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Housing Benefit (Tenants)

Mr. Robert McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if the Housing Executive provides the Inland Revenue with details of housing benefit paid to tenants of private landlords. [7362]

Mr. Moss: The Northern Ireland Housing Executive does not provide the Inland Revenue with details of housing benefit paid to tenants of private landlords.

Mr. McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what representations he has received about the evasion of tax in respect of housing benefits paid to tenants of private landlords. [7364]

Mr. Moss: None.

Mr. McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much was paid in housing benefits to tenants of private landlords in each of the last three years. [7363]

Mr. Moss: The amount of housing benefit paid to tenants of private landlords in each of the last three years is as follows:

Year	Total payment made to tenants of private landlords
1992-93	42,986,889.41
1993-94	51,605,437.17
1994-95	60,670,126.62

19 Dec 1995 : Column: 1079

Motor Vehicles (Damage Claims)

Mr. Beggs: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is the Department of the Environment (Northern Ireland) policy in respect of acceptance of liability in respect of claims submitted for damage to motor vehicles when failure to maintain the carriageway is alleged. [7373]

Mr. Moss: Article 8 of the Roads (Northern Ireland) Order 1993 allows vehicles damage compensation claims to be made against the Department for failure to maintain the road. The same article, however, provides the Department with defences to such claims. If, for example, the Department can show that it operated a reasonable system of inspection and repair of the road in question, there is no entitlement to compensation and a claim in such circumstances must be refused. It is the policy of the Department to investigate fully all damage claims made against it and after a thorough investigation a decision is taken either to settle it, reject it or refer it to another party, for example, a contractor.

Housing Policy Review

Mr. Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when he expects to publish the housing policy review and if he will make a statement. [7546]

Mr. Moss: I have today placed in the Library of the House the Government's proposals for future housing policy in Northern Ireland entitled "Building on Success". This review has taken place following extensive local consultations in Northern Ireland. Those who responded, almost without exception, praised the work of the Housing Executive in providing and managing public sector housing. The Government are determined to build on that success. The proposals published today seek to strengthen the executive's role in a number of important strategic ways including the determination of the locations for all new social housing, their subsequent allocation, the monitoring and oversight of housing associations and the private rented sector, and urban and rural regeneration. I want to maximise the private housebuilding sector's contribution, and also that of housing associations which have access to private finance. The document outlines proposals through which this could take place, together with a number of other policy proposals which the Government believe will help achieve their housing objectives for Northern Ireland. I have now initiated consultations on these proposals, with comments sought by 31 March 1996, following which decisions will be taken.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Military Aircraft Exports (Indonesia)

Sir Alan Haselhurst: To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement about exports of military aircraft to Indonesia. [7545]

Mr. Nelson: I have authorised the issue of licences to British Aerospace in respect of the contract signed in 1993 to export Hawk aircraft and support equipment to Indonesia. This decision has been made, following consultation with the Ministry of Defence and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, in the light of the established

19 Dec 1995 : Column: 1080

and internationally agreed criteria for military exports. In accordance with Government policy, a thorough assessment of the likelihood of these aircraft being used for internal repression in Indonesia or East Timor has been undertaken. This assessment has concluded that it is not likely that these aircraft will be so used. In addition, the Indonesian Government have given assurances that the aircraft will not be used for internal security or against civilians in any part of Indonesia or East Timor.

It has been the practice of successive Governments not to disclose details of individual export licence cases, but, as I consider that the public interest in this matter outweighs the need for confidentiality, I have decided to make an exception.

British Coal Enterprise

Mr. Battle: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what consideration he has given to maintaining outstanding commitments to projects or partnerships not completed by British Coal Enterprise at the time of its sale. [5887]

Mr. Page: The sale of British Coal Enterprise is a matter for British Coal. Where projects or agreements have been entered into prior to the completion of the sale these will pass, subject to the consent of the third parties involved in certain cases, to the purchasers of the relevant activities of BCE.

Mr. Battle: To ask the President of the Board of Trade if any European regional development fund grants paid to British Coal Enterprise will have to be repaid after privatisation. [5888]

Mr. Page: Where projects supported by ERDF grant and grant payments are complete, the Government do not believe that the sale of British Coal Enterprise or of its workspace activities, will affect the status of the projects or of the grants, provided that the assets continue to be used for eligible purposes and in accordance with the terms of the relevant offers of grant.

Where projects supported by ERDF grant or the associated grant payments are not complete, or where offers of grant are still to be made in response to applications from BCE, the Government will seek assurances from any prospective purchaser of BCE, or of its workspace activities, that they will complete the projects in accordance with the terms of the offer of ERDF grant, continue to use the assets for eligible purposes and comply with the other requirements, both of the Government and of European Community law, as they relate to the offer of those grants.

Electricity Prices

Mrs. Beckett: To ask the President of the Board of Trade in real terms, and expressed as a percentage of the 1994 figure, what is the annual average for the electricity component of the retail prices index in (a) 1979, (b) at the time of privatisation and (c) at the present time. [7031]

Mr. Lang: In real terms, domestic electricity prices, excluding VAT, have fallen by 7 per cent. between privatisation--taken to be the second quarter of 1990-- and the third quarter of 1995. The detailed information requested is given in the table.

19 Dec 1995 : Column: 1081

	Index number in current terms(30)	Real terms index number(31)	Percentage of 1994 figure
1979	44.2	96.4	100.2
1990	100.0	100.0	104.0
1994	112.5	96.2	100.0
1995	(32)111.9	93.6	97.3

(30) The average of the monthly electricity components of the Retail

Prices Index over the year (rebased to 1990=100).

(31) Using the Gross Domestic Product (market prices) deflator with

1990=100.

(32) The average of the monthly electricity components of the Retail

Prices Index over the period January to November (rebased to 1990= 100). Data exclude VAT at 8 per cent. which became payable from 1 April 1994.

Business Investment

Mr. Booth: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what estimate his Department has made of the level of investment by United Kingdom industry since 1979. [5895]

Mr. Oppenheim: Business investment is over a third higher, in volume terms, than in 1979.

Mr. Booth: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what estimate his Department has made of the proportion of investment in United Kingdom industry by foreign sources for each year since 1979. [5894]

Mr. Oppenheim: The information required is given in the table.

Percentage of UK manufacturing investment by foreign-owned companies

Year	Number
1979	23.2
1981	25.5
1983	23.1
1984	21.1
1985	21.9
1986	20.4
1987	21.3
1988	21.4
1989	27.6
1990	27.0
1991	33.5
1992	31.7

Notes: 1. 1992 figures are the latest available. 2. Prior to 1983 figures were only collected biannually. 3. Information is only available for manufacturing industries. Source: Annual Census of Production: CSO Business Monitor PA1002.

Mr. Booth: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what assessment he has made of the figures for investment in the United Kingdom in industry in relation to (a) investment in Germany and (b) investment in France in industry for each year since 1979. [5896]

Mr. Oppenheim: OECD estimates for business investment in the UK, France and Germany, expressed in relation to levels of GDP, are shown in the table. Since 1979, business investment in the UK has averaged 12.5 per cent. of GDP compared with 12 per cent. in Germany and 11 per cent. in France.

19 Dec 1995 : Column: 1082

Business investment as a proportion of GDP At 1990 PricesPer cent

	UK	Germany	France
1979	12.0	11.8	11.4
1980	11.8	12.0	11.7
1981	11.1	11.6	11.3
1982	11.7	11.1	11.0
1983	11.4	11.4	10.5
1984	12.1	11.1	10.1
1985	12.4	11.4	10.3
1986	11.9	11.6	10.8
1987	12.8	11.9	11.1
1988	14.1	12.1	11.7
1989	14.7	12.5	12.2
1992	14.1	13.0	12.4
1991	12.9	13.3	12.2
1992	12.5	12.7	11.5
1993	12.3	11.1	10.6
1994	11.9	10.6	10.4

Source: OECD Business Sector database.

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