8 May 1996 : Column: 127
Written Answers to Questions
Wednesday 8 May 1996
TREASURY
Works of Art
Mr. Wilson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) if he will list those locations where the register of conditionally exempt works of art is available for inspection by (a) hon. Members and (b) the general public; [27115]
- (2) pursuant to his reply of 16 April, Official Report column 367, if he will as an interim measure place in the Library a printed copy of the register of conditionally exempt works of art. [27125]
Mr. Jack: The computerised register, which now has more than 16,500 entries, can be consulted at the national art library in the Victoria and Albert museum, London, the national library of Scotland, Edinburgh, the national museum of Wales, Cardiff, and the Ulster museum, Belfast. Copies of the register in computer-readable format may also be purchased from the capital taxes office of the Inland Revenue for £10. In addition, the register will be available on the Internet, and in a much improved and user-friendly form before the end of the year.
European Union
Mr. David Shaw: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his answer of 22 April, Official Report, column 10-11, if he will list the total net contributions to the European union since 1973 in current terms. [28078]
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory: The UK's net contributions to the EC budget since 1973, in current terms, are set out in the table.
| Net contribution at 1995-96 prices | |
|---|---|
| Year | (£ million) |
| 1973-74 | 619 |
| 1974-75 | -189 |
| 1975-76 | 69 |
| 1976-77 | 847 |
| 1977-78 | 1,861 |
| 1978-79 | 2,300 |
| 1979-80 | 2,268 |
| 1980-81 | 505 |
| 1981-82 | 445 |
| 1982-83 | 1,360 |
| 1983-84 | 1,695 |
| 1984-85 | 1,903 |
| 1985-86 | 1,580 |
| 1986-87 | 1,887 |
| 1987-88 | 2,658 |
| 1988-89 | 1,604 |
| 1989-90 | 3,153 |
| 1990-91 | 2,601 |
| 1991-92 | 1,057 |
| 1992-93 | 2,334 |
| 1993-94 | 2,294 |
| 1994-95 | 1,686 |
| 1995-96 | (1)3,533 |
(1) Latest estimate.
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Office for National Statistics
Mr. Matthew Banks: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what appointments have been made to the statistics advisory committee and to the management board of the Office for National Statistics. [28586]
Mr. Kenneth Clarke: The statistics advisory committee advises the director of the Office for National Statistics on the statistical work of the office, on annual corporate targets and on his responsibilities as head of the Government statistical service. It comprises members who are customers, data suppliers or others with appropriate knowledge acting in a personal capacity. Members of the committee are:
Dr. D. Holt (Chairman): Director of the Office for National Statistics, Registrar General for England and Wales, and head of the Government statistical service
Mr. Khalid Aziz: Chairman, the Aziz Corporation
Professor Jonathan Bradshaw: Director, Institute for Research in the Social Sciences, University of York
Mr. Simon Briscoe: Chief UK economist, Nikko Europe plc
Sir Samuel Brittan: Assistant editor, Financial Times
Sir Kenneth Calman: Chief medical officer
Mr. Alain Chantraine: Director of general matters, international and interinstitutional relations, and external and intra-community trade statistics, Eurostat
Mr. Robert Clements: Head of social and general statistics, House of Commons Library
Mr. Robert Culpin: Second permanent secretary, HM Treasury
Professor Liam Donaldson: Regional director and director of public health, NHS Executive Northern and Yorkshire region
Ms Teresa Graham: Partner, Baker Tilly, Chartered Accountants; member of the Government's deregulation task force
Mr. Michael Jennings: Assistant chief executive, Surrey county council
Mr. Mervyn King: Executive director, Bank of England
Ms Ruth Lea: Head of the policy unit, Institute of Directors; member of the Nurses' Pay Review Body; member of the Economic and Social Research Council research centres board
Professor Denise Lievesley: Director, Economic and Social Research Council data archive
Professor Howard Newby: Vice-Chancellor, University of Southampton
Mrs. Bridget Rosewell: Joint managing director, Business Strategies Ltd; member of the Treasury's panel of independent forecasters
Mr. Andrew Sentance: Director, centre for economic forecasting, London Business School
Professor Adrian Smith: President, Royal Statistical Society
Mrs. Alison Wright: Director general, British Invisibles
Secretary
Mr. John Pullinger: Director of policy and planning, Office for National Statistics.
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Mr. John Beaumont: Director of strategy and business development, Energis Communications Limited
Mrs. Mary Berg: Independent consultant; equal opportunities commissioner.
Value Added Tax
Mr. Spearing: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what powers of treaty articles, regulations or directives of the European Community relating to VAT limit the discretion of national Governments or parliaments to determine the degree of retrospective application of judgments made in accordance with (a) treaty articles, (b) regulations, (c) national primary or secondary legislation, pursuant to directives and (d) the case of Primback v. Customs and Excise. [27572]
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory [holding answer 1 May 1996]: There are no treaty articles, regulations or directives of the European Community relating to VAT which specifically limit the discretion of national Governments or parliaments to determine the degree of retrospective application of judgments of the sort instanced above. Member states are entitled to operate national procedures limiting the number of years' overpaid tax which will be refunded, provided such rules do not discriminate between actions based on EC law and those based only on national law, or make it impossible in practice to exercise EC rights.
Business Subsidies
Mrs. Roche: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the grants and loans provided by his Department to businesses, and the criteria they have to meet in order to obtain the subsidy. [28193]
Mrs. Angela Knight [holding answer 7 May 1996]: The Treasury does not make grants or loans to businesses.
HEALTH
GP Lists
Mr. David Nicholson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what provisions in the patients charter offer (a) security, (b) reassurance, (c) appeal and (d) redress to elderly patients in respect of the possibility of being removed from their original general practitioner's list; and what representations he has received to amend (i) the charter and (ii) the law in these respects. [27246]
Mr. Malone: All patients, regardless of age, have a patients charter right to be registered with a general practitioner. Health authorities have a legislative responsibility to ensure that this happens. There are no provisions in the patients charter to prevent general practitioners from removing patients from their lists.
Guidance issued by the General Medical Council in May 1992 makes it clear to general practitioners that it is unacceptable to discriminate against patients on grounds
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of their age, sex, sexual orientation, race, colour, religious belief, perceived economic worth or the amount of work that they are likely to generate by virtue of their clinical condition. This guidance is intended to be read in conjunction with the booklet, "Duties of a Doctor". The GMC is the professional body for doctors and has a range of measures that it can take against a doctor who acts in a manner that it considers to be unacceptable.
We have received a number of representations regarding the law in this respect.
Mrs. Clwyd:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what studies he has commissioned in the last five years, on the evaluation of symptomatic illness of British women who have silicone implants. [27774]
Mrs. Clwyd:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what number of patients receive silicone implants annually in the United Kingdom; [27773]
Mr. Horam:
The information is not available centrally.
(2) how many British women have received silicone implants in the United Kingdom since 1970. [27775]
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