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Income Tax Thresholds
Sir Ralph Howell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what would be the maximum by which income tax thresholds could be raised as a consequence of a
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revenue reduction of (a) £1 billion, (b) £2 billion, (c) £3 billion, (d) £4 billion, (e) £5 billion and (f) £6 billion. [8476]
Mr. Jack: Latest estimates are that the personal allowance, including the age-related personal allowances, could be raised by the following amounts for the corresponding full year costs at 1996-97 levels.
| Increase in non aged and aged personal allowances | Full year cost at 1996-97 levels |
|---|---|
| £ | £ billion |
| 160 | 1 |
| 320 | 2 |
| 480 | 3 |
| 650 | 4 |
| 820 | 5 |
| 1,000 | 6 |
Executive Agencies
Mr. Redmond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what action heads of his Department's executive agencies are taking to safeguard the provision of pre-retirement courses; and if he will make a statement. [9151]
Mr. Jack: The Treasury has no executive agencies.
Incomes
Mr. Meacher: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the average income of the highest paid 1 per cent. of the population in each year since 1966; what was the percentage increase in each year; and what was the value of each year's income at 1995 prices. [9271]
Mrs. Angela Knight: Information which can be provided, using new earnings survey data, is given in the following table. It is not possible to provide this level of data before 1986.
| 1 per cent. earned more than | Gross average weekly earnings highest paid 1 per cent. | Percentage increase on previous year | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | £ | £ | |
| 1986 | 541 | 730 | -- |
| 1987 | 602 | 838 | 14.9 |
| 1988 | 674 | 968 | 15.5 |
| 1989 | 768 | 1,086 | 12.1 |
| 1990 | 845 | 1,185 | 9.2 |
| 1991 | 908 | 1,255 | 5.9 |
| 1992 | 961 | 1,349 | 7.5 |
| 1993 | 1,025 | 1,490 | 10.5 |
| 1994 | 1,028 | 1,481 | -0.6 |
| 1995 | 1,083 | 1,597 | 7.8 |
Full-time employees on adult rates, whose pay for the survey period was unaffected by absence.
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Exports
Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what are United Kingdom relative export unit values at current rates of exchange (a) at the latest available date and (b) at the time of United Kingdom entry into the exchange rate mechanism. [9784]
Mr. Kenneth Clarke: United Kingdom relative export unit values are published in table 2.15 of "Economic Trends". These figures are also available on the CSO central database, under the identifier FLAA, which can be accessed through the Library of the House.
Money Supply
Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list for each year since 1966 the percentage changes in the real money supply. [9783]
Mrs. Angela Knight: Data for the narrow and broad measures of the money stock are available in tables 3.1C and 3.1D of "Financial Statistics". Data for the GDP deflator (table 2) and other measures of prices including underlying retail prices (table 23) are available in "Economic Trends". Both these publications are available in the House of Commons Library.
Manufacturing Industry
Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the impact of the United Kingdom's membership of the exchange rate mechanism on (a) manufacturing jobs and (b) manufacturing plants. [9785]
Mr. Kenneth Clarke: The United Kingdom's membership of the ERM will have been one of the many features of economic policy and conditions at the time that affected manufacturing jobs and manufacturing plants. It is not possible to quantify precisely with any confidence the effects of ERM membership or any other specific feature of economic policy in isolation from others. ERM membership played an important part in enabling the United Kingdom to begin to reduce inflation and so begin the economic recovery which we are still experiencing.
Personal Pensions (Tax Relief)
Mr. Denham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what has been the cost to date of tax relief allowed in respect of appropriate personal pensions contracted out of the state earnings-related pension scheme of individuals with annual earnings of (a) £2,000 or below, (b) up to £3,000, (c) up to £4,000, (d) up to £5,000, (e) up to £6,000, (f) up to £7,000, (g) up to £8,000, (h) up to £9,000 and (i) up to £10,000. [8175]
Mr. Jack [holding answer 9 January 1996]: I regret that the distribution of tax relief by earnings of participants is not available, but the total cost of tax relief for personal pensions is published annually in table 1.6 of "Inland Revenue Statistics".
714I and SC60 Tax Certificates
Mr. Mike O'Brien: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many taxpayers used (a) 714I and (b) SC60 certificates in each of the last five years. [8321]
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Mr. Jack [holding answer 9 January 1996]: I refer to the reply which the then Financial Secretary gave to the hon. Member for Kingswood (Mr. Berry) on 15 March 1995, Official Report, column 608. The number of 714I holders recorded in April 1995 was 412,913.
The latest figures available are for October 1995, when 403,502 714I holders were recorded.
Small Businesses
Mr. Wareing: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the impact of his Budget proposals on small businesses during the next five years. [8560]
Mrs. Angela Knight [holding answer 15 January 1996]: The Budget will encourage growth in output and jobs in small firms.
Scott Inquiry
Mr. Alan Williams: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what legal costs, arising from the Scott inquiry, have been incurred by the Department on behalf of current and past (a) civil servants and (b) advisers and secondees; [8745]
- (2) what legal costs, arising from the Scott inquiry, have been incurred, on behalf of Ministers and ex-Ministers, by his Department; and if he will name the individuals concerned. [8756]
Mr. Kenneth Clarke [holding answer 15 January 1996]: The value of accounts settled to date from public funds for the provision of external legal services, incurred by my Department on behalf of Ministers, ex-Ministers, civil servants, former civil servants, and other advisers and secondees in connection with the Scott inquiry is £60,440. The cost of any advice in connection with the Scott inquiry given by Government lawyers as part of their normal duties cannot be quantified. It is not the Government's policy to identify the individuals who have received legal advice, either directly or indirectly.
Environmental Pollution Report
Ms Ruddock: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer on what dates and on what matters, in connection with the 18th report of the Royal Commission on environmental pollution, "Transport and the Environment", he has made representations to the Secretary of State for Transport. [9094]
Mr. Waldegrave [holding answer 15 January 1996]: There have been many contacts between the Treasury and the Department of Transport concerning the royal commission report since its publication in October 1994, including several discussions at both official and ministerial level.
Long-term Care
Mr. Denham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish the assumptions used to calculate the cost of the increased lower and upper capital limits for long-term care announced in the "Financial Statement and Budget Report"; how many additional people he expects to qualify next year under the new capital limits; how many would have qualified next year under the existing
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capital limits; and how many qualified in the current financial year. [8653]
Mr. Waldegrave [holding answer 15 January 1996]: A wide range of data and assumptions underpinned determination of the provision for long-term care capital limit increases set out in the "Financial Statement and Budget Report". Of the order of 50,000 people currently in residential or nursing home care can expect to benefit from the increases. At the end of the last financial year, around 370,000 people received public support for residential or nursing home care.
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