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Animal Feedstuffs
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what regulations govern the inclusion of cement dust in animal feedstuffs. [27342]
Mrs. Browning: I have been asked to reply.
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There are no regulations controlling the specific use of cement dust in animal feedingstuffs. However, under the Agriculture Act 1970, it is an offence to sell, or have in possession with a view to sale, any material which is deleterious to animals or, through the consumption of animal products, deleterious to human beings. The Feeding Stuffs Regulations 1995, made under part IV of the 1970 Act, contain detailed provisions including controls on contaminants to feedingstuffs.
LORD CHANCELLOR'S DEPARTMENT
Solicitors' Indemnity Fund
Mr. Alex Carlile: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will make a statement on the solicitors' indemnity fund. [27564]
Mr. Jonathan Evans: The solicitors indemnity fund, which provides compulsory insurance cover for all solicitors, was established under section 37 of the Solicitors Act 1974. The Act empowers the Law Society to make rules concerning indemnity against loss arising from any kind of civil liability, although most claims arise from allegations of negligence. The most recent rules are the Solicitors Indemnity Rules 1992.
Personal Injury Insurance Compensation
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what is the maximum time after which personal injury insurance compensation may no longer be pursued; and what plans he has to alter this period. [27904]
Mr. Jonathan Evans: The limitation period in respect of claims between an insurer and an insured person arising out of their contract is six years, subject to any stipulation in the contract to the contrary. The normal period in respect of claims for compensation for personal injury against the person causing the injury is three years from the date on which the cause of action accrued or the date of the plaintiff's knowledge. The Law Commission is at present reviewing limitation periods generally.
Justices of the Peace
Mr. Cox: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what is the present number of (a) men and (b) women from ethnic minority communities who are justices of the peace, serving courts in the Greater London area. [27953]
Mr. Jonathan Evans: Information is only available in respect of three of the six Greater London commissions of the peace.
| Male | Female | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| City of London | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| Inner London | 67 | 45 | 112 |
| Middlesex | Not available | -- | 144 |
No information is currently available in respect of the North-East, South-East and South-West London commissions.
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Privatisation
Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer in how many privatisations Bayesian probability theory was used in the analysis of maintenance costs of the capital equipment being privatised; and if he will make a statement on the value of the theory in assessing investment needs of (a) public and (b) private industries. [27938]
Mr. Jack: Information required to determine the number of privatisations in which Bayesian probability theory was used could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. Bayesian probability theory is an established modelling technique relevant to determining estimates of maintenance expenditure for companies with a large capital base. It is not for HM Government to express a view of the value attributable to the use of Bayesian probability theory by private industries.
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European Parliament (New Buildings)
Mr. Stewart: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the cost to the United Kingdom of the European Parliament's new buildings in Brussels and Strasbourg in the next year. [28315]
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory: I assume my hon. Friend is referring to 1997. The cost of the European Parliament's new buildings for the forthcoming year are established only following the annual budget negotiations. We will not know the cost of these buildings until the 1997 EC budget is adopted in December.
Suicides
Mr. Touhig: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many suicides in the United Kingdom involved the use of (a) a firearm and (b) a shotgun in (i) 1980, (ii) 1985, (iii) 1992, (iv) 1993, (v) 1994 and (vi) 1995. [28260]
Mrs. Angela Knight: The number of suicides--ICD 1 E955.0-E955.4 and E985.0-E985.4--in the United Kingdom involving the use of (a) a firearm and (b) a shotgun in 1980, 1985, 1992, 1993 and 1994 are shown in the table. Data for 1995-96 are not yet available.
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| 1980 | 1985 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Suicides and self-inflicted injury by firearm including shotgun | 255 | 257 | 206 | 205 | 193 |
| Suicides and self-inflicted injury by shotgun only | 85 | 107 | 98 | 101 | 96 |
| Injury by firearm including shotgun undetermined whether accidentally or purposely inflicted | 25 | 38 | 24 | 20 | 24 |
| Injury by shotgun only undetermined whether accidentally or purposely inflicted | 10 | 13 | 9 | 9 | 12 |
(4) International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision.
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Codes E995.0-E955.4 refer to deaths where suicide is the underlying cause of death, whereas codes E985.0-E985.4 relate to deaths where it is undetermined whether the injury was accidentally or purposely inflicted. The majority of these, however, are generally regarded to be suicide.
Deaths in England and Wales for 1992 and earlier years represent the number of deaths registered in each year, while deaths from 1993 are deaths which occurred in each year.
Deaths in Scotland and Northern Ireland represent the number of deaths registered in every year.
Mr. Timms:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many employees in (i) England and (ii) Great Britain earned (a) less than £1.50 per hour, (b) between £1.50 and £2.50 per hour, (c) between £2.50 and £3.50 per hour, (d) between £100,000 and per £250,000 per annum and (e) more than £250,000 per annum in 1995; and if he will list his projections for 1996. [28584]
Mrs Angela Knight:
Information from the New Earnings Survey, April 1995 is shown in the table. Projections for April are not available.
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| England | Great Britain | |
|---|---|---|
| Percentage of employees earning less than £1.50 per hour (excluding overtime) | 0.6 | 0.6 |
| Percentage of employees earning between £1.50 and £2.50 per hour (excluding overtime) | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| Percentage of employees earning between £2.50 and £3.50 per hour (excluding overtime) | 7.2 | 7.3 |
| Percentage of employees earnings between £100,000 and £250,000 per annum | 0.1 | 0.1 |
| Percentage of employees earning more than £250,000 per annum | <0.1 | <0.1 |
Profit-related Pay
Mr. Timms: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what is the average marginal rate of tax used in calculating the cost of tax relief on profit-related pay; [28541]
- (2) what is his most recent estimate of the cost of tax relief for profit-related pay for the tax year 1996-97. [28540]
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Mr. Jack: The cost of income tax relief for profit-related pay schemes is approximately estimated on the assumption that the distribution of participants by marginal rate of tax is similar to that for employees generally. The average marginal rate of tax for employees in 1996-97 will be about 27 per cent.
Estimates of the cost of income tax relief for PRP tax relief for PRP schemes are published annually in table 1.6 of "Inland Revenue Statistics", copies of which are in the Library. An estimate of the cost in 1996-97 is not yet available.
Paracetamol Poisoning
Mr. Simon Hughes: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many deaths relating to paracetamol poisoning have been reported to the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys in each of the last five years. [27761]
Mrs. Angela Knight: The number of deaths from paracetamol poisoning reported to the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys--the Office for National Statistics from 1 April 1996 following the merger with the Central Statistical Office--in 1993 and 1994 is shown in the table.
| 1993 | 1994 | |
|---|---|---|
| Deaths by poisoning--accident | 60 (14) | 56 (14) |
| Paracetamol only | 42 (8) | 36 (9) |
| Paracetamol and other drugs | 18 (6) | 20 (5) |
| Deaths by poisoning--suicide | 155 (22) | 119 (12) |
| Paracetamol only | 65 (6) | 61 (4) |
| Paracetamol and other drugs | 90 (16) | 58 (8) |
| Deaths by poisoning--undetermined | 89 (13) | 79 (8) |
| Paracetamol only | 59 (3) | 49 (5) |
| Paracetamol and other drugs | 30(10) | 30 (3) |
The figures in brackets indicate the number of paracetamol deaths with a mention of alcohol.
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