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Mobile Telephones

Mr. Donohoe: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many times mobile telephones used by Ministers in his Department have been cloned during (a) the last six months, (b) the last 12 months and (c) the last 18 months; and which Ministers within his Department have had their mobile telephones cloned. [4250]

Mrs. Angela Knight [holding answer 6 December 1995]: A total of four mobile telephones belonging to Treasury Ministers have been cloned during the past 12 months of which two were cloned within the last six months. No Treasury Ministers' mobile telephones were cloned beyond 12 months ago. The Chief Secretary has had his mobile telephones cloned three times and the Economic Secretary once.

Mr. Donohoe: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many mobile telephones there are available in his Department for the use of Ministers. [4249]

Mrs. Knight: There are 12 mobile telephones available for use by Treasury Ministers and their private offices.

Private Finance Initiative

Mr. Betts: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the policy changes which will arise from the final agreement in respect of each scheme agreed under the private finance initiative. [3422]

Mr. Jack: The agreement of schemes under the private finance initiative does not result in changes to the policy of the Government on the PFI. Agreed schemes do, however, represent the application of PFI policy and offer us the opportunity to refine further the process of implementation. The lessons so far are most recently set out in the publication "Private Opportunity, Public Benefit". This is published jointly by HM Treasury and the private finance panel, and a copy has been placed in the Members' Library.

7 Dec 1995 : Column: 329

Mr. Betts: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list for each scheme so far agreed under the private finance initiative the revenue commitment entered into by the Government for each year until the commitment ceases. [3421]

Mr. Jack: Information on forward commitments, including those in respect of schemes under the private finance initiative, is held by Departments. Payments for service procurement through PFI schemes are taken into account as part of Departments' current costs in their overall spending plans; those for the next three years are published in the "Financial Statement and Budget Report, 1996-97", laid before Parliament on 28 November 1995.

Church Commissioners' Accounts

Mr. Frank Field: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish the instructions which have been given to Binder Hamlyn on the nature and the manner of the audit it should carry out on the Church Commissioners' accounts. [4589]

Mr. Jack: The letter of engagement between Binder Hamlyn and the Church Commissioners has not yet been finalised, but I will write to the hon. Member once this has been done and the Treasury has approved the arrangements.

Public Sector Financial Balances

Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will give the predicted and actual public sector financial deficit or surplus for each financial year since 1979. [4329]

Mr. Waldegrave: Forecasts of the public sector financial balances are published in the "Financial Statement and Budget Report". Outturns of the public sector financial balance are available from the Central Statistical Office databank, series AABE.

Forecast and outturn figures for the public sector financial balance £ billion

Source	Period	Forecast	Outturn
FSBR June 1979	1979-80	-7.2	-8.2
FSBR March 1980	1980-81	-6.9	-11.8
FSBR March 1981	1981-82	-6.3	-5.5
FSBR March 1982	1982-83	-6.6	-8.7
FSBR March 1983	1983-84	-8.9	-11.7
FSBR March 1984	1984-85	-8.5	-13.7
FSBR March 1985	1985-86	-9.8	-8.1
FSBR March 1986	1986-87	-12.2	-8.2
FSBR March 1987	1987-88	-9.4	-1.9
FSBR March 1988	1988-89	-1.4	8.3
FSBR March 1989	1989-90	7.3	2.4
FSBR March 1990	1990-91	2.6	-3.1
FSBR March 1991	1991-92	-11.3	-18.6
FSBR March 1992	1992-93	-30.9	-45.0
FSBR March 1993	1993-94	-55.2	-49.9
FSBR November 1989	1994-95	-41.3	-40.5
FSBR November 1994	1996-96	(1)-25.6	--
FSBR November 1995	1996-97	-25.4	--

(1) Published in the Revised Tables, January 1995, following the

decision to leave the rate of VAT on domestic fuel and power at 8 per cent., and the further Budget measures announced on 8 December 1994.

7 Dec 1995 : Column: 330

Finance Bill

Mr. Matthew Banks: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when the Finance Bill will be published; and if he will make available to hon. Members the customary notes on the Bill's clauses. [5078]

Mr. Jack: The Finance Bill will be published on Thursday 4 January 1996. The notes on the Bill's clauses will be placed in the Vote Office and the Libraries of the House that day. In addition, the Treasury will be making the notes available to the public.

HOUSE OF COMMONS

Clock Tower

Sir Harold Walker: To ask the Chairman of the Accommodation and Works Committee what estimate has been made of the angle at which the clock tower of the Palace of Westminster varies from the perpendicular; and what variation has occurred over the last 20 years. [3797]

Mr. Ray Powell: The Accommodation and Works Committee has a specialist adviser on geotechnical engineering whose brief includes advising the Committee on the adequacy of London Underground's arrangements to prevent damage to the Palace of Westminster and other parliamentary buildings during the construction of Westminster underground station and the Jubilee line extension. The Parliamentary Works Directorate also employs an independent firm of surveyors to monitor many movements of the Clock Tower.

The advice from both these sources is that London Underground Ltd., is taking appropriate and sufficient measures to control any damaging movements caused by excavation work for the Jubilee line extension project. The clock tower currently slopes from the vertical by approximately 1 in 4,000 and is affected by Thames tidal movement and changes in ambient temperature.

Video Conferencing

Mr. Flynn: To ask the right hon. Member for Berwick-upon-Tweed, representing the House of Commons Commission, what assessment has been made or is planned in respect of possible reduction of the costs of overseas visits by the Select Committees through the use of video conferenicng. [4179]

Mr. Beith: Select Committees have used video conferencing as a means of gathering evidence on two occasions on an experimental basis. The matter has already been reported on by the Procedure Committee and the arrangements for, and cost of, video conferencing as a means of taking evidence are currently under review by the Liaison Committee; other domestic Committees may wish to be consulted. It is therefore too early to judge what part video conferencing could play in evidence gathering by Select Committees or any effects which its adoption might have on expenditure on overseas visits.

7 Dec 1995 : Column: 331

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Space Policy

Sir Michael Marshall: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what progress has been made with the proposal made at the United Kingdom space policy seminar at Surrey university in September for publication of a space policy document. [4802]

Mr. Ian Taylor: Yesterday I issued a discussion document on United Kingdom space policy and I am inviting comments.

The documents examines UK strengths and opportunities in space science, telecommunications, earth observation and launchers. It looks at projects in the European Space Agency and other international organisations. My aim is to bring together the results of this consultation exercise, with more detailed work being carried out at the British national space centre in discussion with industry and the academic world, in the form of a forward plan for UK involvement in space activities by next summer.

Copies of the discussion document are being placed in the Library of the House and I am sending a copy to each participant at the Surrey seminar.

Private Finance Initiative

Mr. Betts: To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will list for each scheme so far agreed under the private finance initiative the revenue commitment entered into by the Government for each year until the commitment ceases. [3419]

Mr. John M. Taylor: Although my Department has a number of PFI projects under consideration, none has been finally agreed and no revenue commitments have been made.

Mr. Betts: To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will list the policy changes which will arise from the final agreement in respect of each scheme agreed under the private finance initiative. [3420]

Mr. Taylor: The agreement of schemes under the private finance initiative within my Department will not result in changes to policy on the PFI, which have been set out by the Government. Those schemes that have been agreed, however, represent the application of PFI policy and the lessons learned are set out in the publication "Private Opportunity, Public Benefit". This is published jointly by HM Treasury and the private finance panel, and a copy is available in the Library of the House.

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