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Written Answers to Questions
Tuesday 25 April 1995
TREASURY
Child Benefit
Mr. Wicks: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the revenue raised from taxing child benefit where either parent is a higher rate taxpayer and the administrative cost of doing this. [19698]
Sir George Young: The Government are committed to maintaining child benefit, which recognises that all families with children face additional costs.
Now that husbands and wives are taxed independently, it would be administratively complex to tax child benefit in a way which fairly reflected family circumstances.
However, were child benefit to be taxed, the yield for 1995 96 from taxing it at the higher rate for lone parents who are higher rate taxpayers, and for married couples where either the husband or wife is a higher rate taxpayer, would be about £320 million.
The cost of administration would depend on the method used to collect the tax.
Whitehall Buildings
Mr. Duncan: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish detailed plans for the sale or lease of part of the Treasury's Whitehall buildings including full calculations of the economic justification of such plans or decisions. [19892]
Mr. Nelson: In his speech to the private finance panel conference on 24 January, my right hon. and learned Friend announced that the redevelopment of the Treasury building in Great George street will be taken forward under the private finance initiative. The process to define our requirement and conduct the competition to find a consortium to take the project forward is continuing. My right hon. and learned Friend will consider what information can be published at the appropriate time.
Mr. Duncan: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will submit to Parliament for its approval or rejection any plans to sell or lease part of the Treasury's Whitehall buildings; and, under what other auspices such a transaction might be concluded. [19893]
Mr. Nelson: It has not yet been decided exactly how the redevelopment of the Parliament street building will be taken forward. When the decision is taken, Ministers will consider how the House should be informed.
Public Sector Construction
Mr. Spellar: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the answer of the Secretary of State for the Environment of 4 April, Official Report , column 1052 , what view his Department has put to the working groups as to the desirability of a single exclusive register for public sector work. [20209]
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Mr. Nelson: HM Treasury has expressed no view to the working groups on the desirability of a single register for public sector construction work. It is awaiting the outcome of the study by Capita Management Consultancy Ltd. before reaching conclusions. It has, however, indicated to the working groups that it doubts whether excluding certain companies from bidding for public sector work merely because they were not on a register could be justified on value-for-money grounds.
Value Added Tax
Dr. Lynne Jones: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make it his policy to resist any proposals for the European Commission to prevent member states from continuing to exempt those goods and services which are currently zero-rated for VAT when the transitional period agreed under the sixth VAT directive expires. [20388]
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory: The Government have consistently made it clear that, as a condition of any move to a definitive system for VAT within the European Community, provision must be made for the UK to continue to apply those zero rates which are in force at the time any new system is introduced.
Valuation Office
Mr. Matthew Banks: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what targets will be set for the Valuation Office executive agency for the year 1995 96. [21194]
Mr. Nelson: I have set the following key targets for the agency in 1995 96:
|Key Targets
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Operational targets
Council tax |to clear 240,000 appeals against the
| council tax valuation lists
Non-domestic |to clear 330,000 appeals in aggregate
| against the 1990 and the 1995 rating
| lists
Direct taxes |to undertake 70,000 valuation cases for
| the Inland Revenue for capital gains
| and inheritance tax purposes
Financial performance |to ensure the agency's net operating cost
and cost efficiency | before cost of statutory non-
| chargeable work is at least fully
| covered by receipts
|to break even from year to year within
| each business segment, after charging
| for the full cost of chargeable services
| including notional interest of 6 per
| cent. on the average working capital
|to achieve efficiency savings of 6 per
| cent. on the agency gross expenditure
Quality of Service |to reply to 100 per cent. of
| correspondence within 35 days of
| receipt
|to achieve specified time limits in 96 per
| cent. of cases undertaken
|to achieve a specified valuation quality
| standard in 84 per cent. of cases
| carried out
Further details are set out in the agency's business plan for 1995-96, copies of which will be placed in the Library of the House on publication.
Central Statistical Office
Mr. Matthew Banks: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his answer of 19 January, Official Report , columns 594-95 , whether he and his right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health have decided whether the Central Statistical Office and the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys should be merged. [21274]
Mr. Kenneth Clarke: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health and I have concluded that there would be benefits from such a merger. Subject to the views of other interested parties, we propose that on 1 April 1996 the two organisations should merge to form a new next steps agency which would be accountable to me. I am placing in the Library a document setting out the functions and responsibilities of the proposed new agency and the benefits which we believe would arise from the merger. Copies of this document will shortly be sent to those known to have a close interest in the work of the two organisations, with an invitation to make any comments on the proposals within three months.
A decision on the proposed merger will be announced as soon as possible after that.
Mr. Matthew Banks: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what has been the outcome of the review of the agency status for the Central Statistical Office. [21226]
Mr. Nelson: I announced on 18 November 1994, Official Report , column 12 , that a review of the agency status of the Central Statistical Office was being undertaken by a small team representing a cross-section of interest in the CSO and its statistics. Since then, the performance of the CSO has been evaluated and CSO activities have been subjected to the prior options tests set out in "Next Steps Review", Cm 2430. A wide-ranging consultation exercise has been carried out and the views received have been incorporated in the team's report. The team recommended that the CSO remain an agency and the Government have accepted this recommendation. A copy of the review team's report is being placed in the Library. The Chancellor of the Exchequer has announced today that the Government propose that, subject to the views of other interested parties, the CSO should merge with the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys from 1 April 1996. We therefore propose to take forward the outcome of the CSO agency review in that context.
Official Statistics
Mr. Straw: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what guidance is given by the Head of the Government Statistical Service as to the maximum advance notice to be given to Ministers of the publication of regular statistical series; [18897]
(2) what advance notice Ministers are given of the publication of the main monthly economic statistical series. [18896]
Mr. Nelson [holding answer 18 April 1995]: The practice followed by the Central Statistical Office is set out in the open government White Paper, Cm 2290, and
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was announced previously by the then Chancellor of the Exchequer. The code of practice for official statistics, a copy of which is in the Library, was released earlier this month by the Head of the Government Statistical Service.Data are made available to all users at the same time, although Ministers, officials and the Governor of the Bank of England may receive copies of key statistical information at 5 pm two working days before publication on a strict need-to-know basis.
In the case of the retail prices index, although the main release of the RPI does conform to standard release practices, Treasury Ministers, named officials and the Governor of the Bank of England receive an early unpublished projection about a week in advance of the first release.
African Development Bank
Mr. Worthington: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he has a vote in the election for the presidency of the African development bank; and which candidate he supports. [19916]
Mr. Baldry: I have been asked to reply.
The president of the African development bank is elected by a majority of the total voting power of its members, including a majority of the voting power of regional members. We are giving careful consideration to the five candidates nominated for the post.
HOUSE OF COMMONS
Child Care Facilities
Mr. Corbyn: To ask the right hon. Member for Berwick-upon-Tweed, as representing the House of Commons Commission (1) what child care facilities are currently available in the House of Commons; (2) what studies he has undertaken of child care facilities in other Parliament buildings; and what conclusions he has drawn from this;
(3) what is his estimate of the number of pre-school child care places needed in the Palace of Westminster by (a) staff and (b) hon. Members; and what surveys have been done to determine likely need.
Mr. Beith [holding answer 24 April 1995]: I refer the hon. Member to the debate on child care facilities held on 12 January, Official Report, columns 323 45 , and to the report on potential demand for child care facilities published by the House of Commons Commission in July 1994. Following the debate, the commission considered its policy on child care facilities and decided to implement a child care voucher scheme for staff of the House of Commons Service under arrangements set out in my reply to the hon. Member for Christchurch (Mrs. Maddock) on 2 March 1995, Official Report , column 637. No studies of child care facilities in other Parliament buildings have been undertaken.
Staff of the House have now been circulated with details of the voucher scheme, which will operate with effect from 1 April 1995.
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DUCHY OF LANCASTER
Executive Agencies
Mr. Macdonald: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will list the number and location of Chessington Computer Centre, Civil Service College, HMSO, Occupational Health Service, Recruitment and Assessment Services Agency offices closed and the number of jobs lost or transferred as a result of agency work transferring from Scotland to the rest of the United Kingdom over the past five years; and if he will list the number and location of offices opened and jobs gained in Scotland as the result of agency work transferring to Scotland from the rest of the United Kingdom over the same period. [19966]
Mr. Horam: Of the agencies listed, only HMSO and the Occupational Health and Safety Agency have had offices in Scotland during the last five years. As the question concerns operational matters, I have asked the chief executives of HMSO and OHSA to reply direct to the hon. Member.
Letter from Paul Freeman to Mr. Calum Macdonald, dated 21 April 1995 :
I have been asked to reply, in respect of HMSO, to your question tabled on 18 April (No. 196) regarding offices opened and closed and the numbers of jobs lost from and gained in Scotland.
HMSO Scotland trades in a dynamic environment and provides a wide range of services to Scottish public sector customers from its South Gyle, Edinburgh, headquarters. The picture over the past five years shows a net gain of 13 jobs. The detail is as follows:
|Posts |Work transferred
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jobs lost
Bookshop Assistant |1 |Standing orders for HMSO
|Books and the supply of
|non-Scottish titles to HMSO
|Agents transferred to our
|Publications Centre in London
|to obviate double-handling and
|service delays.
Jobs gained
Accountant and |2 } |Responsibilities devolved
Assistant | } |from Norwich HQ to
Debt Management |2 } |increase local control
Staff | } |of business
Information Systems |5 } |operational
Bureau Staff | } |decisions.
Customers Services Staff |5 |North of England office
| supplies order processing:
| closer proximity to customers.
|14
No offices were opened or closed as a result of these changes, but three existing premises ie warehouse, printing press and offices were replaced by the new HQ building at South Gyle in 1993.
Letter from J. L. Gordon to Mr. Calum Macdonald, dated 24 April 1995 :
I have been asked to reply to your question on behalf of Dr. McCloy, Chief Executive of the Agency, who is on sick leave. Since the Agency moved its Headquarters function from London to Edinburgh in 1989, to join the existing Regional Office, there have been no further moves into or out of Scotland.
Prior to 1980, six (6) staff were based in Scotland, and the relocation of the Headquarters unit brought an additional nineteen (19) posts. Although OHSA is a relatively small agency the intervening period has seen a modest increase, including senior
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posts, and the number of staff now based in Edinburgh is thirty-one (31) with a further medical officer due to take up post later this year. There is one post located in Glasgow.Official Report"
Mr. Bayley: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will list the institutions which subscribed to the Official Report in the 1978 79 Session and in the 1993 94 Session; and what were the prices of annual subscriptions in 1978 79 and 1993 94 in cash terms and at constant prices. [20016]
Mr. Horam: HMSO does not keep lists of subscribers to the Official Report other than for current dispatches. Details for 1978 79 and 1993 94 cannot therefore be provided.
The price of the annual subscription to the daily Official Report in 1978 79 was £93 and in 1993 94 £1,275. The sum of £93 is equivalent to just over £265 in 1993 94 prices. The subsidy needed in 1978 79 to maintain Hansard at this artificially low price was £2.4 million, equivalent to over £6.8 million in 1993 94. The actual subsidy in 1993 94 was nil.
Mr. Bayley: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what profit or loss was made from producing and publishing the Official Report in 1978 79 and in 1993 94. [20017]
Mr. Horam: In 1978 79, the subsidy voted to reimburse HMSO for losses arising from the sale of the Official Report of both Houses at less than the costs of production and distribution stood at £2.4 million. This subsidy was systematically eliminated between 1983--when it had reached £6 million--and 1991, by a combination of productivity improvements and price increases.
The financial position in 1993 94 was distorted by significant investments in new technology and redundancy payments, following HMSO's successful in- house bids for two Hansard market tests; as a result, there is now the prospect that a profit may be made on Hansard for the first time ever next year.
Market Testing
Mr. Morgan: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what guidelines he has issued with respect to in-house bids in market-testing exercises and the circumstances in which there should not be in-house bids in such exercises. [20867]
Mr. Horam: Guidance on in-house bids is set out in the " Government's Guide to Market Testing", a copy of which is available in the Library of the House. Examples of the circumstances in which in-house bids might not be considered are set out in the White Paper "Taking forward Continuity and Change", Cm 2748. They include occasions when a Department judges that the private sector is clearly better equipped to deliver a specific service, has a better understanding of market needs or has a capacity to invest in new technology or where an activity is relatively small and peripheral to a department's functions. It is, however, for individual Departments to decide in each case whether or not to consider an in-house bid.
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Departmental Reports
Mr. Matthew Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will list for each annual departmental report, the estimated cost of printing and publishing last year the total sales to (a) the Department and (b) other buyers; and if HMSO covered its costs. [20187]
Mr Horam: Sales to the author Department and to other buyers for each 1994 departmental report are as follows:
|Sales to Author |Other
Cm No. |Author Department |Department<1> |Sales<2>
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2501 |Defence |500 |699
2502 |Foreign and Commonwealth Office |2,770 |632
2503 |Agriculture |776 |593
2504 |Trade and Industry |3,850 |955
2505 |Employment |982 |758
2506 |Transport |530 |972
2507 |Environment |1,540 |955
2508 |Home Office |806 |613
2509 |Lord Chancellor and Law Officers |206 |606
2510 |Education |705 |834
2511 |National Heritage |825 |688
2512 |Health |1,157 |855
2513 |Social Security |1,870 |807
2514 |Scottish Office |35 |694
2515 |Welsh Office |450 |628
2516 |Northern Ireland Office |137 |681
2517 |Chancellor of the Exchequer's Departments|301 |554
2518 |Cabinet Office etc |340 |582
2519 |Statistical Supplement |263 |857
|Complete Sets |Nil |222
<1> Initial supplies only, any subsequent orders are not recorded.
<2> As at 20 April 1995.
The printing costs result from competitive tendering undertaken by HMSO and are therefore commercially confidential. Printing and publishing costs were borne by HMSO, which aims to recover these from the sales revenue.
Research Council
Ms Quin: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will list the ways in which his Department disseminates information from EU Research Council meetings to potential beneficiaries in British industry. [20242]
Mr. Horam: My Department, the Department of Trade and Industry and other Departments concerned inform British companies about the opportunities available under the framework of EU research programmes agreed by the Research Council, principally by means of publications, supported by a programme of information days and seminars.
Public Bodies
Dr. Wright: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster which of the executive non-departmental public bodies sponsored by his Department publish (a) annual reports, (b) annual accounts, (c) the minutes of meetings, (d) the agendas of meetings and (e) registers of members' interests; and whether in each case this is (i) under a statutory requirement or (ii) voluntary. [20493]
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Mr. Horam: The executive non-departmental public bodies sponsored by the Office of Public Service and Science are as follows: Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council
The Council for the Central Laboratory of the Research Councils Economic and Social Research Council
Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council
Medical Research Council
Natural Environment Research Council
Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council.
The research councils are responsible to my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster. Each council is required under the terms of the Science and Technology Act 1965 to publish an annual report and annual accounts. None of the councils is required to publish minutes or agendas of council meetings or registers of its members' interests.
Dr. Wright: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will list the executive non-departmental public bodies sponsored by his Department which are subject to (a) investigation by the Parliamentary Commissioner, (b) scrutiny by the Audit Commission, (c) scrutiny by the National Audit Office, (d) statutory provisions for open government, (e) performance indicators and (f) provisions under the citizens charter. [20652]
Mr. Horam: The executive non-departmental public bodies sponsored by the Office of Public Service and Science are as follows: Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council
Council for the Central Laboratory of the Research Councils Economic and Social Research Council
Medical Research Council
Natural Environment Research Council
Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council
The research councils are responsible to my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.
(a) The councils are subject to investigation by the Parliamentary Commissioner;
(b) the councils are not subject to scrutiny by the Audit Commission;
(c) the councils are subject to scrutiny by the National Audit Office;
(d) there are no statutory provisions, but the code of practice on open government applies to all councils; each council is required, under the terms of the Science and Technology Act 1965, to publish an annual report and annual accounts.
(e) the councils publish performance indicators in their annual corporate plans;
(f) the councils are encouraged to adopt charter principles.
HEALTH
Prescriptions
Mr. McMaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what provision the national health service makes for patients awaiting organ transplants requiring multiple prescriptions who are disqualified from free prescriptions because they are above income support levels, what plans she has to revise the specified conditions list to make patients awaiting organ transplants exempt from
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prescription charges either totally or above a specified level; and if she will make a statement; [19038](2) when the last review of the specified conditions list was carried out; on what date changes resulting from this review were implemented; how the review and its implementation impacted on those awaiting organ transplants; how the review and its implementation impacted upon those whose medical condition precludes the reasonable prospect of an organ transplant; and if she will make a statement. [19036]
Mr. Malone: Patients awaiting organ transplants who are not otherwise exempt or entitled to charge remission may qualify for free prescriptions if they have any one of the specified medical conditions, including a permanent fistula requiring continuous surgical dressing or an appliance, and hold an exemption certificate issued by a family health services authority. The specified medical conditions were last reviewed in 1993 as part of the fundamental review of health expenditure and we have
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no plans for change. Prescription prepayment certificates continue to offer real savings for anyone not entitled to free prescriptions who needs frequent or extensive medication. Coupled with the wide-ranging arrangements for charge exemption and remission, they ensure that no one need be deterred from obtaining necessary prescribed medication for financial reasons.Allowances
Mr. David Shaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list the total amount paid by her central Department and each agency for which she is responsible in subsistence allowances for travel (a) within the United Kingdom and (b) outside the United Kingdom in each of the last three years. [19555]
Mr. Sackville: The amounts paid by the Department and its agencies in subsistence allowances for travel in the United Kingdom and outside for 1992 93 to 1994 95 were as follows:
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£000s
1992-93 1993-94 1994-95
|UK |Foreign |UK |Foreign |UK |Foreign
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Central Department |1,497 |<1>1,253<>|1,456 |39 |1,379 |80
Agencies
NHS Estates<2> |148 |3 |260 |- |221 |28
Medicines ControlAgency<2> |78 |158 |85 |252 |92 |173
NHS Pensions Agency |12 |- |26 |- |23 |-
Medical Devices Agency<3> |- |- |- |- |21 |-
Notes:
<1> This figure includes the cost of foreign travel as well as subsistence as these were not separately
identified in 1992-93.
<2> The figures for NHS Estates and the Medicines Control Agency include the cost of travel as well as
subsistence as these are not separately identified.
<3> The Medical Devices Agency was established on 27 September 1994. The figures for 1994-95 reported
for the agency were for 27 September 1994 to 31 March 1995 only. Prior to this, its figures were
included in those for the central Department.
Executive Agencies
Mr. Macdonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will give the number and location of Medicines Control Agency, NHS Estates and NHS Pensions Agency offices closed and the number of jobs lost or transferred as a result of agency work transferring from Scotland to the rest of the United Kingdom over the past five years; and if she will list the number and location of offices opened and jobs gained in Scotland as the result of agency work transferring to Scotland from the rest of the United Kingdom over the same period. [20302]
Asbestos-related Diseases
Mr. Worthington: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to her answer of 31 March, Official Report , column 816 , what representations have been made to her about the difficulties experienced by sufferers from asbestos-related diseases in obtaining such diagnosis as an explanation of their health problems. [19927]
Mr. Sackville: We have received no such representations.
Private Finance Initiatives
Mr. Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what response her Department has received tohealth service schemes under the private finance initiative. [19962]
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Mr. Sackville: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave the right hon. Member for Derby, South(Mrs. Beckett) on 21 April, Official Report , columns 312 13 .
Confidentiality
Mr. Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she expects to publish a further paper concerning the confidentiality of health information; and if she will make a statement. [20040]
Mr. Sackville: Draft Guidance, "Confidentiality, Use and Disclosure of Personal Health Information", was issued for consultation in August 1994. The consultation period closed on 9 December. We are considering the many responses received and will be making any appropriate revisions to the guidance in due course.
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