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Taxpayers

Mr. Barry Field: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his answer of 6 February, Official Report, column 118, if the figures covering the Isle of Wight include taxpayers on the island whose tax affairs are handled by other districts. [15077]

Mr. Jack: The figures are derived from the survey of personal incomes where taxpayers are allocated to counties according to their place of residence or to their business address if self-employed, regardless of where their tax affairs are handled.

Employment Growth

Mr. Meacher: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the percentage rate of employment growth over the period 1979-95 in respect of (a) each EU state, (b) USA, (c) Japan, (d) Australia, (e) Canada and (f) New Zealand. [14972]

Mrs. Angela Knight: The latest available information showing the most up to date comparisons is provided in the table.

Civilian employment, change 1979 to 1994(7) (per cent.)

	Percentage
Austria	17
Belgium	2
Denmark	5
Finland	-10
France	2
Germany	7
Greece	12
Ireland	-1
Italy	6
Luxembourg	4
Netherlands	36
Portugal	9
Spain	-1
Sweden	-6
United Kingdom	1
United States	21
Japan	18
Australia	30
Canada	28
New Zealand	24

Note:

(7) Ireland, Luxembourg 1979 to 1991; Belgium, Italy 1979 to 1992; Austria, Denmark, Greece and USA 1979 to 1993; UK 1979 to 1995; Germany (West) 1979 to 1990, (unified Germany 1991 to 1994 = 0 per cent.).

Source:

OECD Labour Force Statistics 1979-1993, Quarterly Labour Force Statistics, No. 4, 1995 and CSO (UK).

Pension Schemes

Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many taxpayers are in small self-administered pension schemes; and what is the annual cost to the Revenue of tax relief on contributions under such schemes. [14666]

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Mr. Jack [holding answer 12 February 1996]: Information is not available concerning the actual number of taxpayers who are members of small self-administered pension schemes.

The estimated cost of tax relief for contributions to occupational pension schemes is published in table 7.10 of "Inland Revenue Statistics 1995", a copy of which is in the Library. It is not possible to separate these estimates between small self-administered schemes and other occupational pension schemes.

13 Feb 1996 : Column: 504

Small Firms (Loan Guarantees)

Mrs. Anne Campbell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much money has been committed each year since 1990-91, and by which banks, under the small firms loan guarantee scheme. [14644]

Mr. Page: I have been asked to reply.

The value of loans guaranteed under the small firms loan guarantee scheme since 1990-91, by lender, is as follows:

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£ million

Lender	1990-91	1991-92	1992-93	1993-94	1994-95	1995-96(8)
Barclays	14.389	13.790	12.825	42.198	61.916	29.185
National Westminster	38.169	32.916	12.704	26.775	50.731	27.824
Lloyds	4.161	2.417	2.155	25.865	51.113	24.668
Midland	15.517	8.744	13.495	24.639	42.260	27.303
Bank of Scotland	1.385	2.464	2.018	6.232	10.259	5.816
Royal Bank of Scotland	1.939	1.018	0.425	6.608	8.492	6.719
Clydesdale	0.490	0.559	0.897	2.439	2.217	1.281
3i	4.091	4.631	4.170	7.567	6.461	2.523
Co-operative	0.295	0.101	0.025	0.335	1.048	0.406
Hill Samuel(9)	0.190	0.000	0.000	0.000	0.000	0.000
Yorkshire	0.069	0.110	0.000	1.741	2.318	1.284
Bank of Ireland	0.179	0.070	0.000	1.420	1.117	0.787
Northern	0.583	0.265	0.205	0.322	0.529	0.430
Ulster	0.288	0.046	0.219	0.214	0.412	0.230
First Trust	0.000	0.000	0.000	0.250	0.856	0.550
TSB	0.632	0.082	0.000	0.303	2.656	0.860
Bank of Wales(9)	0.000	0.030	0.000	0.000	0.000	0.000
Northern Venture Managers	0.000	0.000	0.000	0.270	0.325	0.000
Yorkshire Enterprise	0.025	0.250	0.225	0.465	0.528	0.302
DonBAC	0.087	0.052	0.218	0.425	0.331	0.050
Lenta	0.000	0.035	0.013	0.005	0.010	0.000
Equatorial(9)	0.025	0.000	0.000	0.000	0.000	0.000
Ulster Development Capital	0.057	0.105	0.000	0.000	0.000	0.000
Total	82.571	67.685	49.594	148.073	243.579	130.218

(8) To 30 September.

(9) No longer a lender.

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These figures may differ from ones quoted previously. They take account of loans guaranteed but subsequently withdrawn before the loan is taken out.

AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD

Common Fisheries Policy

Sir Richard Body: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will describe the baseline between Skegness and Great Yarmouth for the purposes of the common fisheries policy. [14649]

Mr. Baldry: The territorial sea baseline is drawn in accordance with the Territorial Waters Order in Council 1964, as amended by the Territorial Waters Order (Amendment) Order 1979. The base points are held and maintained by the territorial waters officer of the UK Hydrographic Office, Taunton.

EU Legislation

Mr. Steen: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how he ensures that the negotiating

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brief for his officials discussing EU legislation takes fully into account the need to minimise the burdens on United Kingdom business. [13716]

Mr. Boswell: Guidance on how officials are to apply deregulatory principles when negotiating EC regulations is contained in the booklet, "Getting a Good Deal in Europe". This guidance has been supplemented by the recent publication of guidance on the preparation of compliance cost assessments, which stresses that the likely burdens on business highlighted by UK compliance cost assessments of EC proposals should be integral to the UK's negotiating strategy. Copies of both pieces of guidance are in the Library of the House.

Meat Hygiene Service

Mr. Gill: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is (a) the highest and (b) the lowest hourly rate charged to abattoirs by the Meat Hygiene Service for the services of official veterinary surgeons. [15087]

Mrs. Browning: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given on 30 January to his previous question on the subject of official veterinary surgeons' hourly rates, Official Report, column 694.

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LORD CHANCELLOR'S DEPARTMENT

Public Record Office

Dr. Marek: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department, what plans he has for the future of the site and building of the Public Record Office, Chancery lane. [10891]

Sir Paul Beresford: I have been asked to reply.

The efficiency scrutiny of the Public Record Office concluded that operations should be transferred to new premises at Kew. This transfer should be completed by the end of 1996. Other Government Departments have been widely canvassed, but there is no serious interest in re-use of the existing premises at Chancery lane. They will become surplus to requirements and will be disposed of on the open market by Property Holdings.

Complex Fraud Cases

Mr. Amess: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will make it his policy to introduce measures to allow complex fraud cases to be heard by expert juries. [13890]

Mr. Maclean: I have been asked to reply.

Not at present. This is only one of a number of possible approaches which would require careful consideration before any alternative to the current jury system was adopted.

Anonymity Orders

Mr. Peter Bottomley: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department, pursuant to his answer of 31 January 1996, Official Report, column 749, if the anonymity order by Mr. Justice Johnson continues indefinitely; and if he will make it Government policy that no dead person's identity can be kept secret. [14040]

Mr. Jonathan Evans: A judgment by the president of the family division on 8 December 1995 confirmed that the order made by Mr. Justice Johnson regarding the anonymity of patient C and other individuals connected with the proceedings should continue beyond patient C's death. The text of the president's two judgments and that of Mr. Justice Johnson in this case are available in the Library of the House.

Questions relating to the anonymity of those involved in proceedings are matters for the court. The court will make its decision based on all the circumstances of the case.

Departmental Publications

Dr. Wright: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department which of his Department's administrative manuals and internal guidance are now made public; and which remain private. [14028]

Mr. Jonathan Evans: The Department produces a wide range of administrative manuals and internal guidance: 13 are in the public domain and a further 84 are available for public inspection or could be provided

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on request. A list of these will be made available in the Libraries of both Houses. Guidance on security matters is not available to the public.

Information on the full range of documents used for internal guidance could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

In accordance with the code of practice on access to Govnerment information a charge may be made to cover any additional costs of copies requested for retention.

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