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Redundancies
Mr. Cousins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the redundancy rate per 1,000 employees for each broad occupational group using the data from the spring labour force survey from 1989 to 1995. [17796]
Mrs. Angela Knight: The information is given for people made redundant in the three months prior to their labour force survey interview in the spring quarters between 1991 and 1995. Data for 1989 and 1990 are not available on a comparable basis. The figures reflect the occupation in which people were last employed, or, for those people in paid employment, the occupation that they were in at the time of the interview.
| Spring 1991 | Spring 1992 | Spring 1993 | Spring 1994 | Spring 1995 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Managers and administrators | 13.1 | 12.2 | 8.3 | 9.8 | 10.2 |
| Professional | 7.5 | 6.3 | 6.1 | 4.5 | 5.3 |
| Associate professional and technical | 13.2 | 10.6 | 8.5 | 5.7 | 8.1 |
| Clerical and secretarial | 14.3 | 14.7 | 9.9 | 7.8 | 10.6 |
| Craft and Related | 32.7 | 27.9 | 20.7 | 18.2 | 15.7 |
| Personal and protective | 9.7 | 6.9 | 6.9 | 5.8 | 6.3 |
| Sales | 16.6 | 14.8 | 15.5 | 10 | 13.8 |
| Plant and machine operatives | 30.1 | 22.8 | 22.7 | 16.1 | 12.8 |
| Other | 19.5 | 16.4 | 14.6 | 9.2 | 10.4 |
Leisure Industry (Seasonal Workers)
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many seasonal workers are employed in the United Kingdom leisure and entertainment industry in the most recent year for which figures are available. [17789]
Mrs. Angela Knight: The information requested is provided in the table.
| Standard industrial classification | Q2 94 | Q3 94 | Q4 94 | Q1 95 | Q2 95 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hotels and restaurants | 50 | 33 | 14 | 22 | 49 |
| Recreational, cultural and sporting activities | 31 | 15 | (5)-- | 10 | 31 |
| Travel agencies, tour operators | (5)-- | (5)-- | (5)-- | (5)-- | (5)-- |
| Total(4) | 83 | 51 | 20 | 33 | 83 |
(3) Unadjusted.
(4) Due to rounding may not equal sum of component industries.
(5) Denotes reliable estimate not available.
Source:
Labour Force Survey.
4 Mar 1996 : Column: 31
Unemployment
Mr. Cox: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the current level of unemployment (a) in the Greater London area and (b) in other regions in the United Kingdom. [17727]
Mrs. Angela Knight: Nomis gives information on claimant unemployment and the labour force survey quarterly bulletin gives information on ILO unemployment. Both are available from the House of Commons Library.
Share Dividends
Mr. Cohen: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of change in the average percentage dividends paid by industrial and commercial companies to their shareholders in (a) 1994 and (b) 1995. [17423]
Mrs. Angela Knight: Information on payments of dividends by industrial and commercial companies are published in the Central Statistical Office's "First Release--Quarterly National Accounts", and in the CSO publications, "UK Economic Accounts" and "Financial Statistics". These are available from the Library of the House. The latest seasonally adjusted data from 1994 and 1995 for industrial and commercial companies' dividends payments in pounds million, and dividends payments as a percentage of industrial and commercial companies gross trading profits, including stock appreciation, are as follows:
| Dividends payments (excluding payments to overseas parents) | As a percentage of industrial and commercial companies' gross trading profits | |
|---|---|---|
| 1994 Q1 | 4,771 | 20.7 |
| 1994 Q2 | 5,801 | 23.2 |
| 1994 Q3 | 5,926 | 22.9 |
| 1994 Q4 | 6,177 | 22.6 |
| 1995 Q1 | 6,647 | 25.0 |
| 1995 Q2 | 6,140 | 22.1 |
| 1995 Q3 | 6,612 | 24,3 |
Data for 1995 Q4 will be published on 26 March 1996.
Additionally, table 7.1G of the CSO publication "Financial Statistics" contains dividend yields.
Devaluation
Mr. MacShane: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the impact of a
4 Mar 1996 : Column: 32
devaluation of the French franc equivalent to the devaluation of the pound sterling since 1992 on British trade with France. [17961]
Mrs. Angela Knight: No estimate has been made of the impact of such a devaluation of the French franc on British trade with France.
However, British trade with France depends on a wide range of factors, of which the exchange rate is only one, and it is difficult to disentangle the various influences. In any case, without knowing the circumstances surrounding a devaluation of the French franc, it would be impossible to estimate its likely effects.
Mr. MacShane:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the impact of a devaluation of the German mark equivalent to the devaluation of the pound sterling since 1992 on British trade with Germany. [17960]
Mrs. Knight:
No estimate has been made of the impact of such a devaluation of the German mark on British trade with Germany.
However, British trade with Germany depends on a wide range of factors, of which the exchange rate is only one, and it is difficult to disentangle the various influences. In any case, without knowing the circumstances surrounding a devaluation of the German mark, it would be impossible to estimate its likely effects.
Mr. Pearson:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate his Department has made of the cost to the Exchequer resulting from the tax credit claimed by gross funds on the special dividend in the Granada takeover offer for Forte. [18346]
Mr. Jack:
I am unable to comment on the tax affairs of particular taxpayers.
Mr. John D. Taylor:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what are the reasons for the rules in respect of tax relief which apply to subscriptions to (a) the Royal College of Nursing and (b) Unison; and what plans he has to standardise the rules. [17890]
Mr. Jack:
Tax relief may be given under section 201 of the Income and Corporation Taxes Act 1988 for subscriptions paid by employees to approved bodies. A body may be approved by the board of Inland Revenue if it meets the conditions laid down in the Act. The same conditions apply to all bodies. Whether a particular body meets the conditions is a matter between it and the Inland Revenue.
Mr. Sheerman:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what have been the average working hours per week of those in full-time employment in each of the last 15 years. [18506]
Mrs. Angela Knight:
The table following gives the information available from the labour force survey.
4 Mar 1996 : Column: 33
| Hours worked | |
|---|---|
| Spring 1984 | 44.8 |
| Spring 1985 | 44.2 |
| Spring 1986 | 44.5 |
| Spring 1987 | 44.7 |
| Spring 1988 | 44.9 |
| Spring 1989 | 44.9 |
| Spring 1990 | 44.9 |
| Spring 1991 | 44.7 |
| Spring 1992 | 44.5 |
| Spring 1993 | 44.6 |
| Spring 1994 | 44.8 |
| Spring 1995 | 44.9 |
Local Government Finance
Mr. Matthew Banks: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what changes he plans to make to the quotas for lending to local authorities by the Public Works Loan Board. [19207]
Mrs. Angela Knight: The public works loan commissioners have issued a circular today notifying local authorities that there will be no change in the formula for calculating quotas for 1996-97.
Copies of the circular have been placed in the Libraries of the House.
Regulatory Bodies
Mr. Steen: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list each regulatory body for which he is responsible indicating for each the percentage of business people on the board. [15743]
Mrs. Angela Knight [holding answer 20 February 1996]: The percentage of business people on the board of each regulatory body is as follows:
Public Works Loan Board--58 per cent.
Securities and Investment Board--66 per cent.
VAT and duties tribunals--not known.
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