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Assisted Areas
Mr. Wigley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list those employment areas which have assisted area status and whose unemployment level on his latest assessment is less than 10 per cent. [22202]
Mrs. Angela Knight: Information on percentage rates of claimant unemployment is available for assisted areas which have boundaries which align with travel-to-work areas. This information can be obtained from the Nomis database accessed by the House of Commons Library.
Company Cars
Mr. Corbyn: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of (a) the cost of the tax relief on company cars and (b) the number of such cars (i) in each year since 1980 and (ii) in the current tax year. [19063]
Mr. Jack [holding answer 5 March 1996]: The cost of tax relief on business cars is to a large extent offset by the tax yield on the private use of such cars. Detailed estimates of the overall number of business cars are not available but the estimated cost in 1995-96 of capital allowances claimed on all business cars, including those purchased by unincorporated businesses, is £2.2 billion.
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This compares with an offsetting yield from the taxation of the private use for employees of £1.4 billion. Estimates of the cost of relief are not produced on a regular basis.
| Number with taxable car benefit (thousands) | |
|---|---|
| 1980-81(26) | 560 |
| 1981-82(26) | 650 |
| 1982-83(26) | 790 |
| 1983-84(26) | 850 |
| 1985-86 | 1,070 |
| 1987-88 | 1,550 |
| 1988-89 | 1,750 |
| 1989-90 | 1,850 |
| 1990-91 | 1,950 |
| 1991-92 | 1,900 |
| 1992-93 | 1,810 |
| 1993-94 | 1,740 |
| 1994-95 | 1,700 |
| 1995-96 | 1,700 |
(26) Figures exclude married women.
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EU Citizens Working Abroad
Mr. Wareing: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the number of each EU member states' citizens who were working in each other member state at the latest available date. [22239]
Mrs. Angela Knight [holding answer 22 March 1996]: Latest information on the number of people in the labour force from other EU countries is shown in the following table.
| Thousands | |
|---|---|
| Belgium | 231 |
| Denmark | 16 |
| Germany (West) | 1,029 |
| Greece | 7 |
| Spain | 32 |
| France | 664 |
| Ireland | 33 |
| Italy | 18 |
| Luxembourg | 64 |
| Netherlands | 110 |
| Portugal | 11 |
| United Kingdom | 453 |
(27) Includes those in employment and those classed as ILO unemployed.
(28) Reference period: Netherlands (January-June), France (February-April), Denmark (February-June), United Kingdom (March-June), Italy, (April), Spain (April-June), Ireland and Portugal (April-July), Greece (April-August), Belgium, W. Germany and Luxembourg (May).
Source:
Labour Force Survey Results 1994, Eurostat.
EU Monetary Committee
Mr. Wilkinson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what has been the total cost to date in the financial year 1995-96 of travel, accommodation and subsistence for attendances by the Second Permanent Secretary of Her Majesty's Treasury at meetings of the Monetary Committee of the European Union. [21484]
Mrs. Angela Knight [holding answer 19 March 1996]: There have been 11 meetings of the Monetary Committee in 1995-96. Part of the costs of attendance are refunded by the European Commission. In the period to 21 November 1995 the costs of attendance by the Second Permanent Secretary of HM Treasury amounted to £4,250, of which £2,587 has been reimbursed. Since then, the costs of attendance have been £1,674, some of which will be reimbursed too.
Labour Statistics
Mr. Flynn: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the current estimate of the number of people who were counted more than once in Government employment statistics in each of the past five years. [22806]
Mrs. Angela Knight [holding answer 25 March 1996]: Estimates from the employer-based work force in employment series are derived from employers' reports of the number of people they employ and, as such, individuals holding two jobs with different employers will be counted twice. Estimates of the number of such
26 Mar 1996 : Column: 580
"double-jobbers" are not available. Estimates from the Labour Force Survey of the number of people with two or more jobs are provided in the following table:
| 1991 | 1,087 |
| 1992 | 970 |
| 1993 | 1,037 |
| 1994 | 1,142 |
| 1995 | 1,280 |
Source:
CSO, Labour Force Survey.
SCOTLAND
Dunblane (Shootings)
Mr. Canavan: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, pursuant to his oral statement of 14 March 1996, Official Report, columns 1107-16, who issued a firearms certificate to Thomas Hamilton; on whose recommendation; and how many firearms it covered. [21666]
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton: These matters are sub judice following Lord Cullen's appointment to conduct an inquiry under the Tribunals of Inquiry (Evidence) Act 1921.
Child Care Initiative
Mr. Chisholm: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much money he has allocated to the local enterprise companies for the out-of-school child care initiative in 1996-97; and how much each LEC plans to spend on it. [21574]
Mr. Kynoch: A total of £0.5 million has been made available to the enterprise network as a whole for the out-of-school child care initiative in 1996-97. The amount spent by each LEC will depend on local needs and priorities.
Council Tax Arrears
Mr. Kirkwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what estimate he has made of the accumulated arrears of community charge and council tax in each existing Scottish local authority which will be handed to their successor unitary authority; and what proportion of those arrears he estimates are capable of collection. [21699]
Mr. Kynoch: Information on uncollected community charge and council tax, including water charges, is collected by regional and islands council area. The difference between amounts billed and amounts collected as at 31 December 1995, the most recent date for which the information is currently available, is set out in the table below. We expect the new local authorities to use their best endeavours to collect all outstanding amounts.
26 Mar 1996 : Column: 581
| Authority | Community charge | Council tax | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Borders | 3,400 | 1,500 | 4,900 |
| Central | 14,600 | 4,700 | 19,300 |
| Dumfries and Galloway | 4,400 | 3,000 | 7,400 |
| Fife | 24,800 | 7,500 | 32,300 |
| Grampian | 20,400 | 9,300 | 29,700 |
| Highland | 12,400 | 8,400 | 20,800 |
| Lothian | 111,800 | 31,800 | 143,600 |
| Strathclyde | 360,600 | 98,400 | 459,000 |
| Tayside | 30,300 | 10,700 | 41,000 |
| Orkney | 200 | 300 | 500 |
| Shetland | 200 | 400 | 600 |
| Western Isles | 1,200 | 800 | 2,000 |
| Scotland | 584,300 | 176,800 | 761,100 |
Dumfries and Galloway Health Board
Mr. Redmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what severance payments were made to the general manager who recently resigned from Dumfries and Galloway health board other than standard health retirement rights. [21724]
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton: The general manager of Dumfries and Galloway health board will resign with effect from 31 May 1996 on six months paid notice in terms of his contract of employment. In the interim, he is working on secondment elsewhere within the health service in Scotland.
NHS Management
Mr. Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the chief executives of national health service trusts and general managers of health boards whose employment has ceased during the last 18 months. [21768]
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton: The list shows those chief executives of NHS trusts and general managers of health boards who have ceased NHS employment in Scotland since 1 September 1994.
Health board general managers
Mr. D. Banks, Dumfries and Galloway
Mr. J. T. Donald, Common Services Agency
Mr. J. Eckford, Ayrshire and Arran
Mr. J. Lusby, Lothian
Mr. R. Mullan, Western Isles
Mr. D. A. Peters, Borders
Mr. I. C. Smith, Argyll and Clyde
Trust chief executives 1
Ms M. Boyle, Stobhill
Mr. St. John Hattersley, Highland Communities
Mrs. E. Hogg, Moray Health Services
Mr. R. Smail, Kirkcaldy Acute Hospitals
Mr. H. Sutherland, Ayrshire and Arran Community
1 The list excludes chief executives who resigned from one NHS employer in Scotland and became employed by another
26 Mar 1996 : Column: 582
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