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Duty (Hydrocarbon Oils)
Mr. Matthew Banks: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps are being taken to prevent
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avoidance of duty on hydrocarbon oils by mixing products after the duty has been paid. [23503]
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory: Subject to a resolution of the House, the Government will be bringing forward two new clauses at the report stage of the Finance Bill. These clauses will ensure that duty at the appropriate rate will have to be paid if non-dutiable kerosene is added to diesel road fuel, or to gas oil for use in off-road vehicles respectively. The first new clause will also ensure that lead or octane enhancers cannot be added to unleaded petrol by distributors or retailers without the higher rate of duty being paid. Both new clauses will come into force on a date to be specified in an order made by the commissioners of Customs and Excise.
Mr. Banks: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to review the law covering the duty on hydrocarbon oils. [23507]
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory: Customs and Excise will shortly be starting a major review of the legislation covering the way hydrocarbon oil duty is charged with the aim of bringing forward proposals next year for having it set out more clearly and simply. Customs will be consulting fully with the trade and other interested parties. The intention is not to review the rates of duty charged or the current rebates and exemptions or the time at which duty is charged, matters on which the Chancellor of the Exchequer will make his decisions in the normal way, but to put the existing provisions in a simpler and more robust format which will be better able to cope with the introduction of new products.
Valuation Office
Mr. Matthew Banks: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what targets will be set for the Valuation Office executive agency for the year 1996-97. [23504]
Mrs. Angela Knight: The following key targets have been set for the Valuation Office in 1996-97:
Operational
to clear 100,000 appeals against the council tax valuation lists;
to clear 330,000 appeals in aggregate against the 1990 and 1995 rating lists;
to undertake 64,000 valuation cases for the Inland Revenue for capital gains tax and inheritance tax purposes.
Financial and cost efficiency
to ensure that the agency's net operating cost, after deducting the cost of statutory non-chargeable work, is at least fully covered by receipts;
to break even from year to year within each business segment, after charging for the full cost of chargeable services including notional interest of 6 per cent. on the average working capital;
to achieve efficiency savings of 7.9 per cent. on the agency's gross expenditure.
Quality of service
to reply to 100 per cent. of correspondence within 20 working days of receipt;
to achieve specified time limits on 97 per cent. of cases undertaken;
to achieve a specified valuation quality standard in 85 per cent. of cases carried out.
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Government Borrowing
Mr. Matthew Banks: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will give details of the Government's borrowing programme for 1996-97. [23505]
Mrs. Angela Knight: Yes. The Government today published the 1996-97 debt management report. This report, the second of the series, includes details of the 1996-97 borrowing programme and the Government's remit to Bank of England for gilt sales in 1996-97. Copies have been placed in the Library of the House.
Sales of Debt
Mr. Matthew Banks: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to publish a remit for sales of debt by the Department for National Savings. [23506]
Mrs. Angela Knight: The remit for the Department for National Savings for 1996-97 is as follows:
Objectives
The Department for National Savings' declared aim is to support the Government's management of their debt and their policies for personal savings by attracting and retaining investments from the retail market efficiently and cost-effectively.
The Department's primary task is therefore to be an efficiency and cost-effective source of funding for Her Majesty's Government. It is also charged with maintaining a suitable range of schemes to encourage savings among the population.
Volume of Funding in 1996-97
The net contribution of national savings to funding in 1996-97 is assumed to be around £3.0 billion.
Responsibilities
The Treasury is responsible, under the National Loans Act 1968, for setting the terms of national savings products. DNS will normally take the lead in bringing forward proposals to Treasury Ministers on product terms, including rates.
Cost Comparisons
The Government intend that National Savings' contribution to funding should offer value for money overall compared with other sources of funding. Product terms will take account of the need for DNS to retain the capability and market presence to contribute to the Government's funding needs over the medium term.
NORTHERN IRELAND
Parliamentary Questions
Mr. Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many questions were tabled to his Department in each Session since 1987-88; how many were not answered on the grounds of disproportionate cost; what percentage of the total number of questions this represented; how many were not answered on the grounds that the information was not centrally available; and what percentage of the total number of questions this represented. [21150]
Sir John Wheeler: The figures for the Northern Ireland Office and Northern Ireland Departments since 1987-88 are in the table.
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| Year | Oral questions | Written questions |
|---|---|---|
| 1987-88 | 354 | 2,205 |
| 1988-89 | 264 | 1,275 |
| 1989-90 | 247 | 1,461 |
| 1990-91 | 227 | 1,214 |
| 1991-92 | 123 | 757 |
| 1992-93 | 332 | 1,775 |
| 1993-94 | 220 | 1,285 |
| 1994-95 | 235 | 1,761 |
| 1995-96 | 87 | 639 |
These figures have been produced from the POLIS--parliamentary on-line information system--database. The figures reflect the number of questions answered and should be treated as indicative only; because of certain factors, complete accuracy on departmental activity cannot be provided.
The further information requested could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Mr. Peter Robinson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, pursuant to his answer of 29 January, Official Report, column 525, what the annual production of table-sized rainbow trout from the 104 fattening ponds has been in each of the last 10 years. [21799]
Mr. Ancram:
This information is not available. The licences under which these small ponds operate precludes the sale of the fish produced.
Mr. Robinson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, pursuant to his answer of 29 January, Official Report, column 525, which Government Department sanctions and licences the movements of the live juvenile rainbow trout from the fish farms which supply to each of the fattening ponds. [21803]
Mr. Ancram:
The Department of Agriculture for Northern Ireland.
Mr. Robinson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, pursuant to his answer of 29 January, Official Report, column 525, if he will list by title and location each of the ponds where rainbow trout are artificially fed. [21811]
Mr. Ancram:
A list of the names and addresses of those holding fish culture licences for garden ponds has been placed in the Library of the House.
Mr. Robinson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, pursuant to his answer of 29 January, Official Report, column 525, if he will publish the licences of recorded movements of juvenile rainbow trout from the fish farms which supply each fattening pond. [21805]
Mr. Ancram:
A copy of the permits issued during 1995 under the Fisheries Act (Northern Ireland) 1966 which authorise the movement of live fish and which relate to the supply of juvenile rainbow trout from the fish farms which supply each pond has been placed in the Library of the House.
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Mr. Robinson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, pursuant to his answer of 29 January, Official Report, column 525, how often the ponds are tested for enteric red mouth disease. [21809]
Mr. Ancram:
No routine disease monitoring is undertaken at these ponds where production is not permitted to exceed 500 fish per annum. Testing for a range of diseases, including enteric redmouth is carried out when exposure to infection is suspected and when abnormal mortalities or disease outbreaks are reported as required under the terms of fish culture licences.
Mr. Robinson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, pursuant to his answer of 29 January, Official Report, column 525, what information the operators of the ponds are required to provide to the Fisheries Conservancy Board. [21797]
Mr. Robinson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, pursuant to his answer of 29 January, Official Report, column 525, if a fish dealer's licence is required to purchase the mature rainbow trout from the fattening ponds for supply to fishmongers, hotels and the catering trade. [21801]
Mr. Ancram:
The supply of fish to fishmongers, hotels and the catering trade is precluded by the terms of the licences under which these ponds operate.
Mr. Robinson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, pursuant to his answer of 29 January, Official Report, column 525, how many recorded uses of chemicals at the ponds there were in (i) 1993, (ii) 1994 and (iii) 1995. [21808]
Mr. Robinson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, pursuant to his answer of 29 January, Official Report, column 525, on what date each of the 104 ponds were granted a fish culture licence under section 11 of the Fisheries Act Northern Ireland 1966. [21800]
Mr. Ancram:
This information is contained on the list of holders of fish culture licences in respect of garden ponds which has been placed in the Library of the House.
Mr. Robinson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, pursuant to his answer of 29 January, Official Report, column 525, how many of the sites where rainbow trout are artificially fed have been granted a fish culture licence under section 11 of the Fisheries Act Northern Ireland 1966. [21804]
Mr. Ancram:
All known sites where rainbow trout are artificially fed have been granted a fish culture licence under section 11 of the Fisheries Act (Northern Ireland) 1966.
Mr. Robinson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, pursuant to his answer of 29 January, Official Report, column 525, how often officials of the Fisheries Conservancy Board visit each of the fattening ponds. [21802]
Mr. Ancram:
There is no routine monitoring of ponds by officials of the Fisheries Conservancy Board for Northern Ireland: the monitoring of compliance with fish culture licence conditions is the responsibility of the Department of Agriculture for Northern Ireland.
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Mr. Robinson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, pursuant to his answer of 29 January, Official Report, column 525, what measures are in place to ensure that rainbow trout from the ponds have been reared to Government standards. [21806]
Mr. Ancram:
Appropriate requirements are imposed as conditions of the fish culture licence.
Mr. Robinson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, pursuant to his answer of 29 January, Official Report, column 525, how many of the ponds are used and supplied directly by Movanagher fish farm to grow on to maturity. [21810]
Mr. Robinson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, pursuant to his answer of 29 January, Official Report, column 525, if he will list the fish farms which have supplied and are currently supplying juvenile rainbow trout to the 104 fattening ponds. [21798]
Mr. Ancram:
Historic information on those fish farms which have supplied juvenile rainbow trout to the ponds is not readily available and could be compiled only at disproportionate cost.
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