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Sir George Young [holding answer 15 June 1995]: The available information is shown in the table, and covers (a) the total tax charged on initial assessments, including estimated assessments, made during each tax year on underwriting profits and gains and (b) the total of income tax and capital gains tax repaid to Lloyd's underwriters by the underwriters unit of Inland Revenue in each tax year, including any repayment supplement attracted by the tax refunded.
£ million
Tax year |(a) Initial |(b) Repayments
|assessments
------------------------------------------------------------
1977-78 |43.6 |not available
1978-79 |53.0 |not available
1979-80 |60.5 |not available
1980-81 |72.1 |not available
1981-82 |75.9 |not available
1982-83 |96.3 |24.3
1983-84 |146.9 |85.6
1984-85 |153.5 |87.1
1985-86 |182.7 |62.0
1986-87 |204.0 |160.3
1987-88 |152.5 |155.6
1988-89 |157.3 |157.7
1989-90 |308.9 |118.2
1990-91 |228.2 |91.0
1991-92 |101.8 |126.7
1992-93 |10.3 |386.6
1993-94 |3.7 |479.1
1994-95 |8.9 |375.4
BMARC
Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if the findings of Her Majesty's Customs and Excise will be presented to the Chief Secretary to the Treasury following its investigation into breaches of export control by BMARC. [29352]
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Mr. Heathcoat-Amory [holding answer 19 June 1995]: No.
Mr. Cousins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will set out the terms of the reference and subject matter of the HM Customs and Excise inquiry into BMARC. [29484]
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory: Customs and Excise is an independent prosecuting authority of the Crown and conducts investigations to determine whether there is a basis for instituting criminal proceedings in relation to alleged breaches of, inter alia, statutory export and import controls.
In that capacity, it is for the commissioners to determine the subject matter and extent of any investigation and, in relation to the BMARC allegations, the Department is actively following up information received.
Parliamentary Questions
Ms Quin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he last reviewed the threshold figure for the definition of proportionate cost in relation to parliamentary questions. [29362]
Mr. Nelson: The disproportionate cost threshold for answering written parliamentary questions was last reviewed in February 1995. I concluded that costs had not increased sufficiently since the previous review to warrant raising the threshold. The threshold continues to be £450.
Public Sector
Mr. Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what are his estimates of the (b) public sector's tangible assets, (b) public sector's net financial liabilities and (c) public sector's net worth for each year from 1970 71 to 1997 98 expressed in 1994 prices. [29890]
Mr Aitken: Table 12.12 in the Central Statistical Office Blue Book provides the information requested for 1984 up to 1993. Included within the table are the relevant CSO identifiers, providing the data as far back as is readily available, for each of (a) , (b) and (c) .
Forecasts of the public sector's tangible assets and thus net worth are not available. However, forecasts of the public sector's net financial liabilities, as measured by "net public sector debt" were published in table 4.3 of the "Financial Statement and Budget Report 1995 96", revised tables. Table 6A.1 of the FSBR contains the necessary deflators to convert the figures into real terms.
Budget
Mr. Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if it is his policy to aim to run a balanced Budget over the cycle. [29898]
Mr. Aitken: The Government's fiscal objective is to bring the public sector borrowing requirement back towards balance over the medium term.
Spirits
Mr. Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assumption about the price elasticity of demand for spirits was used by his Department in 1994
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in consideration of altering the levels of domestic duty on spirits in the Budget. [29891]Mr. Heathcoat-Amory: The Chancellor takes into account a wide range of factors when determining possible tax changes. The revenue implications are estimated using a computer model produced by the Institute of Fiscal Studies. That model has a wide range of both own and cross price elasticities for various categories of consumption. The own price elasticity for spirits is 1.07.
Retail Prices Index
Mr. Campbell-Savours: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what change has taken place in the retail prices index between March 1979 and March 1995. [26364]
Mr. Nelson: The information requested can be calculated from table 11 of the March 1995 edition of the "Business Monitor MM23 on Retail Prices Index", a copy of which is available in the House of Commons Library.
Information Technology Contracts
Mr. Cohen: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his answer on 12 June, Official Report , column 395 , regarding contracts with EDS in respect of Government data, what arrangements exist to ensure the smooth, continuous running of the relevant systems in the event of a change of contractor, the appointment of a subcontractor or an unforeseen event or policy decision taken by the contractor; and what back-up arrangements are in place to ensure the continuous running of these systems. [29766]
Sir George Young: EDS has outsourcing contracts with the Inland Revenue, the Department of Social Security and the Department of Transport.
There are provisions within the EDS contracts with those Government Departments, which cover the handover of work and resources at the end of the contract and which will ensure continuity of service. The provisions for handover apply equally to a transfer to another supplier or direct to the Department and they can be invoked even if the contract is terminated prematurely.
Generating Company Shares
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer to what extent he took into account section 164 of the Financial Services Act 1986 in determining whether or not to go ahead with the sale of National Power and PowerGen. [28816]
Sir George Young: Section 164 of the Financial Services Act 1986 has never been brought into force, but would in any case have applied only to unlisted securities. The shares of the generating companies were already listed.
Alcohol Duty
Mr. Hanson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what forward projections he has made for the income from alcohol duty for each of the next 10 years. [29436]
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory: Forecasts cover the short to medium term; and the last published set was in the revised 1995 96 "Financial Statement and Budget Report". After
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1995 96, figures presented combine income from excise duties on fuel, alcohol and tobacco. New estimates will be published by HM Treasury in the summer economic forecast at the end of June.Mr. Hanson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to meet representatives of the Licensed Victuallers Association to discuss the Government's policy on the harmonisation of alcohol duties across the EC. [29434]
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory: Meetings are held regularly with trade organisations and other representatives of that industry.
Manufactures (Exports)
Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the effect of the Government's monetary and exchange rate policies since 1979 on the UK share of exports of manufactures by the main manufacturing countries. [29442]
Mr. Nelson: The UK's share of exports of manufactures by the main manufacturing countries depends on a variety of factors, including competitiveness and export profitability. It is not possible to isolate with any confidence the effects stemming from monetary and exchange rate policies. However, the Government's commitment to deliver permanently low inflation will provide a stable climate within which British manufacturing can compete successfully, in both world and domestic markets.
Alcohol Policy
Mr. Hanson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the EUROCARE report into alcohol policy across the European Union. [29433]
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory: I await a copy of that report, which will then receive attention.
Vehicle Excise Duty
Mr. Wigley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what studies his Department has carried out into the potential for using the reform of vehicle excise duty to encourage the sale and purchase of less-polluting vehicles. [29490]
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory: The possibility of using vehicle excise duty to encourage the sale and purchase of less-polluting vehicles is kept under review. The policy of phased increases in fuel duty is, however, thought at present to be the most efficient way of curbing emissions from vehicles.
HOME DEPARTMENT
Immigration
Dr. Howells: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many notices have been issued to
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carriers under the Immigration (Carriers' Liability) Act 1987 in each quarter since March 1991. [29701]Mr. Nicholas Baker: The total number of notices issued in each quarter since March 1991 is as follows:
Quarter ending |Number of notices ------------------------------------------------------ 31 March 1991 |2,843 30 June 1991 |2,759 30 September 1991 |2,451 30 December 1991 |2,031 31 March 1992 |1,954 30 June 1992 |1,605 30 September 1992 |2,355 31 December 1992 |2,197 31 March 1993 |1,608 30 June 1993 |1,663 30 September 1993 |1,815 31 December 1993 |1,819 31 March 1994 |1,638 30 June 1994 |1,605 30 September 1994 |2,085 31 December 1994 |2,011 31 March 1995 |1,864
Dr. Howells: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what has been the total amount of liability incurred by all carriers under the Immigration (Carriers' Liability) Act 1987; and how much has been paid. [29703]
Mr. Nicholas Baker: A total of £79.770 million had been incurred to 31 May 1995. Of that sum, £45.861 million has been paid and £10.47 million waived following representations by carriers.
Repatriation (Financial Assistance)
Mr. Churchill: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will take steps to extend to British citizens born overseas who wish to return to their countries of origin the programme of financial assistance for repatriation already available to non-British citizens in similar circumstances. [29929]
Mr. Nicholas Baker: Under section 29 of the Immigration Act 1971 the Government fund a small humanitarian programme that provides for limited assistance to be given to non-British citizens who wish to return to their countries of origin but who lack sufficient means to do so. British citizens born overseas who wish to return to their countries of origin to settle may, in certain circumstances, renounce their British citizenship, and become eligible to receive assistance from the programme.
Asylum
Dr. Howells: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many asylum applications were taken in; how many decision were made; what was the backlog of all work; what was the average cost per case; and what was the average output per staff day in each year since 1990. [29702]
Mr. Nicholas Baker: The information requested is given in the table.
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Decisions<1> on applications<1> received for asylum in the United
Kingdom, excluding dependants, 1990 to 1994
|1990 |1991 |1992 |1993 |1994
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Asylum applications<2> |26,205|44,840|24,605|22,370|32,830
Decisions<2 3> |4,025 |6,075 |34,900|23,405|20,990
Recognised as a
refugee and granted
asylum |920 |505 |1,115 |1,590 |825
Not recognised as a
refugee but granted
exceptional leave to
remain<4> |2,400 |2,190 |15,325|11,125|3,660
Total refused |705 |3,380 |18,465|10,690|16,500
Refused asylum and
ELR-after full
consideration |705 |3,380 |2,675 |4,705 |12,655
Refused under para
340<5> |- |- |15,195|5,240 |2,985
Refused on safe third
country grounds<6> |- |- |595 |745 |865
Applications
outstanding at end of
year<7> |34,050|72,070|19,110|45,805|55,255
Average cost per case<8> |- |- |- |£175 |£185
Average output per
staff day<9> |- |- |- |0.30 |0.25
<1> Provisional figures rounded to the nearest 5 with `-' = not
available.
<2> Figures exclude information on applications made overseas.
<3> Decisions do not necessarily relate to applications made in
the same year.
<4> Usually granted for a year in the first instance, subject then
to further review.
<5> For failure to provide evidence to support the asylum claim
within a reasonable period including failure to respond to
invitation to interview to establish identity (para. 180F prior to
1 October 1994 and para. 101 prior to 26 July 1993).
<6> Refused on the grounds that the applicant had arrived from a
safe third country.
<7> Figures for 1991 and earlier years are maxima which may
overstate. They are not directly comparable with figures for later
years.
<8> Cost of asylum determination staff per initial asylum
decision.
<9> Number of initial asylum decisions by the number of
determination staff days worked.
Dr. Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make it his policy to ensure that all people who request asylum upon arriving on the Eurostar train at Waterloo station are returned immediately. [29628]
Mr. Nicholas Baker: All such asylum applications are referred to the asylum division. In accordance with paragraph 345 of the Immigration Rules, claims may be refused without substantive consideration where there is a safe third country to which the applicant may be sent.
Taxi Drivers
Mr. Hinchliffe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will exempt taxi drivers from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. [27954]
Mr. Maclean [holding answer 13 June 1995]: We have no plans to do so.
Firearms Fees
Mr. Churchill: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what has been the increase in firearms fees in each of the past five years in both cash and percentage terms; what is the justification for such levels of
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increase; and if he will use his powers under section 55 of the Firearms Act 1968 to require chief officers of police forces to adopt models of best practice in the management of their firearms departments. [29741]Mr. Maclean [holding answer 20 June 1995]: The Government increased some of the fees that are payable under the firearms acts with effect from 1 January 1995. The cash and percentage increases are set out in the table. The previous change to those fees took effect on 1 June 1990.
The fee levels are designed to reflect the cost to the police service of operating the firearms licensing system. They take account of the best practice guidelines for administering the system, which the Home Office issued to chief officers in 1991 and of a subsequent costing exercise undertaken by independent consultants.
In calculating costs, we have assumed that police forces are already well on the way to operating best practice and will continue to make efficiency savings during the five-year period over which costs have been calculated. In the case of shotgun fees, the cost of additional checks made as a result of the Firearms (Amendment) Act 1988 is reflected for the first time. In particular, on first application, the police will normally make a home visit to make sure that the requirement for safekeeping at all times will be satisfied. Without those increases, there would be a shortfall in income of some £8 million over the next five years to meet the police costs, a shortfall that would have to be met at the expense of some other police activity.
My right hon. and learned Friend does not propose to use section 55 of the Firearms Act 1968 to require chief officers of police to adopt the best practice guidelines.
|Cash |Percentage
|1990 fee |1995 fee |increase |increase
|£ |£ |£
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Firearm certificate
Issue |46 |56 |10 |22
Renewal |46 |46 |- |-
Variation |26 |26 |- |-
Replacement |9 |9 |- |-
Shotgun certificate
Issue |17 |43 |26 |153
Renewal |11 |18 |7 |64
Coterminous with
firearm certificate |5 |5 |- |-
Replacement |8 |8 |- |-
Firearms dealers
certificate
Issue |94 |118 |24 |26
Renewal |50 |50 |- |-
Register for game,
fair, etc |12 |12 |- |-
Visitors firearm
permit
Individual |12 |12 |- |-
Group |60 |60 |- |-
Home office
approval of rifle
and pistol clubs
Issue and renewal |33 |84 |51 |154
Museum firearms
licence
Issue and renewal |<1>200 |<1>200 |- |-
<1> Maximum.
Fire Service
Mr. George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received concerning making motorists pay for rescue operations completed by the fire service. [29952]
Mr. Nicholas Baker: We have received no such representations.
Prisoners (HIV and AIDS)
Mr. Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisons have ceased to apply the policy of viral infectivity restrictions among prisoners with HIV or AIDS; if he will now rescind this policy; and if he will make a statement. [29718]
Mr. Michael Forsyth: Responsibility for that matter has been delegated to the Director General of the Prison Service, who has been asked to arrange for a reply to be given.
Retail Staff
Mr. Ian McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance has been given by his Department to retail staff on reducing risk of assault by customers. [29199]
Mr. Maclean: The Retail Action Group, a sub-group of the National Board of Crime Prevention, is working to produce a series of crime prevention booklets for retailers: advice on the prevention of violence to retail staff is currently being prepared and will be published shortly. Booklets on the prevention of burglary and of robbery were launched in January, and advice on the prevention of customer theft, external fraud and staff dishonesty is also planned. The Home Department was represented on the Health and Safety Executive committee which in March 1995 published guidance giving practical information on how employers can prevent violence to retail staff in the workplace. The Home Department was also represented on the steering committee of the "Theftstop Initiative", which recently launched a training video on the prevention of shop theft. As research indicates that almost half the incidents of violence to retail staff occur when staff intervene to prevent theft, it is essential that staff are trained in preventive action that will not put them at risk.
Mr. Ian McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the dangers posed to retail staff by the introduction of the national lottery as a result of the increased amounts of money changing hands; and what representations he has received on the subject. [29200]
Mr. Maclean: Prior to the launch of the lottery, Camelot, in consultation with the Home Office and the Association of Chief Police Officers, put together and
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distributed advice to retailers on health and safety issues, including robbery. Lottery-related crime, including crime affecting retailers, is being monitored. My right hon. and learned Friend has received representations on the subject of violence against retailers from 13 Members of Parliament since the lottery was launched.Mr. Ian McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many retail staff were (a) killed, (b) seriously injured as a result of attacks from customers and (c) physically assaulted by customers in each of the last five years. [29198]
Mr. Maclean: The official information available centrally does not enable a distinction of victims by occupation to be made. However, information on violence against staff in the financial years 1992 93 and 1993 94 is contained in the British Retail Consortium publications "Retail Crime Costs: 1992 93 survey" and "Retail Crime Costs: 1993 94 survey", copies of which are held in the Library.
Scotland Yard
Mrs Anne Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what measures he is putting in place to prevent further theft from Scotland Yard. [29069]
Mr. Maclean: Following the discovery in July 1994 of a serious fraud by a member of the Metropolitan police civilian staff, the receiver for the Metropolitan police district, with our agreement, appointed Mr. Wilfred Hyde, a former senior official in the Home Office, to undertake an independent review of financial procedures relating to confidentially funded police operations.
The review found no evidence of any further fraud or weaknesses parallel to those in the particular arrangements that led to the fraud. Mr. Hyde made a number of recommendations for improving the systems of financial control for confidentially funded operations, which have been accepted in full and are being implemented. We stand ready to consider any recommendations that the Public Accounts Committee may make following its hearing on 14 June of this and related matters.
Life Sentence Prisoners
Mr. Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects to announce the outcome of his review of the sentences on Abdul Qayyum Raja and Mohammed Riaz. [29193]
Mr. Michael Forsyth: Written representations have recently been received on behalf of both those mandatory life sentence prisoners. I expect to receive further representation shortly. Thereafter, the reconsideration of the period to be served for retribution and deterrence in each case--the tariff--will be completed as soon as possible.
Criminal Injuries Compensation Board
Mr. Mullin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the present waiting time for cases to be heard by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board; and if he will make a statement. [28983]
Column 270
Mr. Maclean: The board advises that information on the present waiting time for cases to be heard is not available. However, some information about the time taken to reach decisions on cases and the time taken to resolve hearings applications is given at paragraphs 3.12 and 4.14 of the board's 30th annual report, Cm 2849, copies of which are held in the Library.
PRIME MINISTER
Privatisation
Mr. McNamara: To ask the Prime Minister if he will list those parts of his Department or departmental agencies which were privatised without an in-house bid taking place; which future parts of his Department or departmental agencies he intends to privatise; and which of them do not have the necessary in-house expertise to mount an in-house bid. [29413]
The Prime Minister: For this purpose, my Department is part of the Cabinet Office. I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Secretary, Office of Public Service and Science on 20 June, Official Report , column 220 .
Mr. McNamara: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will list those parts of his Department or departmental agencies which were privatised without an in-house bid; if he will indicate the expertise which was absent in his Department or departmental agencies which prevented an in -house bid taking place; which future parts of his Department or departmental agencies he intends to privatise; and which of them do not have the necessary in-house expertise to mount an in-house bid. [29422]
Mr. Horam: Those parts of the work of the Cabinet Office--OPSS--its agencies, HMSO and COI which have been contracted-out without an in-house bid are as follows:
Central OPSS
Consortium Reports
Publishing and print Procurement Service
CCTA
GTN (Long-Distance)
Chessington
UNISON (Phase 1)
CS College
Prospectus Distribution
RAS
Catering Services
Cleaning Services
IT Hardware Maintenance
IT Software Support Services
HMSO
Print Order Processing System
Software Development: Business Supplies
Software Development: Finance
COI
Videotext Unit
The Cabinet Office, its agencies, HMSO and COI have contracted-out activities without inviting in-house bids where it has been judged that the private sector is clearly better equipped to deliver a specific service, has a better
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understanding of market needs, or the capacity to invest in new technology. Other decisions to contract-out services without inviting in-house bids have been taken where an activity is relatively small and peripheral to the Department's functions.There are no current plans to contract-out any activities within the Cabinet Office, its agencies, HMSO and COI without inviting an in-house bid.
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