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Regional Challenge
Mr. David Porter: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what were the eligibility criteria for regional challenge funding and objective 5b funding at the beginning of 1995; how the criteria had been changed before the announcements of the results; and if he will make a statement. [6195]
Mr. Eggar: The eligibility criteria for objective 5b grants, and the additional criteria for objective 5b regional challenge grants, are contained in the single programming documents for each of the areas where the competition was held and in the regional challenge bidding guidance. The criteria were not changed before the announcement I made on 11 December 1995, Official Report, columns 463-65.
18 Dec 1995 : Column: 873
Mrs. Roche:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade what has been the outcome of his Department's review of measures taken to facilitate small firms' access to appropriate areas of Government procurement in the light of best practice. [6670]
Mr. Page:
I refer the hon. Member to my previous answer on 27 November 1995, Official Report, columns 432-33, which summarises the key actions taken as a result of the review. Progress has been made to implement all the recommendations relevant to the Department of Trade and Industry.
Mr. Steen:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many officials he employed (a) full-time and (b) part-time in his Department in each of the last three years to answer letters sent to him from hon. Members; and what was the estimated overall cost of replying to them in each of the last three years. [5618]
Mr. John M. Taylor:
No officials are employed either full time or part time in the Department solely to answer letters from Members of Parliament. Supplying the information required to reply to such correspondence is part of the normal duties of many of the staff of the Department.
Within the Department's top level organisation which includes all Ministers' private offices approximately 10 years of staff effort are expected to be spent on processing all ministerial correspondence in 1995-96, including correspondence with Members of Parliament. However this is only part of the total staff effort spent on ministerial correspondence across the Department, a detailed estimate of which could be supplied only at disproportionate cost.
Mr. Hardy:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade what has been the cost to the European Community of the support given to the breeding of greyhounds in Ireland; what has been the cost per puppy bred; and what assessment he has made of the number of greyhounds being purchased. [2965]
Mr. Oppenheim
[holding answer 30 November 1995]: Inquiries are continuing and I will write to the hon. Member in due course.
Departmental Staff (Members' Letters)
Mr. Steen: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many officials he employed (a) full-time and (b) part-time in his Department in each of the last three years to answer letters sent to him from hon. Members; and what was the estimated overall cost of replying to them in each of the last three years. [5621]
Mr. Kenneth Clarke: This information is not available without expensive research.
18 Dec 1995 : Column: 874
Mr. Shore:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what is the total British contribution, in ECU and pounds sterling, to the additional Community expenditure programmes authorised at the Edinburgh summit and subsequently to implement the Commission's White Paper, "Growth, Competitiveness, Employment: The Challenges and Ways Forward into the Twenty First Century"; and what expenditures from these funds have been allocated to projects inside the United Kingdom; [5759]
(2) over what time scale the additional Community expenditure, authorised at the Edinburgh summit and subsequently to implement the Commissions White Paper, "Growth, Competitiveness, Employment: The Challenges and Ways Forward into the Twenty First Century", is to be spent; [5760]
(3) what additional expenditure by the European Community, in billions of ecu and pounds sterling, were authorised at the Edinburgh summit and subsequently to implement the Commissions White Paper, "Growth, Competitiveness, Employment: The Challenges and Ways Forward into the Twenty First Century"; and how much of this total sum is to be spent through (a) the European Investment bank, (b) the European Investment Fund and (c) other Community expenditure programmes. [5761]
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory:
The objectives set out in the European Commission's White Paper, "Growth, Competitiveness and Employment: The Challenges and Ways Forward into the Twenty First Century" are reflected wholly or in part in a range of European Community expenditure programmes and other actions. It is not possible, however, to break down this expenditure into that which funds implementation of the White Paper and that which does not.
Mr. Marlow:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which countries have not yet ratified the Edinburgh own resources decision; when their ratification is expected; and what concessions are expected to be made to secure such ratification. [6534]
Mr. Heathcoat Amory:
The Netherlands has yet to ratify the own resources decision. The timing and handling of ratification is a matter for individual member states.
Ms Church:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the public sector borrowing requirement in each year from 1990 to 1995. [6976]
Mr. Waldegrave:
The table gives the information requested. The budget forecast for the PSBR in 1995-96 was £29.0 billion.
18 Dec 1995 : Column: 875
Public sector borrowing requirement
1989-90: -£7.9 billion
1990-91: -£0.6 billion
1991-92: £13.8 billion
1992-93: £36.3 billion
1993-94: £45.4 billion
1994-95: £35.9 billion.
Steam-powered Vehicles
Sir John Cope: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many steam-powered road vehicles over 25 years old he estimates will require licences in 1996-97; and what he estimates their average mileage on the roads per vehicle will be. [6005]
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory: Around 600 vehicles, with very small annual mileage.
Sir John Cope: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what he estimates will be the revenue, net of costs of collection and enforcement, received from licences for steam-powered road vehicles over 25 years old in 1996-97. [6007]
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory: Around £20,000.
Sir John Cope: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what considerations led him to exclude steam-powered road vehicles from the proposed exemption for licences for other vehicles over 25 years old. [6006]
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory: The Budget introduced a concessionary rate of £35 vehicle excise duty for all steam-powered road vehicles whatever their age. Prior to this harmonising measure only steam-powered agricultural vehicles were liable to £35 duty and steam-powered road rollers had to pay £150.
EU Publicity
Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much money is spent by (a) the European Commission and (b) the European Parliament in publicising their activities in the United Kingdom. [5952]
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory: These are matters for the European Commission and the European Parliament respectively.
Unemployment Figures
Mr. Hanson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate her Department has made of the number of individuals out of work for more than six months who do not feature in the unemployment figures. [6078]
Mrs. Angela Knight: Like many other countries, the United Kingdom publishes two official measures of unemployment. Each measure defines unemployment in a different and unique way and is equally valid. There will be some people who appear in one measure but not in the other. However, neither measure excludes those who have been unemployed for more than six months according to the particular definition being used.
Statutory Instruments
Mr. Steen: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many statutory instruments his Department sponsored in the last session of Parliament; and how many of these (a) constituted a new rule or regulation, (b) were introduced to implement European Community directives and (c) amplify the minimum standards set out in an original European Community directive. [2466]
Mr. Jack [holding answer 27 November 1995]: The information requested is in the table.
| Number | |
|---|---|
| HM Treasury | |
| Statutory Instruments made during 1994-95 Session; of which: | 28 |
| a. Constituted a new rule or regulation; | 7 |
| b. Introduced to implement and EC Directive; of which: | 5 |
| c. Amplified minimum standards set out in Directive; | 0 |
| Inland Revenue | |
| Statutory Instruments made during 1994-95 Session; of which: | 71 |
| a. Constituted a new rule or regulation; | 41 |
| b. Introduced to implement and EC directive; of which: | 0 |
| c. Amplified minimum standards set out in directive; | 0 |
| HM Customs and Excise | |
| Statutory Instruments made during 1994-95 Session; of which | 56 |
| a. Constituted a new rule or regulation; | 44 |
| b. Introduced to implement and EC directive; of which: | 21 |
| c. Amplified minimum standards set out in directive; | (13)2 |
(13) Comprising i. The Excise Goods (Drawback) Regulations 1995.
These regulations implement Council Directive 92/12/EEC, and set out in more detail the UK requirements and procedures for reimbursement of excise duty; and ii. The Travellers' Reliefs (Fuel and Lubricants) Order 1995. This restricts duty free movement of fuel in standard tanks of commercial vehicles to fuel on which the fuel was acquired, at a rate that is appropriate to the use to which the fuel was acquired, at a rate that is appropriate to the use to which the fuel is being, or is intended to be, put. This Order implemented Directive 94/74/EEC which did not make it clear that the relief of duty should only apply to fuel released for consumption at the rate appropriate to its use or intended use. Customs had to seek formal clarification of this point before the Order could be laid. It should be noted that whilst these two Statutory Instruments amplify the provisions of the European directives which they implement, they do so in order to clarify, and provide greater certainty, as to their meaning. Neither has the effect of "gold plating", or adding additional burdens, to those required by the directives.
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