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Personal pension and
SERPS
|£
------------------------
1993-94 |100,000
Disability living allowance
and disability working
allowance
|£
------------------------------
1991-92 |3,043,000
1992-93 |240,000
1993-94 |803,000
Family Credit |£ ------------------------------------------ 1989-90 |5,518,000 1990-91 |3,894,000 1991-92 |1,500,000 1992-93 |950,000 1993-94 |3,090,000
Bronchitis and Emphysema
Mr. Clapham: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will reimburse appellants against a negative diagnosis of PP12 D chronic bronchitis and emphysema who obtain at their own cost International Labour Organisation standard soft exposure X-rays which contribute to a positive diagnosis.
Mr. Hague: No. If the medical appeal tribunal considers that an X- ray is needed to decide an appeal it is obtained by the Benefits Agency at no cost to the appellant.
Carers
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what plans he has for removing the age limit on elderly carers after the age of 65 years; what are the reasons for the age limit; and if he will consider allowing carers after the age of 65 to claim invalidity care allowance.
Mr. Hague: Invalid care allowance is intended for people of working age who give up the opportunity of full-time employment because of their caring responsibilities.
We have no plans to allow carers over the age of 65 to claim ICA.
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what plans he has to adapt the benefits system for carers in line with the recommendations of the social services committee and the social security advisory committee.
Mr. Hague: We welcome the contributions made by the committees. However, we have no plans at present further to amend the system of support for carers.
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) if he will make it his policy to provide more financial assistance to carers;
(2) what discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer regarding the use of savings on his Budget to provide more financial assistance to carers.
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Mr. Hague: The Government recognise the contribution made by carers to society and will continue to keep the financial provision made for them under review.
It is not usual practice to divulge the nature of any discussions which may have taken place with the Chancellor of the Exchequer prior to his Budget statement.
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what are the reasons underlying the policy whereby a disabled person cannot claim the severe disability premium if the carer is receiving invalid care allowance.
Mr. Roger Evans: The severe disability premium is intended to give extra help to severely disabled people living independently, who are most likely to need to purchase care. Invalid care allowance is intended to provide a level of financial assistance to those people who have given up the opportunity of full-time employment because of their caring responsibilities. To pay both in respect of an individual's care needs would be to provide the same help twice.
TREASURY
Counterfeit Coins
Sir Russell Johnston: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what information he has concerning the circulation of counterfeit pound coins; what steps are being taken to deal with the problem; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Nelson: While there are some counterfeit £1 coins in circulation, the numbers are believed to be extremely small in relation to the total number of £1 coins in circulation.
Under the Forgery and Counterfeiting Act 1981, it is a criminal offence to make a counterfeit of a coin or to pass it on to another person. Where sufficient evidence of such activities exists, it is for the police to take action against those responsible.
Share Prices
Mr. Denham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the reasons why recently floated companies fail to maintain their flotation share price.
Mr. Nelson: None. Share prices are determined by market forces. The stock exchange investigates any unusual price movements as part of it's responsibility for market supervision.
Life Insurance
Mr. Matthew Banks: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what tax barriers there are to life insurance companies selling their products throughout Europe; and what measures he proposes to remove them.
Sir George Young: The EC third life insurance directive which came into force on 1 July brings about a single European market for life assurance. Our insurers have a range of good products and a history of achieving good returns from their policyholders and they are
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therefore well placed to compete for business throughout Europe. Insurers are taxed in the United Kingdom on the investment income and gains accruing for the benefit of their policyholders. In general, policyholders resident here have no further tax to pay when their policy benefits are paid. This is because the tax the life office pays is treated as satisfying their liability to tax at the basic rate. The tax regimes in other European countries do not all follow this approach. There, the investment income and gains accruing for policyholders are more likely to accrue free of any tax charge. Tax may therefore be payable when policy benefits are paid.Our tax system already recognises to an extent that this is the approach in many other countries. United Kingdom insurance companies are not taxed on the investment income and gains accruing for the benefits of non-resident policyholders if the business is conducted through an overseas branch.
We shall be introducing legislation in the forthcoming Finance Bill to extend this tax treatment to most life insurance business written directly from the United Kingdom with an individual who is resident in another European state, or which is business written with an employer in another European state for the benefit of employees outside the United Kingdom. Such business will in future be taxed in the same way as branch business with a non-resident. United Kingdom branches of overseas life insurance companies will also be able to benefit from this treatment for business with residents of another European state.
The changes will apply to new contracts written in the first accounting period of an insurer beginning after today.
We are also making some consequential changes to the existing rules dealing with the investment income and gains and tax credits attributable to overseas life assurance business. New compliance and information requirements will also be introduced to ensure that only genuine non- residents will be able to take out policies falling within the special rules for overseas life assurance.
Further details are contained in an Inland Revenue press release which is being issued today.
Taxes Management Act 1970
Mr. Wallace: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer on how many occasions proceedings commenced under section 99 of the Taxes Management Act 1970 in each of the last five financial years resulted in a penalty being assessed.
Sir George Young [holding answer 26 October 1994]: The numbers of cases in which penalties have been formally charged under section 99 in each of the last five years are as follows:
|Number
----------------------
1989-90 |-
1990-91 |-
1991-92 |-
1992-93 |1
1993-94 |-
Welsh Rugby Union
Mr. Hinchliffe: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the progress of the Inland Revenue's special investigations into Welsh Rugby Union; what tax has been recovered; what future
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arrangements have been made; and what similar inquiries have been made in England.Sir George Young [holding answer 28 October 1994]: Rugby clubs are entitled to the same degree of confidentiality as any other taxpayers. It would not, therefore, be appropriate for me to comment any further.
Column 911
PRIME MINISTER
Conduct of Public Life
Mr. Llew Smith: To ask the Prime Minister what recent meetings he has had with Lord Nolan; and what has been their purpose.
The Prime Minister: I met Lord Nolan on Wednesday 26 October to discuss various matters relating to the committee on standards in public life, including appointments of Members.
Mr. Hanson: To ask the Prime Minister what is the proposed remuneration of the chairman and board members of the proposed committee on standards in public life.
The Prime Minister [holding answer 28 October 1994]: I shall publish this information shortly.
Mr. Beith: To ask the Prime Minister for what reasons peers are not included in the categories of persons to be considered by the Committee on the conduct of public life in respect of their parliamentary duties.
The Prime Minister: It is open to the committee to examine the standards of conduct to be observed by peers as parliamentarians, as Ministers and, indeed, as holders of other public offices.
Mr. Llwyd: To ask the Prime Minister if he will include in the terms of reference of the body which will investigate standards of public life the issue of funding of political parties.
The Prime Minister: No. The funding of political parties has already been the subject of an investigation by the Home Affairs Select Committee. Under the terms of reference I announced on 25 October, it is open to Lord Nolan's committee to consider concerns that appointments or other Government decisions may be influenced by political contributions.
Mr. Llew Smith: To ask the Prime Minister pursuant to his oral statement on standards of conduct in public life of 25 October, Official Report , col. 757 , if he will indicate (a) who was the informant mentioned by the Cabinet Secretary in his report, (b) what proposals for a deal were put to him by the intermediary and (c) when he was first contacted by the intermediary.
The Prime Minister: I have nothing further to add to the statement that I made to the House on Public Life (Standards of Conduct) on 25 October 1994, Official Report , columns 757-770 , and to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Dartford (Mr. Dunn) on 25 October 1994, Official Report , columns 521-22 .
Inhumane Weapons
Mr. Alton: To ask the Prime Minister what plans he has to ratify the 1980 81 United Nations convention on inhumane weapons.
The Prime Minister: We continue to work actively towards ratification of the United Nations weaponry convention review conference. Meanwhile, we do, of course, adhere strictly to the provisions of the convention.
Parliamentary Questions
Mr. Llew Smith: To ask the Prime Minister if he will make it his policy that Ministers should give substantive answers to questions from hon. Members about the contents of books or reports in areas for which they have
Column 914
responsibility, which are published by sources other than the Minister's Department or a non-departmental public body operating in the area or public policy for which the Minister has responsibility.The Prime Minister: It is for individual Ministers to decide how to answer parliamentary questions.
Mr. Al Fayed
Mr. Byers: To ask the Prime Minister on what date the note of his meeting with the informant acting on behalf of Mr. Al Fayed was passed to the Director of Public Prosecutions.
The Prime Minister: On 20 October 1994.
Mr. Madden: To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to his oral answer to the hon. Member for Barnsley, West and Penistone (Mr. Clapham), of 20 October, Official Report , column 420 , what arrangements were proposed to him on behalf of Mr. Al Fayed; and if he will make a further statement.
The Prime Minister: I have nothing further to add to the statement that I made to the House on Public Life (Standards of Conduct) on 25 October, Official Report 757 70.
Sanctions (Libya)
Mr. Dalyell: To ask the Prime Minister what representations he has had from the Arab league about Libyan sanctions.
The Prime Minister: I have received no such representations.
Al Fayed Brothers (Citizenship Application)
Mr. Madden: To ask the Prime Minister what representations have been made to him (a) by right hon. or hon. Members or (b) others concerning the applications for British citizenship by Mr. Mohamed Al Fayed and Mr. Ali Al Fayed.
The Prime Minister: So far as I am aware, none.
Public Sector Pay Review Bodies
Sir Giles Shaw: To ask the Prime Minister what is the current membership of the public sector pay review bodies.
The Prime Minister: The membership of the pay review bodies is as follows:
Review Body on Senior Salaries
Lord Nickson KBE DL (Chairman)
Professor George Bain
Sir Cecil Clothier KCB QC
Mr. Gordon Hourston
Sir Anthony Wilson
Sir Michael Perry CBE
Sir Sydney Lipworth QC
Mrs. Rosemary Day
Miss Patricia Mann
Mrs. Yve Newbold
Mr. Mark Sheldon
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Review Body on Nursing Staff, Midwives, Health Visitors and Professions Allied to MedicineMr. Michael Bett CBE (Chairman)
Mr. Jan Hildreth
Miss Anne Mackie OBE
Professor Gillian Raab
Professor George Thomason CBE
Miss Diana Whittingham
Ms Ruth Lea
Mrs. Sheila Gleig
Armed Forces Pay Review Body
Mr Gordon Hourston (Chairman)
Mr Michael Bolton
Mr John Cox CBE
Mr John Crosby
Baroness Dean
Mrs Dorothy Venables
Air Chief Marshal Sir Roger Palin KCB OBE
Mr Guy Neely
Review Body on Doctors' and Dentists' Remuneration
Mr Brandon Gough (Chairman)
Mr Douglas Boyd
Ms Christina Boyden
Mrs Sally Field
Dr Elizabeth Nelson
Professor George Thomason CBE
Mr Dennis Fredjohn MBE
Mr David Penton
School Teachers' Review Body
Mr John Gardiner (Chairman)
Mrs Brigita Amey
Mr Alan Cox CBE
Mrs Gill Rostron
Mrs Anna Vinton
Mr Michael Harding
Mrs Julia Cuthbertson
Mr Philip Halsey CB LVO
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