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Private Medical Insurance
Mr. Colvin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will add osteopathic and chiropractor treatments to the list of those paid for from private medical insurance policies that are eligible for tax relief. [15467]
Mr. Jack: Private medical insurance relief is aimed at policies that offer types of treatment normally provided free of charge by the NHS. When the relief was introduced in 1989, the then Chief Secretary to the Treasury said in Committee: "We shall not include treatments not normally available under the National Health Service". [Official Report, Standing Committee G, 25 May 1989, c.229].
Osteopathy and chiropracty are usually provided privately, so insurance policies that indemnify the cost of these treatments are not eligible for private medical insurance relief.
I have no plans to alter the current rules regarding eligibility of polices.
Mr. Forman:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what would the single positive rate of income tax need to be in 1996-97, assuming a personal allowance of £5,000 and the abolition of all other tax expenditures, exemptions and reliefs now allowable against income tax, in order to introduce it on a revenue rental basis. [16078]
Mr. Jack:
It is estimated that a single rate of about 23 per cent. would be needed in 1996-97 to achieve revenue neutrality. This assumes a personal allowance of £5,000 and the abolition of all other income tax
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allowances, and mortgage interest relief, tax relief on employees contributions to occupational and personal pension schemes, reliefs for TESSAs, PEPs, profit-related pay, national savings certificates, employee share schemes and charitable giving.
This estimate does not take into account the substantial behavioural effects which might result from the introduction of such a change nor do they allow for any subsequent changes to the tax system, such as changes to tax relief on employer's contributions to pension schemes or relief for investment income in pension funds.
Mr. Forman:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what would be the estimated full year cost in 1996-97 of making the 20 per cent. rate the only positive rate of tax for all income tax payers. [16079]
Mr. Jack:
The estimated full year cost of introducing a single 20 per cent. rate of income tax at 1996-97 income levels would be about £16 billion. These estimates do not take account of any behavioural effects that might result from the introduction of the new regime.
Mrs. Roche:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many civil servants, and at what civil service grades are involved in paying the Treasury's bills. [16201]
Mrs. Angela Knight
[holding answer 20 February 1996]: Staff in many grades throughout the Treasury are involved in checking invoices for purchases made by their directorates.
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In addition, there is a central team for purchasing and bill paying of eight personal at administrative and executive officer grades.
Mrs. Roche:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer to what extent payment of bills by his Department is computerised. [16196]
Mrs. Knight
[holding answer 20 February 1996]: Bill paying is computerised, as is the registration of invoices; checking and other steps are not.
Mr. Alan Williams:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much has been spent on external legal advice for Ministers and civil servants in relation to the Scott inquiry and report since the period covered by his answer of 16 January, Official Report, column 527. [15929]
Mr. Kenneth Clarke
[holding answer 20 February 1996]: The value of accounts settled from public funds by my departments in the period since the making of the payments comprising the sum given in my answer of 16 January, Official Report, column 527, for the provision of external legal services on behalf of civil servants in connection with the Scott inquiry and report, is £3,037. There has been no comparable expenditure on behalf of ministers.
Mrs. Roche:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much money his Department expects to be collected under self-assessment in 1996-97 from overpayment of income tax. [16202]
Mr. Jack
[holding answer 20 February 1996]: No estimate has been made. The payments collected under self-assessments in 1996-97 will be the first payments on account for 1996-97, due on 31 January 1997. The amounts due will be based on taxpayers' 1995-96 liabilities. Taxpayers will have the right to claim to reduce the amounts due if they think their tax liability for 1996-97 will be less than for 1995-96.
Mrs. Roche:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment his Department has made of the proportion of taxpayers due to pay under the self-assessment system who are likely to make errors leading to financial penalties. [16198]
Mr. Jack
[holding answer 20 February 1996]: The Department does not expect straightforward errors by taxpayers under self-assessment to lead to financial penalties. The Revenue intends to put right such errors when the return is processed, and taxpayers will not face financial penalties when such "repairs" are made.
Mrs. Roche:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans his Department has to regulate unqualified tax advisers. [16199]
Mr. Jack
[holding answer 20 February 1996]: We currently have no plans to do so.
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Dr. Marek:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the effective cost to public funds or low pay; and what plans he has to reduce it. [16389]
Mr. Waldegrave:
There is no such cost: having more people in work increases output and reduces public expenditure.
Mr. Dafis:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what response he has made to the section on environmental accounting in the second report of the British Government panel on sustainable development; [16612]
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory:
The Government expect to publish their response to the second report of the Government panel on sustainable development towards the end of March.
Mr. Ian McCartney:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many (i) men and (ii) women, between the ages of (a) 16 to 24 years, (b) 25 to 49 years and (c) 50 to 64 years are employed but earn less than the lower earnings limit for national insurance contributions; and what proportion such people make of the total working population of each sex in each age group.[16616]
Mrs. Angela Knight:
Information from the labour force survey of spring 1995 is shown in the table:
(2) if he will make a statement on the conclusions of the British Government panel on sustainable development in paragraph 22 of its second report about the effect of the current emphasis on gross domestic product and gross national product on the decision-making process. [16627]
| Age | Employees(5) earning less than £58 per week (thousands) | Percentage of total age group |
|---|---|---|
| Males | ||
| 16-24 | 312.5 | 17.8 |
| 25-49 | 73.9 | 1.0 |
| 50-64 | 47.6 | 2.3 |
| Females | ||
| 16-24 | 423.0 | 25.1 |
| 25-49 | 1,017.4 | 15.4 |
| 50-64 | 390.3 | 20.3 |
(5) Earnings information is not available for the self employed.
Mr. Meacher:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the answer of 13 February, Official Report, column 537, regarding wages council rates, what were the average wages per hour and per week in each of these industries; what is the national average wage referred to per week; what date the figures relate to; and how many employees were receiving these minimum hourly rates in each industry and in total. [16346]
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Mrs. Knight
[holding answer 22 February 1996]: The average wages referred to by my hon. Friend in his reply of 13 February were calculated from information taken from the new earnings survey of April 1993. The national wage referred to the average gross hourly earnings, excluding overtime, of all full-time employees on adult rates whose pay for the survey period was not affected by absence. This was equal to £7.82 in April 1993. The equivalent average weekly wage was £316.90. Further information from the new earnings survey is provided in the attached table.
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