth of the United Kingdom economy in the first three quarters of calendar year 1994.
Mr. Aitken: In the first three quarters of 1994, gross domestic product was 3 per cent. up on the same period a year earlier. We are now seeing a highly favourable combination of strong growth and low inflation, with underlying inflation at a 27-year low.
Financial Products
Mr. French: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent representations he has received about different fiscal treatment of financial products in the United Kingdom and elsewhere in Europe.
Mr. Nelson: My right hon. and learned Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer has received a large number of representations from organisations and individuals on a wide variety of subjects, as is customary in the run- up to the Budget.
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TREASURY
Tax Cuts
Mr. Barry Jones: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the average amount each of the top 1 per cent. earners in the United Kingdom has received in tax cuts since 1979.
Sir George Young: A calculation of the tax change for those who are currently in the top 1 per cent. of earners would require extensive information on their income levels and tax reliefs over the period since 1979. Since such information is not centrally available it is not possible to estimate an average figure.
Demand
Sir David Knox: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement about the levels of total demand in the economy.
Mr. Aitken: The most recent figures for total domestic demand relate to the second quarter of 1994. By then, demand had risen for nine consecutive quarters, to a level exceeding its previous peak in the second quarter of 1990.
Public Expenditure
Mr. Whittingdale: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of gross domestic product is taken by public expenditure; and what the figure was in 1979.
Mr. Aitken: General Government expenditure excluding privatisation proceeds as a percentage of GDP was 44 in 1979 80 and 44.25 in 1993 94.
Tax Burdens
Mr. Livingstone: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the tax burden of a married couple on average earnings, with a £30,000 mortgage and two children.
Sir George Young: Real take-home pay, after tax, for this group has increased by around £83 a week since 1978 79 compared with an increase of less than £2 a week between 1973 74 and 1978 79.
EU Budget
Ms Jowell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the effects of fraud and waste in the European Union budget.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory: Fraud and waste in the Community budget is at an unacceptably high level and brings the Union into disrepute. It is essential that member states and Community institutions alike intensify their efforts to deal with it. The United Kingdom will continue to take the lead in the fight against fraud in the Community.
In March, my right hon. and learned Friend the Home Secretary announced a joint action proposal, under title VI of the treaty on European Union, to combat serious fraud against the Community budget. The Commission has also recently presented two proposals to the Council designed to reinforce the protection of the Community's financial interests. Those proposals and the United Kingdom's proposal are under consideration in the Council.
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Budget Representations
Mr. Canavan: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many representations he has received suggesting proposals for his forthcoming Budget.
Sir George Young: My right hon. and learned Friend has received a large number of representations from organisations and individuals, as is customary in the run-up to the Budget.
Central Statistical Office
Mr. Flynn: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what new proposals he has to safeguard the jobs at the Central Statistical Office in London and Newport.
Mr. Nelson: The Central Statistical Office publishes annually its future staffing estimates in its "Programme Strategies". The most recent relate to the period 1994 95 to 1996 97. These plans are rolled forward each year and are revised in line with changes in expenditure provision and business needs.
Tax Changes
Ms Glenda Jackson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the relationship between tax changes and the incidence of poverty in the United Kingdom.
Sir George Young: Since 1979, real incomes have increased for all economic groups. The policies of sound finance now being pursued will produce sustained recovery, more jobs and further increases in living standards.
Postage
Mr. Donohoe: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much his Department has spent on postage, and how many items have been posted by his Department, in each of the last five years.
Mr. Nelson: Expenditure by HM Treasury on postage for 1992 93, 1993 94 and 1994 95 to date was £67,612, £73,104 and £28,238 respectively.
The number of items posted for 1992 93, 1993 94 and 1994 95 to date was 311,010, 355,908 and 155,602.
The information for earlier years is incomplete and can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Tiger Products
Mr. Tony Banks: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will give details of tiger products and material containing tiger products seized by HM Customs and Excise in each of the last five years.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory: HM Customs and Excise made the following seizures over the period.
1989
Musk and tiger plaster-- 2 packets.
Tiger bone tablets--number not known.
1990
Tiger skin--1.
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1991Tiger skin handbag--1.
1992
None.
1993
Tiger skin--1 whole, 1 piece and 1 pair of shoes.
Tincture of tiger bone--2 bottles.
Tiger bone plaster--43 packets and 30 strips.
Tiger bone pills--51 boxes and 420 tablets.
Tiger bone medicine--1 packet and 3 sachets.
Tiger claws--2.
1994 (to date)
Tiger bone plasters--22.
Lion and tiger claws--13.
Tincture of tiger bone--20 x 70cl bottles.
Tiger bones--number not known.
Pension Transfers
Mr. Flynn: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his latest estimate of the cost of compensation to (a) public funds and (b) pension companies for pension transfers based on bad advice; what assessment he has made as to whether compensation from pension funds will be paid in full; and what representations he has received regarding the sources from which it should be paid.
Mr. Nelson: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Southport (Mr. Banks) on 25 October Official Report, columns 507 10.
Official Hospitality
Mr. Matthew Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what has been the total amount spent on official hospitality by (a) his Department and (b) his agencies for each year since 1990.
Mr. Nelson: Expenditure by HM Treasury on official hospitality for 1990 91 was £51,424; for 1991 92, £85,873; for 1992 93, £303,523; for 1993 94, £74,007; and spend to date in 1994 95, £27,732.
The large increase in 1992 93 results from a number of one-off events including the informal meeting of the Economic and Finance Council during the United Kingdom presidency and the International Organisation for Securities Commissions conference.
Expenditure by the agencies for 1990 91 was £44,832; for 1991 92, £45,955; for 1992 93, £36,593; for 1993 94, £53,051 and for 1994 95 to date £16,600.
Public Appointments
Mr. Grocott: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the public appointments for which he is responsible (a) in the west midlands region and (b) in Shropshire, indicating in each case the duration of the appointment, the date when a new appointment is due, and the salary.
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Mr. Nelson: The Chancellor of the Exchequer is responsible for six public appointments in the west midlands region and one in Shropshire. All appointments are to VAT tribunals. The duration of each appointment is three years. Of the appointments in the west midlands region one new appointment is due on 1 October 1995; three on 1 October 1996 and two on 1 October 1997. A new appointment is due in Shropshire on 1 October 1997. All appointees are paid a daily fee when they sit, which is currently set at £149.
Tobacco and Alcohol
Mrs. Lait: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what is the average price of (a) cigarettes, (b) cigars and (c) rolling tobacco in each EU country; and what percentage of that price is excise, VAT or other tax;
(2) what are the rates of excise duty and VAT on tobacco products in each EU country; and what is the difference in each case from United Kingdom levels.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory: The most popular price category for cigarettes, cigars and hand-rolling tobacco in each EU country and the excise and VAT elements of those prices are shown in the tables. Average prices of these products in other EU countries are not available.
|MPPC £ per |Excise Duty as a |VAT as a percentage
|percentage
|1000 cigarettes |of MPPC |of MPPC
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cigarettes
Belgium |91.96 |57.76 |17.01
Denmark |145.94 |64.56 |20.00
France |82.80 |59.16 |16.32
Germany |100.49 |58.68 |13.04
Greece |60.59 |56.62 |15.25
Ireland |122.33 |59.95 |17.36
Italy |59.07 |57.00 |15.97
Luxembourg |65.32 |57.96 |10.71
Netherlands |80.43 |57.00 |14.89
Portugal |52.46 |67.17 |13.79
Spain |27.27 |55.36 |14.53
United Kigndom |127.00 |61.20 |14.89
Cigars
Belgium |935.97 |10.00 |17.01
Denmark |5577.10 |10.37 |20.00
France |1199.98 |29.26 |16.32
Germany |1168.99 |5.00 |13.04
Greece |- |- |-
Ireland |366.88 |22.06 |17.36
Italy |- |- |-
Luxembourg |- |- |-
Netherlands |2449.46 |5.00 |14.89
Portugal |- |- |-
Spain |2528.24 |10.00 |14.53
United Kingdom |388.00 |19.99 |14.89
Hnand-rolling tobacco
Belgium |26.29 |37.55 |17.01
Denmark |69.99 |40.96 |20.00
France |24.72 |56.38 |16.32
Germany |44.09 |46.22 |13.04
Greece |45.78 |57.50 |15.25
Ireland |101.43 |67.33 |17.36
Italy |26.48 |54.28 |15.97
Luxembourg |23.50 |31.50 |10.71
Netherlands |29.25 |60.47 |14.89
Portugal |11.10 |30.00 |13.79
Spain |22.31 |30.00 |14.53
United Kingdom |142.40 |57.49 |14.89
Rate of Excise Actual Tax Amount less than
Duty Amounts United
£ per 1,000 Kingdom levels £
per 1,000
|Ad valorem |Specific |VAT Rate
|Per cent. |per 1,000 |Per cent. |Total exercise|VAT |Exercise |VAT
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cigarettes
Belgium |50.00 |7.11 |20.50 |52.91 |15.58 |35.02 |5.10
Denmark |21.22 |63.26 |25.00 |94.22 |29.19 |-18.04 |-12.35
France |54.95 |3.49 |19.50 |48.98 |13.51 |39.63 |7.63
Germany |24.80 |34.04 |15.00 |58.97 |13.11 |27.37 |8.23
Greece |53.39 |1.96 |18.00 |34.31 |9.24 |56.45 |12.56
Ireland |16.83 |52.74 |21.00 |73.33 |21.23 |8.61 |-2.20
Italy |53.35 |2.16 |19.00 |33.67 |9.43 |58.42 |12.62
Luxembourg |54.30 |2.39 |12.00 |37.86 |7.00 |54.00 |15.93
Netherlands |21.05 |38.92 |17.50 |45.85 |11.98 |44.00 |9.67
Portugal |56.00 |5.86 |16.00 |35.23 |7.24 |57.77 |15.73
Spain |49.00 |1.74 |17.00 |15.10 |3.96 |82.53 |19.72
United Kingdom |20.00 |52.33 |17.50 |77.73 |18.91 |- |-
Cigars
Belgium |10.00 |0.00 |20.50 |93.60 |159.23 |N/A |N/A
Denmark |10.00 |20.64 |25.00 |578.23 |1115.42 |N/A |N/A
France |29.26 |0.00 |19.50 |351.11 |188.19 |N/A |N/A
Germany |5.00 |0.00 |15.00 |58.45 |152.48 |N/A |N/A
Greece |26.00 |0.00 |18.00 |N/A |N/A |N/A |N/A
Ireland* |0.00 |80.93 |21.00 |80.93 |63.67 |N/A |N/A
Italy |23.00 |0.00 |19.00 |N/A |N/A |N/A |N/A
Luxembourg |10.00 |0.00 |12.00 |N/A |N/A |NA |N/A
Netherlands |5.00 |0.00 |17.50 |122.47 |364.81 |N/A |N/A
Portugal |26.21 |0.00 |N/A |N/A |N/A |N/A |N/A
Spain |10.00 |0.00 |17.00 |252.82 |329.77 |N/A |N/A
United Kingdom* |0.00 |77.58 |17.50 |77.58 |57.79 |N/A |N/A
Hand Rolling Tobacco
Belgium |37.55 |0.00 |20.50 |9.87 |4.47 |71.99 |16.74
Denmark |0.00 |28.67 |25.00 |28.67 |14.00 |53.19 |7.21
France |56.38 |0.00 |19.50 |13.94 |3.88 |67.92 |17.33
Germany |18.12 |12.39 |15.00 |20.38 |5.75 |61.48 |15.46
Greece |57.50 |0.00 |18.00 |26.32 |6.98 |55.54 |14.23
Ireland |0.00 |68.29 |21.00 |68.29 |17.60 |13.57 |3.61
Italy |54.28 |0.00 |19.00 |14.37 |4.23 |67.49 |16.98
Luxembourg |31.50 |0.00 |12.00 |7.40 |3.07 |74.46 |18.14
Netherlands |16.53 |12.85 |17.50 |17.69 |4.36 |64.17 |16.85
Portugal |30.00 |0.00 |16.00 |3.33 |1.53 |78.53 |19.68
Spain |30.00 |0.00 |17.00 |6.69 |2.91 |75.17 |18.30
United Kingdom |0.00 |81.86 |17.50 |81.86 |21.21 |- |-
* Duty on cigars in United Kingdom and Ireland is in £ per Kg and therefore comparison of differences in levels of Excise duty and VAT with
United Kingdom are not available.
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Life Expectancy
Ms Primarolo: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what has been the life expectancy for (a) men and (b) women in each year since 1979 in each EU country.
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Mr. Nelson: The information requested--as far as it is available from publications of the Statistical Office of the European Communities and the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys--is as follows.
Life expectancy |1980 |1981 |1982 |1983 |1984 |1985 |1986 |1987 |1988 |1989 |1990 |1991 |1992
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(a) Males
Belgium |70.0 |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |72.4 |72.7 |72.8 |73.1
Denmark |71.2 |71.4 |- |- |71.6 |71.6 |71.8 |- |- |72.0 |72.0 |72.5 |72.6
France |70.2 |- |- |70.7 |- |- |71.5 |72.0 |- |72.5 |72.7 |72.9 |73.2
Germany |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |72.0 |72.1 |72.6
Greece |72.2 |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |74.2 |- |74.5 |74.6 |74.6
Ireland |- |70.1 |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |71.0 |72.0 |72.2 |72.6
Italy |70.6 |- |- |71.4 |71.6 |- |- |- |73.2 |- |73.6 |73.6 |-
Luxembourg |- |70.0 |- |- |- |- |70.6 |- |- |- |- |72.0 |71.9
Netherlands |72.7 |72.7 |72.7 |- |72.9 |73.0 |- |- |- |73.7 |73.8 |74.0 |74.3
Portugal |67.7 |- |68.9 |- |- |- |70.2 |70.7 |- |70.9 |70.3 |70.2 |70.7
Spain |72.5 |- |- |- |- |- |- |73.4 |- |- |73.3 |73.3 |-
United Kingdom |70.6 |70.8 |71.1 |71.4 |71.5 |71.7 |71.9 |72.2 |72.4 |72.7 |72.9 |73.2 |73.6
(b) Females
Belgium |76.8 |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |79.0 |79.4 |79.5 |79.8
Denmark |77.3 |77.4 |- |- |77.5 |77.5 |77.6 |- |- |77.7 |77.7 |78.0 |77.9
France |78.4 |- |- |78.8 |- |- |79.7 |80.3 |- |80.7 |81.0 |81.1 |81.5
Germany |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |78.2 |78.7 |79.1
Greece |76.8 |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |79.3 |- |79.5 |79.8 |79.8
Ireland |- |75.6 |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |77.0 |77.5 |77.7 |78.2
Italy |77.4 |- |- |78.1 |78.1 |- |- |- |79.7 |- |80.2 |80.3 |-
Luxembourg |- |76.7 |- |- |- |- |77.9 |- |- |- |- |79.1 |78.5
Netherlands |79.3 |79.3 |79.4 |- |79.7 |79.6 |- |- |- |79.9 |80.1 |80.1 |80.3
Portugal |75.2 |- |75.8 |- |- |- |77.1 |77.5 |- |77.9 |77.4 |77.5 |78.1
Spain |78.6 |- |- |- |- |- |- |80.1 |- |- |80.3 |80.5 |-
United Kingdom |76.6 |76.8 |77.0 |77.2 |77.4 |77.5 |77.6 |77.9 |78.0 |78.0 |78.5 |78.6 |79.0
In some cases the expectation is given for the two-year period beginning with the year in the table heading and in some cases for the three-year period centred on the year in the heading.
Column 761
Clock Adjustment
Mr. Barry Field: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many man hours were taken up by adjusting the clocks throughout his Department.
Mr. Nelson: No record is kept of how long it takes to adjust clocks in the Treasury. Members of staff adjust clocks in their own rooms and would spend no more than a few seconds on this procedure.
NATIONAL HERITAGE
Public Opinion Surveys
Mr. Kirkwood: To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if he will list each public opinion survey commissioned by (a) his Department and (b) his agencies since 1 October 1992, showing for each the subject, objectives, total cost, the period in which it was conducted and the organisation from which it was commissioned.
Mr. Sproat: My Department has not conducted any public opinion surveys since October 1992.
Since 1988, the Historic Royal Palaces Agency has undertaken an annual summer visitor survey, to provide valid and reliable research data to inform management decisions regarding the development of visitor facilities. In 1993 the survey was conducted by MEW Research and in 1994 by CC&C Research Ltd. In addition, HRPA has also commissioned research among visitors to monitor performance in relation to its visitors charters. In 1992 93 the research was conducted by Numbers M R Ltd. and from then on by Vital Statistics. The Royal Parks Agency has commissioned the centre for leisure and tourism studies at the university of North London to undertake market research on all royal parks over a three year period starting in January 1994. The survey is designed to obtain a visitor profile and seek visitors' views on services and facilities available in the parks.
The fees paid for those surveys are a matter of commercial confidentiality and therefore cannot be disclosed.
Departmental Accommodation
Mr. Llew Smith: To ask the secretary of State for National Heritage what has been the cost to date to his Department of the leasing of property for his Department's use from the Department of the Environment.
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Mr. Sproat: The rents paid for Government offices are a commercial- in-confidence matter between the Government and their landlords.
Since my Department was established in April 1992, we have paid £692,057 to Property Holdings in respect of service charges for all Department of National Heritage properties.
Postage
Mr. Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage how much his Department has spent on postage, and how many items have been posted by his Department, in each of the last five years.
Mr. Sproat: Although my Department was established in April 1992, we did not become responsible for our own postage until we moved into our new headquarters in May 1993. Since then, a total of £51,426 has been spent on postage. On average we post about 8,000 items a month.
LORD PRESIDENT OF THE COUNCIL
Official Hospitality
Mr. Matthew Taylor: To ask the Lord President of the Council what has been the total amount spent on official hospitality by (a) his Department and (b) his agencies for each year since 1990.
Mr. Newton: Expenditure by the Privy Council Office in respect of official hospitality for the years in question was as follows:
Financial year |Expenditure £ ---------------------------------------------- 1990-91 |4,450 1991-92 |7,234 1992-93 |9,776 1993-94 |9,892 1994-95 to date |2,309
I am not responsible for any agencies.
FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS
Public Opinion Surveys
Mr. Kirkwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list each public opinion survey commissioned by (a) his Department and (b) his agencies since 1 October 1992, showing for each the subject, objectives, total cost, the
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period in which it was conducted and the organisation from which it was commissioned.Mr. Goodlad: One opinion survey has been conducted on behalf of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office since 1 October 1992. This was carried out by Gallup from 26 to 31 January 1994 and the objective was to learn about attitudes in the United Kingdom to Bosnia. The fee paid to Gallup was £1,292.50.
No surveys have been commissioned by FCO agencies.
Indonesia
Mr. Madden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will ensure before any contracts are agreed between Her Majesty's Government and Indonesia for the procurement of any military equipment by Indonesia from the United Kingdom that inquiries are made to ascertain whether the International Labour Organisation convention of 1956 concerning the right to associate in free trade unions is being observed in Indonesia; and if he will make a statement.
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