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Mr. Paice: The information is not available.
Market Testing
Mr. Milburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will estimate the cost of employing consultants in connection with market testing programmes in which his Department has been engaged since their inception. [21366]
Miss Widdecombe: The cost of employing consultants to give support to the Employment Department Group's "Competing for Quality" programme for the period 1 April 1992 to 31 March 1995 was around £3.1 million.
Conflicts of Interest
Mr. Milburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Employment on how many occasions during the last five years (a) civil servants and (b) special advisers in his Department or its agencies have declared conflicts of interest; and how many instructions have been issued about their retention, disposal or management. [21383]
Miss Widdecombe: The information requested in the first part of the question is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. Instructions on declaring conflicts of interest are contained in the Department's group personnel handbook. All members of staff must comply with these instructions and any subsequent instructions about the retention, disposal or management of such interests.
Civil Servants
Mr. Ainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many civil service appointments were made to administrative assistant and administrative officer posts in his Department and the agencies for which he is accountable in each quarter from September 1993 until April 1995. [21770]
Miss Widdecombe: The information requested is shown in the following table:
Part of ED Group
|ED |HSE |ACAS |Total |ES Agency
Quarter
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1 October 1993 to |AA |0 |6 |0 |6 |45
31 December 1993 |AO |3 |2 |0 |5 |441
1 January 1994 to |AA |3 |2 |0 |5 |92
31 March 1994 |AO |4 |1 |0 |5 |527
1 April 1994 to |AA |5 |10 |1 |16 |26
30 June 1994 |AO |5 |8 |1 |14 |129
1 July 1994 to |AA |1 |12 |1 |14 |18
30 September 1994 |AO |4 |4 |0 |8 |193
1 October 1994 to |AA |1 |9 |0 |10 |5
31 December 1994 |AO |7 |6 |0 |13 |71
1 January 1995 to |AA |6 |9 |0 |15 |0
31 March 1995 |AO |5 |2 |0 |7 |2
AA = Administrative assistant AO = Administrative officer.
Training, Teeside
Dr. Strang: To ask the Secretary of State for Employment which travel-to-work areas are served by (a) the East Cleveland training and employment group and (b) the Teesside TEC. [21432]
Mr. Paice: Teesside training and enterprise council serves three travel-to-work areas: Middlesbrough, Stockton and Hartlepool. East Cleveland training and employment group operates in the Middlesbrough travel-to-work area.
Dr. Strang: To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what has been the expenditure of the Teesside training and enterprise council in each of the last 10 years. [21434]
Mr. Paice: Teesside training and enterprise council was established in 1990. The TEC's expenditure is shown in the following table:
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Year |Expenditure ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1989-90 |0.133 (Development funding) 1990-91 |27.5 1991-92 |27.7 1992-93 |28.4 1993-94 |30.9 1994-95<1> <1> Audited accounts not available yet.
Dr. Strang: To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is his estimate of the number of people for whose training the Teesside TEC has been responsible in each of the last 10 years (a) in each skill area and (b) in total. [21435]
Mr. Paice: The following table provides an occupational breakdown of the numbers of people trained by Teesside training and enterprise council since it was established in 1990.
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Teesside TEC training by occupational area
Numbers trained
(young persons and
adults)
|1990-91 |1991-92 |1992-93 |1993-94 |1994-95
Occupational Areas
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|0 |452 |439 |426 |406 |390
|1 |66 |64 |62 |59 |57
|2 |98 |96 |93 |88 |85
|3 |111 |107 |105 |100 |96
Managerial and Professional |4 |556 |540 |524 |499 |480
|5 |17 |17 |16 |16 |15
|6 |251 |244 |237 |226 |217
|7 |203 |197 |191 |182 |175
|8 |1,263 |1,226 |1,190 |1,134 |1,090
Clerical |9 |554 |538 |522 |497 |478
Construction |10 |1,033 |1,003 |974 |928 |892
|11 |802 |778 |756 |720 |692
|12 |206 |200 |194 |185 |178
Engineering and electrical making and |13 |534 |518 |503 |479 |461
repairing occupations |14 |159 |154 |150 |142 |137
|15 |950 |922 |895 |853 |820
|6 |70 |67 |66 |62 |60
Catering |17 |239 |232 |225 |214 |206
Healthcare |18 |848 |823 |799 |761 |732
|19 |278 |270 |262 |250 |240
Sales |20 |15 |15 |14 |14 |13
Occupations |21 |1,100 |1,069 |1,037 |988 |950
Miscellaneous Assembly |22 |474 |460 |447 |425 |409
Driving |23 |101 |98 |95 |91 |87
Agriculture |24 |127 |124 |121 |114 |110
Others |25 |2,092 |2,031 |1,972 |1,878 |1,806
|Totals |12,599 |12,232 |11,876 |11,311 |10,876
Low Pay
Mr. John Marshall: To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement about the trend in real take-home pay among those men in the lowest decile of earnings since 1979. [21571]
Sir George Young: I have been asked to reply.
Real take-home pay for a single man at the lowest decile of male earnings has risen by nearly a quarter since 1978 79. It fell slightly between 1973 74 and 1978 79.
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TREASURY
Income Tax
Mr. Milburn: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will provide, on the same basis as in table, 2.7, "Inland Revenue Statistics 1994", estimates for income tax liabilities for 1995 96 in an income range form £3,525 to £100,000, supplying data at intervals of not more than £10,000. [21005]
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Sir George Young [holding answer 25 April 1995]: Available estimates based on a projection of the 1992 93 survey of personal incomes are given in the following table.
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The main reason for higher numbers of taxpayers is increasing prosperity--real incomes have increased by 40 per cent. since 1979--and the number of people in employment increased by 174,000 during 1994.Column 37
Income tax liabilities, by income range, 1995-96<1>
Range of totTax liability at Tax liability at Tax liability at
income (lowelower rate basic rate excess over
limit)
|Number of|Amount |Number of |Number of
£ |taxpayers|taxpayers|taxpayers|Amount |taxpayers|Amount
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3,525 |1.9 |260 |- |- |- |-
5,000 |4.1 |1,920 |0.8 |70 |- |-
7,500 |3.8 |2,440 |3.7 |1,510 |- |-
10,000 |6.1 |3,890 |6.1 |7,710 |- |-
15,000 |4.1 |2,620 |4.1 |10,100 |- |-
20,000 |3.9 |2,490 |3.9 |15,800 |0.2 |30
30,000 |1.2 |770 |1.2 |7,740 |1.2 |870
40,000 |1.0 |670 |1.0 |15,500 |1.0 |6,010
|-------- |-------- |-------- |-------- |-------- |--------
All ranges |26.2 |15,100 |20.8 |58,500 |2.4 |6,910
Numbers:
millions; amounts:
£ million
|Total tax liability|Total tax liability
Range of total |before tax |after tax |Average rate of tax|Average amount of
income (lower |tax
limit)
£ |credit |Credit |Percentage |£
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3,525 |260 |250 |3 |130
5,000 |2,000 |1,720 |7 |420
7,500 |3,940 |3,460 |10 |910
10,000 |11,600 |10,300 |14 |1,670
15,000 |12,700 |11,500 |16 |2,800
20,000 |18,400 |16,900 |18 |4,340
30,000 |9,380 |8,850 |22 |7,380
40,000 |22,200 |21,700 |30 |20,730
All ranges |80,500 |74,600 |18 |2,850
<1> Provisional.
Mr. Milburn: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will update table 2.9, "Inland Revenue Statistics 1994", providing estimates for 1995 96. [21006]
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Sir George Young [holding answer 25 April 1995]: Provisional estimates projected from the 1992 93 survey of personal incomes are given in the table:
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Income tax liabilities of lower, basic and higher rate taxpayers by range of total income by source, 1995-96<1>
Main source Main source
Schedule E pay Schedule D
Range of total or occupational case I or II Other main
income (lower pension profits sources
limit)
|Number of |Total amount|Number of |Total amount|Number of
£ |taxpayers |of tax |taxpayers<2>|of tax<3> |taxpayers |Total amount
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Taxpayers liable only at the lower rate
3,525 |4,490 |1,270 |550 |150 |320 |80
20,000 |- |- |- |- |- |-
30,000 |- |- |- |- |- |-
|-------- |-------- |-------- |-------- |-------- |--------
Total |4,490 |1,270 |550 |150 |320 |80
Taxpayers liable at the basic rate
(excluding higher rate taxpayers
3,525 |12,800 |22,800 |1,570 |2,450 |280 |420
20,000 |3,320 |14,200 |330 |1,350 |40 |170
30,000 |20 |90 |10 |50 |- |-
|-------- |-------- |-------- |-------- |-------- |--------
Total |16,200 |37,100 |1,900 |3,850 |320 |590
Taxpayers liable at the higher rate
3,525 |- |- |- |- |- |-
20,000 |180 |1,040 |30 |170 |10 |40
30,000 |1,360 |11,500 |230 |1,990 |30 |310
50,000 |350 |6,600 |110 |2,070 |10 |220
100,000 |80 |4,830 |40 |2,530 |10 |350
-------- |-------- |-------- |-------- |-------- |-------- |--------
Total |1,970 |24,000 |400 |6,760 |60 |930
<1> Provisional.
<2> Numbers = thousands.
<3> Amounts = £ million.
The main reason for higher numbers of taxpayers is increasing prosperity-real incomes have increased by 40 per cent. since
1979-and the number of people in employment increased by 174,000 during 1994.
Mr. Stephen Crouch
Miss Emma Nicholson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the relationship between his Department and Mr. Stephen Crouch. [21689]
Mr. Nelson [holding answer 28 April 1995]: There is no such relationship.
Mr. Edmund Sykes
Miss Emma Nicholson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the relationship between his Department and Mr. Edmund Sykes. [21690]
Mr. Nelson [holding answer 28 April 1995]: There is no such relationship.
Leeds-Halifax Building Society
Mr. Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his estimate of the effect on (a) consumer expenditure and (b) the growth of gross domestic product, of the planned share distribution by the planned Leeds-Halifax building society merger and conversion, on the basis of current plans and current market capitalisation. [21431]
Mr. Nelson [holding answer 28 April 1995]: The societies have not published details of the share distribution which will form part of their proposed conversion. So it has not been possible to make an estimate of any wider economic effects of the conversion. Any estimate would, in any case, be subject to a great deal of uncertainty, because of the assumptions which would have to be made about the behaviour of those investors receiving a share distribution.
Inward Investment
Mr. Llwyd: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his estimate of the quantitative impact on inward investment into the United Kingdom of an increase of (a) 1p, (b) 2p and (c) 5p on corporation tax; and if he will make a statement. [20919]
Sir George Young: Taxation is one of a number of factors which businesses take into account when deciding the location for investment. The United Kingdom has the lowest main rate of corporation tax among the major
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industrial countries. The UK's low corporation tax rates have contributed, along with the openness of the UK economy, low labour costs, a well educated and flexible workforce and good communications, to the UK becoming the second largest recipient of foreign direct investment worldwide.Public Sector Pay
Mr. Llwyd: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what guidelines govern public sector salary increases in areas where the state enjoys monopoly power; and if he will make a statement. [20931]
Mr. Aitken: The Government expect pay in the public sector to be considered in accordance with the approach that my right hon. and learned Friend the Chancellor announced on 14 September 1994. The running costs of central Government Departments and provision for the rest of the public sector have been set on the basis that pay and price increases should be offset, or more than offset, by efficiencies and other economies. Generally, pay in all parts of the public sector should be set at levels necessary to recruit, retain and motivate staff within the available cash levels.
Chief Secretary
Mr. Byers: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what contribution has been made or is planned to be made to the legal costs incurred by the Chief Secretary to the Treasury in his action for libel against the Guardian newspaper. [21842]
Mr. Byers: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many press notices or statements have been made by his Department concerning the private business activities and associated allegations relating to the Chief Secretary to the Treasury since his appointment; and what is the estimated cost involved. [21843]
Mr. Aitken: None. Treasury officials have passed on a number of inquiries from the press to me and on a number of occasions have passed my replies back. Very little of their time has been involved.
Regulators
Mr. Ingram: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the annual total cost of each of the regulators of the privatised utilities. [21838]
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Sir George Young: The provision for 1994 95 and 1995 96 for the offices of the privatised utilities are as follows:
£ thousands
|1994-95|1995-96
---------------------------------------------------------
Office of Telecommunications |9,358 |9,464
Office of Gas Supply |4,524 |5,352
Office of Electricity Regulation |10,871 |10,567
Office of Water Services |9,544 |8,146
Source:
Supply Estimates 1995-96, HM Treasury, March 1995.
The cost of funding the offices of the regulators is fully recovered by licence fees paid by the regulated companies. Income from fees is surrendered to the consolidated fund. There is no net cost to the taxpayer.
Incapacity Benefit
Mr. Dewar: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people he estimates will pay tax on incapacity benefit in each of the next three financial years; and what will be the average increase in tax payable as a result of the extension of tax to invalidity in each of these years and the total yield to the Treasury. [17348]
Sir George Young: Estimates for new claimants of incapacity benefit and the total tax yield are given in the table. No-one already receiving invalidity benefit will pay tax on their incapacity benefit so long as they remain incapable of work.
New claimants of incapacity benefit
|1995-96|1996-97|1997-98
---------------------------------------------------------
Number of new claimants |300,000|550,000|700,000
of which taxpayers |200,000|300,000|350,000
Yield (£ million) |35 |70 |95
Estimates are based on survey data and are subject to some uncertainty. Claimant figures have been rounded to the nearest 50, 000.
Washington Visit
Mr. David Shaw: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the extent of the briefing by Her Majesty's Government's Treasury officials and Ministers to the right hon. Member for Sedgefield (Mr. Blair) for his trip to Washington in 1986. [20608]
Sir George Young: No briefing was asked for and none was given. The views of the Government on unitary tax were well known, and were stated by the then Financial Secretary in the House on 9 July, Official Report , column 1031 .
Mr. David Shaw: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what financial contribution Her Majesty's Treasury made towards the flight of the right hon. Member for Sedgefield (Mr. Blair) on Concorde to Washington in 1986. [20607]
Unitary Tax
Mr. David Shaw: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what advice the Government gave to the
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unitary tax campaign on what class of aircraft travel hon. Members travelling in support of the campaign should use. [20580]Mr. David Shaw: To ask The Chancellor of the Exchequer if Her Majesty's Government financially supported the unitary tax campaign. [20609]
Unpaid Taxation
Mr. John Spellar: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his answer of 18 April to the hon. Member for Gordon, (Mr. Bruce) Official Report , column 37 , which part of the contract comprised the £3 million that was let to overseas contractors. [21034]
Sir George Young: Some £3.5 million worth of work, excluding VAT, was let to two overseas contractors as part of the construction cost of the new Inland Revenue centre in Nottingham. Grill and Grossman of Austria undertook cladding and glazing work on the centre's amenity building. Koit High Tex of Germany provided the fabric roof and support steel for this building.
The previous figure of £3 million did not include the cost of an outstanding claim by one of the firms, which has now been settled. The £3.5 million is the final outturn figure in respect of these two firms.
Self Assessment
Sir Thomas Arnold: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement about the implementation of tax self assessment by the Inland Revenue. [21135]
Sir George Young: Self assessment will apply to those people who receive tax returns. The main legislative changes required have now been enacted, partly in the Finance Act 1994 and partly in this year's Finance Act. Self assessment is a more modern and straightforward system that will give taxpayers greater clarity about their tax affairs.
The Inland Revenue has been consulting with interested parties on the introduction of self assessment since 1990, and that consultation is continuing. The intention is to explore ways to make the new system as practical and simple as possible to operate, and particularly to keep any compliance costs to a minimum.
Self assessment will first apply to the tax year1996 97 and the first new tax returns will be issued in April 1997. The Inland Revenue recognises the importance of ensuring taxpayers, employers, tax practitioners and its own staff are well prepared for the new system. It has developed a comprehensive programme to achieve this. It includes:
extensive training of its staff on the new system and procedures, and to help them provide guidance to taxpayers about self assessment;
a comprehensive customer service programme to inform and assist taxpayers so that they can understand the new system and comply with their obligations;
extensive and continuing testing of the new tax return form, and consulting on its design, to make it as simple as possible for taxpayers to complete;
a full trial of self assessment, involving some 5,000 taxpayers, which recently started in Leicester; and
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a major public information campaign, using television and press advertising, directed mainly at the 9 million or so taxpayers who receive tax returns each year. This will start in June. An education programme for employers and accountants will also start in the summer.I am also arranging for presentations to hon. Members.
Inflation
Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what level of capacity working in manufacturing industry he and the Governor of the Bank of England assess as likely to be inflationary. [21312]
Mr. Nelson: The level of spare capacity in the economy is one of the many factors that are taken into account in setting monetary policy.
Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if it is Government policy to hold down the rate of inflation by raising interest rates and the exchange rate to prevent United Kingdom manufacturers from passing on increases in the cost of imported materials and components. [21590]
Mr. Nelson: The Government are committed to delivering permanently low inflation and has an explicit inflation objective. The aim is to keep underlying inflation as measured by the retail prices index excluding mortgage interest payments, in the range 1 to 4 per cent. and to bring it down into the lower half of this range by the end of the present Parliament. Interest rates have been, and will continue to be, set to deliver this objective.
Manufacturing
Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he is taking to raise the profitability of United Kingdom manufacturing. [21586]
Mr. Nelson: The Government are committed to helping British manufacturing compete, at home and in the world markets. The Government's role is to set a framework in which business can flourish, from low inflation and sound finances to supply-side reform. Latest figures available show profitability for United Kingdom manufacturing companies, net rate of return, was up from 4.5 per cent. in 1992 to 5.8 per cent. in 1993.
Exports
Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if it is the Government's objective to promote export-led growth by raising the rate of return for manufacturing above the rate of other non-North sea industrial and commercial companies. [21589]
Mr. Nelson: The key to maintaining good export performance is for the Government to deliver permanently low inflation and companies to keep costs under control, thereby ensuring that British industry remains competitive.
Living Standards
Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is Her Majesty's Government's policy on the standard of living of manual workers in manufacturing relative to the white collar workers in the private sector. [21588]
Column 44
Mr. Aitken: The Government's policy is to create the economic conditions that will permit improvements in living standards for all groups in society.
FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS
Equal Opportunities
Ms Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress has been made within his Department on equal opportunities matters. [21522]
Mr. Goodlad: The FCO, including ODA, is committed to equal opportunities. We have a number of programmes for action on women and race and are finalising programmes for the disabled. We are active members of Opportunity 2000.
A number of initiatives to increase the recruitment of women and to help them fulfil their potential are set out in the 1995 departmental report, copies of which have been placed in the House Libraries. The number of female ambassadors has risen to six since the report was issued.
Ms Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress he hopes to achieve in his Department over the next three months to push forward the declaration signed in October 1994 at the Vienna conference in preparation for the fourth UN conference on women; and if he will incorporate a section on equal opportunities in his Department's annual report. [21524]
Mr. Douglas Hogg: We are committed to the principles set out in the regional platform for action agreed at the preparatory conference in Vienna for the fourth world conference on women. We have taken these forward through a wide range of programmes and initiatives and will continue to do so.
Equal Opportunities issues are included in the 1995 departmental report.
Ms Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will publish the gender assessment being prepared by his Department. [21523]
Mr. Goodlad: FCO policy, in line with guidance issued in 1992 by the ministerial group on women's issues, is that policy proposals should ensure that unlawful or unjustifiable sex or race discrimination does not occur and that similar principles apply to people with disabilities, older people or ex-offenders. This scrutiny is part of a continuous and routine process, as part of policy advice to Ministers.
Ms Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which Minister in his Department has responsibility for equal opportunities issues. [21521]
Mr. Goodlad: My right hon. and noble Friend Baroness Chalker of Wallasey and I have responsibility for equal opportunities issues in the Overseas Development Administration and the diplomatic wing of the FCO respectively.
Mrs. Anne Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will name the leader and members of the United Kingdom delegation to the UN international conference on women in Beijing. [21602]
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Mr. Douglas Hogg: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Aylesbury by my hon. Friend the Minister of State, Department of Employment, on 16 March 1995, Official Report, column 648.
Immigration
Mr. Madden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if the United Kingdom post in Delhi has been informed by appellate authorities in London if the appeal by Mrs. Kuldip Kaur against refusal to allow her to enter the United Kingdom to join her husband may proceed; if the post has prepared an explanatory statement concerning Mrs. Kaur's application (REF: IMM/ECR/0152/94); and if he will make a statement. [21731]
Mr. Baldry: The entry clearance officer has asked the immigration appellate authority for directions as to whether or not the appeal should proceed. As at 27 April these had not been received. As and when they are, an explanatory statement will be drawn up and sent to the IAA.
Nuclear Weapons
Mr. Flynn: To ask the Secretary of Sate for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is Her Majesty's Government's policy in respect of the proposal of the President of the Russian Federation for the international community to agree by the year 2000 on a target date for the elimination of all nuclear weapons. [21349]
Mr. David Davis: We believe that progress in nuclear disarmament is best achieved through international negotiations. We do not think that it is useful or sensible to impose deadlines on these efforts.
Mr. Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions Her Majesty's Government has had with the Government of the Russian Federation concerning the proposal of the Government of the Russian Federation for the five nuclear weapon states to negotiate a treaty on nuclear stability and security; and if he will make a statement on the Government's understanding and assessment of this proposal. [21348]
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