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Mr. Mitchell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his estimate of the effect of a rise of 5 pfennigs
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against the pound on the rate of inflation in United Kingdom manufacturing. [36291]Mrs. Knight: Inflation in United Kingdom manufacturing depends on a number of factors, including sterling's exchange rate against the deutschmark. It is difficult to isolate the effects of one single factor.
Imports (Manufactures)
Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the United Kingdom percentage share of the import market for manufactures in 1970, 1979, 1985 and 1994 for (a) the EEC Six (b) the countries that were members of the European Free Trade Area in 1970, (c) the Irish Republic, (d) the Commonwealth and (e) the combined figures for (a) , (b) , and (c) .
Mrs. Angela Knight: The information required to calculate these import shares is not readily available, and estimates could be produced only at disproportionate cost.
Inward Direct Investment
Mr. Shore: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of total Japanese and American direct investment in the European Community came to the United Kingdom in each year since 1979. [35261]
Mrs. Angela Knight: The UK has attracted the lion's share of the stock of inward direct investment in the European Community. In 1993 the UK had about a third of all investment and over 40 per cent. of US and Japanese inward direct investment in the European Community. Comprehensive data for direct investment flows between 1983 and 1992 are published in the OECD's "International Direct Investment Statistics Yearbook 1994", which is available in the House of Commons Library.
Female Employees
Mr. Donohoe: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what measures his Department has taken to encourage the promotion of women into senior positions within his Department and its executive agencies. [35676]
Mrs. Angela Knight: As part of a package of measures designed to ensure equality of opportunity within the department, the Treasury has set flow targets to measure the progress of women and ethnic minority staff. Among these targets are objectives (i) to achieve a pattern of promotion for men and women which is related to their representation in the field; (ii) to increase the proportion of women in the higher grades over time, and (iii) in the longer term, for women to be represented in the most senior grades in the same proportions as they are recruited into the Treasury in the "feeder grades".
Further measures to encourage the promotion of women include: action to address the perceived "long hours culture" within the Treasury, which is seen as a potential barrier to women; the introduction of an open system of postings within the department up to grade 4 level with the presumption that all posts are open to alternative working patterns except where a valid case is made to the
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contrary; and flexible working hours made available to more than one third of the staff.The Treasury does not have any executive agencies.
Mr. Donohoe: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list (a) the number of (i) male and (ii) female employees, (b) the number of officials employed at each of the principal grades and the numbers and percentages of women employed at these grades and (c) the numbers of staff employed at administrative grades and the percentages of these staff that are women, in his Department and each of its executive agencies for each year since 1985. [35665]
Mrs. Knight: The information is not available in the form requested, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Incomes
Ms Corston: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the disposable income of households in (a) the lowest decile and (b) the highest decile in 1993 and 1994 for the households with (i) one adult, one child, (ii) one adult, two or more children, (iii) one man, one woman and one child, (iv) one man, one woman, two children (v) one man, one woman, three children, (vi) two adults, four or more children, (vii) three adults, one or more children and (viii) four adults, one or more children, following table 34 in the CSO family spending report for 1992. [34480]
Mrs. Angela Knight: The deciles for 1993 corresponding to those in table 34A of the report on the family expenditure survey for 1992 are given in the table. The figures are estimates from the FES, are subject to sampling variations, and have been rounded to the nearest pound. Data for 1994 are not available.
Average weekly
disposable income
(£)
|Lowest decile |Highest decile
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
One adult, one child |68 |255
One adult, two or more children |85 |279
One man, one woman and one child |119 |579
One man, one woman, two children |161 |649
One man, one woman, three children |149 |648
Two adults, four or more children |135 |536
Three adults, one or more children |198 |674
Four adults, one or more children |<1>- |<1>-
<1> Figures are not available as there are too few households in the sample to
provide reliable estimates.
Ms Corston: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the disposable income of households in (a) the lowest decile and (b) the highest decile in 1993 and 1994 in actual terms per week, and as a percentage of the median for (i) the United Kingdom and (ii) Greater London --following table 34 in the CSO family spending report for 1992. [34473]
Mrs. Knight: The figures for 1993 in the table of average weekly disposable income are from the family expenditure survey. The figures are subject to sampling variations and have been rounded to the nearest ten pence. Data for 1994 are not available.
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Average weekly As a percentage
disposable of
income (£) the median
|Lowest |Highest |Lowest |Highest
|decile |decile |Median |decile |decile
---------------------------------------------------------------
United Kingdom |73.00 |553.50 |236.40 |30.9 |234.1
Greater London |71.70 |684.90 |257.30 |27.9 |266.2
Mr. Milburn: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the number and percentage of the adult population in each region and nation with less than the average annual national income level in each year since 1992. [34181]
Mrs. Angela Knight [holding answer 13 July 1995]: The average hourly earnings for employees in Great Britain on adult rates of pay were £7.56 in 1993 and £7.74 in 1994. The following tables show the numbers in the near earnings survey sample and percentages of those people earning less than the given amounts in the areas requested. Corresponding figures for 1992 cannot be produced without incurring disproportionate cost.
Employees on adult rates whose average gross hourly earnings were less than £7.74: April 1994 Standard Region |Sample Number |Percentage ------------------------------------------------------------------------- South East |21,663 |54.0 East Anglia |3,370 |70.4 South West |6,769 |68.1 West Midlands |8,242 |70.3 East Midlands |6,505 |72.6 Yorkshire and Humberside |7,820 |71.3 North West |9,281 |68.3 North |4,583 |70.9 England |68,233 |64.1 Wales |3,798 |70.9 Scotland |8,420 |68.8
Employees on adult rates whose average gross hourly earnings were less than £7.56: April 1993.
Standard Region |Sample Number |Percentage ------------------------------------------------------------------------- South East |22,630 |54.0 East Anglia |3,493 |72.0 South West |7,083 |68.1 West Midlands |8,645 |70.4 East Midlands |6,702 |72.6 Yorkshire and Humberside |8,239 |71.9 North West |9,675 |68.3 North |4,673 |71.2 England |71,140 |64.2 Wales |3,810 |71.3 Scotland |8,383 |68.0
General Government Financial Deficits
Mr. Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list for each Budget since 1965, and for the first fiscal year for which each Budget is designed (a) the implied or actual Budget forecast for the general government financial deficit as a proportion
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of gross domestic product and (b) the net fiscal effect of all Budget tax measures on the economy, expressed as a positive or negative percentage of gross domestic product. [35375]Mr. Kenneth Clarke: The following table sets out the information requested, where available. Forecasts for the general government financial deficit were not published before the 1970 Budget. The net fiscal effect of Budget tax changes was not calculated on the present indexed basis prior to the 1982 Budget.
Budget forecasts of general government financial deficit and the
net fiscal effect of Budget tax measures on the economy expressed
as a per cent. of gross domestic product
Percentage of GDP<1>
|Net fiscal effect
|Forecast for |of Budget taz
Date of Budget |year |GGFD |measures<2>
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
April 1970 |1970-71 |3.4 |-
March 1971 |1971-72 |1.0 |-
March 1972 |1972-73 |1.7 |-
March 1973 |1973-74 |2.6 |-
March 1974 |1974-75 |0.0 |-
November 1974 |1974-75 |3.8 |-
April 1975 |1975-76 |5.1 |-
April 1976 |1976-77 |5.8 |-
March 1977 |1977-78 |3.6 |-
April 1978 |1978-79 |3.7 |-
June 1979 |1979-80 |2.9 |-
March 1980 |1980-81 |2.4 |-
March 1981 |1981-82 |1.5 |-
March 1982 |1982-83 |1.6 |-0.6
March 1983 |1983-84 |2.6 |-0.5
March 1984 |1984-85 |2.6 |0.0
March 1985 |1985-86 |2.8 |-0.2
March 1986 |1986-87 |3.4 |0.3
March 1987 |1987-88 |2.4 |-0.6
March 1988 |1988-89 |0.5 |-0.8
March 1989 |1989-90 |-1.1 |-0.4
March 1990 |1990-91 |-0.2 |0.1
March 1991 |1991-92 |2.0 |0.1
March 1992 |1992-93 |5.2 |-0.4
March 1993 |1993-94 |8.7 |0.1
November 1993 |1994-95 |6.3 |0.2
November 1994 |1995-96 |3.7 |-0.2
<1> GDP figures: CSO outturns up to 1994-95 and HMT forecast for 1995-96.
<2>The net effect of tax changes from an indexed basis. [Yield (+)/cost(-)].
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on budget deficit measures used by the United Kingdom's European partners. [34198]
Mr.Waldegrave [holding answer 18 July 1995]: The United Kingdom's European partners use a variety of budget deficit measures. Most are calculated on a cash basis. A common standardised measure of general government financial deficit is used in the excessive deficits procedure as set out in article 104c and the associated protocol of the treaty on European Union as amended as Maastricht.
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British Nuclear Fuels Ltd.
Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if the inclusion of BNFL will be subject to scrutiny by the National Audit Office following its inclusion in the public sector borrowing requirement; and if he will make a statement. [36203]
Mr. Waldegrave: The inclusion of BNFL in the public sector borrowing requirement statistics is unrelated to the question of scrutiny by the National Audit Office. As a public limited company, BNFL is subject to the normal Companies Act audit requirements, and is not audited by the National Audit Office.
Pensioners
Sir Andrew Bowden: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what percentage and number of one adult pensioner households have an average weekly expenditure
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of £74.26 or less according to the family expenditure survey 1993, table 4.1. [34823]Mrs. Knight [holding answer 17 July 1995]: The percentage of one adult retired households who are mainly dependent on state pensions with average weekly expenditure of £74.26 or less is estimated, from the family expenditure survey 1993, to have been 65 per cent. This figure is subject to sampling variation.
Venture Capital
Mr. Milburn: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the venture capital spent in each standard region and the number of companies assisted for each of the last available five years. [35411]
Mr. Jack [holding answer 18 July 1995]: On the basis of figures published by the British Venture Capital Association, the table shows the funds invested in the UK and the number of companies financed, analysed by region.
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Amount (£ million) of venture capital invested by region
|1990 |1991 |1992 |1993 |1994
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
South east |674 (512) |513 (450) |550 (412) |650 (383) |612 (387)
South west |34 (68) |72 (60) |125 (77) |34 (54) |143 (59)
East Anglia |51 (57) |27 (50) |33 (59) |51 (35) |40 (32)
West Midlands |64 (87) |93 (102) |88 (112) |81 (70) |216 (103)
East Midlands |70 (81) |47 (80) |83 (64) |46 (63) |73 (66)
Yorkshire/Humberside |57 (75) |74 (104) |80 (104) |37 (92) |104 (89)
North west |38 (64) |46 (66) |106 (117) |168 (95) |225 (102)
North |23 (50) |21 (45) |25 (38) |22 (54) |79 (58)
Scotland |81 (174) |73 (150) |96 (98) |119 (151) |77 (138)
Wales |12 (39) |17 (57) |37 (41) |16 (48) |73 (37)
Northern Ireland |2 (14) |6 (32) |28 (25) |7 (21) |26 (30)
Total |1,106 (1,221)|989 (1,196) |1,251 (1,147)|1,231 (1,066)|1,668 (1,101)
Number of companies in brackets.
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Research Projects
Mr. Welsh: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many research projects commissioned by his Department were given to companies based in Scotland in 1993 94 and 1994 95; and if he will make a statement. [31891]
Mrs. Angela Knight [holding answer 3 July 1995]: The Treasury did not award any research contracts to companies based in Scotland during the years in question.
Business Rating Appeals
Ms Coffey: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to reduce the waiting time for business rating appeals to be dealt with in central region. [32543]
Mrs. Angela Knight [holding answer 6 July 1995]: In line with Valuation Office agency national policy, the current aim is to clear the vast majority of rating appeals made before 1 April 1995 by 31 March 1996.
It is expected that nationally, England and Wales, 330,000 1990 and 1995 rating list appeals will be cleared during this financial year.
Deputy Prime Minister
Mr. Winnick: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer
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what will be the involvement of the Deputy Prime Minister in the work of his Department. [34033]Mrs. Angela Knight [holding answer 13 July 1995]: I have nothing to add to the reply given by the Prime Minister on 11 July to the hon. Member for Pembroke (Mr. Ainger), Official Report , columns 496 97 .
Department of Employment
Mr. Blunkett: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which of the former Department of Employment's responsibilities his Department has now taken on; and which Minister is in charge of each area of responsibility. [34042]
Mrs. Angela Knight [holding answer 13 July 1995]: The Treasury has not taken on any of the former Department of Employment's responsibilities, but the Central Statistical Office has taken over responsibility for the production of employment statistics and labour market surveys. I am the Minister with responsibility for the Central Statistical Office.
World Wide Web
Mr. David Shaw: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the work his Department has carried out in the last 12 months in making
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information about his Department available to the public via the Government World Wide Web server known as "ww.open.gov.uk" and his plans and policies to make additional and new information available electronically on the server in the next 12 months. [34687]Mrs. Angela Knight: The Treasury launched its own Internet service on 15 November 1994.
Material is provided on the Treasury's own Internet server on the World Wide Web. In addition to the World Wide Web, the same information can be obtained by electronic mail or by file transfer, FTP.
The addresses are:
Email mailing lists: maillist@hm-treasury.gov.uk
Email file transfer: ftpmail@hm-treasury.gov.uk
File Transfer (FTP): ftp.hm-treasury.gov.uk
World Wide Web: http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk
The service gives details of the Budget, including my right hon. and learned Friend's Budget statement and all the Budget news releases.
Other documents that are available include Treasury news releases, speeches, minutes of my right hon. and learned Friend's monthly monetary meetings with the Governor of the Bank of England, reports of the panel of independent forecasters and details of the fundamental expenditure review of Treasury running costs. There is a continuing programme to add more services including articles about specific topics of economic interest.
It is anticipated that individual e-mail addresses will be allocated later this year and the dedicated post of Internet editor will shortly be filled.
The Treasury's system can be accessed directly using any one of the addresses I have set out. In addition users can find the Treasury pages either on the "www.open.gov.uk" Government World Wide Web Server or through the server of the Central Office of Information. The Treasury's pages are, in both cases, linked by hypertext. At the moment, users can also obtain help about the service using electronic mail. The address is "info@hm- treasury.gov.uk".
Small Businesses
Mr. David Shaw: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the results of (a) his policies and (b) his Department in helping small businesses over the last 12 months as against the previous 12 months; and if he will publish the performance indicators by which his Department monitors those achievements and the statistical results of such monitoring. [34691]
Mr. Jack: The Government recognise the importance of the small firms sector and are firmly committed to supporting it. Policy centres around providing the right environment in which small firms can succeed by creating a favourable economic climate with low inflation and stable
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interest rates, reducing administrative and regulatory burdens and providing direct assistance where required.Specific examples of measures to help small firms, announced in my right hon. and learned Friend's last Budget were:
reduction in employers national insurance contributions to make it cheaper to take on new staff;
an extension of the existing scheme of transitional arrangements to ease the impact of the revaluation in business rates;
enhancements to venture capital trusts and the enterprise investment scheme to promote investment in growing firms;
consultation on the development of a financial management certificate and a review of the loan guarantee scheme to widen small firms' access to finance;
various measures to reduce the burdens on small businesses, including consultation on a move to annual VAT returns and payments for small businesses and a simplified scheme of VAT accounting for small traders, closer alignment of national insurance contributions and income tax, an increase in the VAT registration threshold and a reduction in the penalty for failing to register for VAT.
The White Paper announced in May 1995 outlines a programme of measures to assist the growth and competitiveness of the small firms sector.
Fuel and Power Expenditure
Mr. Milburn: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what has been the average household's expenditure on fuel and power in each year since 1985, by region. [34177]
Mrs. Angela Knight [holding answer 13 July 1995]: Estimates of the weekly average household expenditure by region are shown in successive published reports of the family expenditure survey.
Redundancies
Mr. Ian McCartney: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many redundancies occurred in his Department over the last 12 months; how many were voluntary; and what was the total sum spent on redundancy payments. [34598]
Mrs. Angela Knight [holding answer 14 July 1995]: There have been 33 redundancies in the Treasury over the past 12 months. All were voluntary.
The costs are a mixture of benefits payable immediately--which may include compensation lump sum and/or pension--plus costs arising over a longer term --that is, the annual compensation to staff under the age of 60. The total immediate cost is about £1.4 million and the longer-term costs are about £2.2 million spread over the next 10 years.
Staff Sickness
Mr. McCartney: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many days were lost in sickness in the last 12 months by employees in his Department (a) in total and (b) as a proportion of the number of days worked; and what was the cost of this absence. [34597]
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Mrs. Angela Knight [holding answer 14 July 1995]: In the period 1 April 1994 to 31 March 1995, 19,480 days were registered as being lost due to sickness in HM Treasury. Where absences fall both before and after a weekend or public holiday, the weekend or public holiday is counted as part of the absence even though they are not "working days". It has not been possible, in the time available, to adjust the figures to present these absences as a proportion of the total number of days worked. Information is not held centrally that would enable the cost of such absence to be calculated, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
DUCHY OF LANCASTER
Fire Safety Legislation
Mr. Pike: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if the review team's report regarding fire safety legislation and enforcement matter arising from the deregulation proposals has now been considered; and when he expects to be able to make a statement on the outcome. [34237]
Mr. Beith: To ask the First Secretary of State when the fire safety legislation and enforcement review was published; when the consultation period ended; when the Government response will be published; and what factors have been responsible for any delay with publication. [34447]
Mr. Freeman: "The Interdepartmental Review of Fire Safety Legislation and Enforcement" was published on 22 June 1994 and the consultation period ended on 31 October 1994. There were over 460 responses, many of them raising important and complex issues. The deregulation task force, set up to help the Government promote deregulation, is now being consulted about the way ahead on fire regulation and enforcement, including our emerging findings on the review. The Government's response will be announced as soon as this process is complete.
Regional Offices (Directors)
Mr. Byers: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will state for each regional Government office, the civil servant with overall responsibility, his department and his annual salary. [36112]
Mr. Freeman: The civil servants with overall responsibility for each integrated regional office are listed below:
Integrated
regional office |Regional Director |Parent department |Grade
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
London |Mr. R. U. Young |Department of the
| Environment |Grade 2
Eastern Region |Mr. J. Turner |Department for
| Education and
| Employment |Grade 3
East Midlands |Mr. H. M. Lanyon |Department of Trade
| and Industry |Grade 3
Merseyside |Mr. J. F. Stoker |Department of the
| Environment |Grade 3
North East |Mrs. P. A. Denham |Department of Trade
| and Industry |Grade 3
North West |Miss M. T. |Department of Trade
| Neville-Rolfe | and Industry |Grade 3
South East |Mrs. G. M. Ashmore |Department of
| Transport |Grade 3
South West |Mr. B. H. Leonard |Department of the
| Environment |Grade 3
West Midlands |Mr. D. R. Ritchie |Department of the
| Environment |Grade 3
Yorkshire |Mr. J. C. M. Walker |Department for
and Humberside | Education and
| Employment |Grade 3
The salary range for a grade 2 is from £67,500 to £98,000 and for a grade 3 from £55,000 to £82,500.
St. Bride's Minor (Land Sale)
Mr. Win Griffiths: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will place in the Library the documentation relating to the sale of lands in the parish of Saint Bride's Minor, including Coiety Wallia common by the Duchy of Lancaster to the Dunraven estate. [35936]
Mr. Freeman: I understand that the question of title to the lands in the parish of St. Bride's Minor was discussed at some length with the hon. Member for Bridgend at a meeting attended by representatives of the Duchy of Lancaster and of the Dunraven estate in the House earlier this year.
If the hon. Member wishes to see the documents relating to the disposal of the Duchy's interest in that land, he is welcome to attend the Duchy of Lancaster Office at 1 Lancaster place, Strand where they will be made available to him.
Ministerial Cars
Mr. Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Prime Minister what make and type of Government car will be allocated to the Deputy Prime Minister and First Secretary; and what will be the cost of such a vehicle to the Exchequer, including the annual cost of the chauffeur. [34013]
Mr. Freeman: I have been asked to reply.
The Deputy Prime Minister and First Secretary of State does not use a car or driver from the Government car service. However he uses a car, together with a driver, on cost terms to the public service fully equivalent to the usual ministerial transport arrangements provided by the GCS--currently £43,628 per annum, excluding VAT. The full terms of this arrangement are set out in a letter dated 16 March 1995, agreed when he was President of the Board of Trade. A copy of this letter has been deposited in the Library of the House.
Civil Servants
Ms Armstrong: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will list for each civil service grade in his Department the number of (a) male and (b) female (i) full-time and (ii) part-time employees. [35459]
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Mr. Horam: The numbers of permanent industrial and non-industrial staff on 1 April 1995--before the recent machinery of Government changes-- on a headcount basis were as follows:
Male Female
|Full-time|Part-time|Full-time|Part-time
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Office of Public Service
and Science (excluding
agencies) |521 |4 |327 |49
Chessington Computer
Centre |193 |2 |164 |59
Civil Service College |114 |5 |108 |53
Occupational Health and
Safety Agency |22 |0 |71 |10
Recruitment and
Assessment Services
Agency |42 |1 |82 |12
Central Office of
Information |298 |1 |200 |13
HM Stationery Office |1,982 |11 |857 |109
|---- |---- |---- |----
Total |3,172 |24 |1,809 |305
Female
Full-time Part-time Full-time Part-time
Office of Public Service and Science (excluding agencies) 521 4 327 49
Chessington Computer Centre
193 2 164 59
Civil Service College
114 5 108 53
Occupational Health and Safety Agency
22 0 71 10
Recruitment and Assessment Services Agency
42 1 82 12
Central Office of Information
298 1 200 13
HM Stationery Office
1,982 11 857 109
Total
3,172 24 1,809 305
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